Orange Dulce

This is actually the tea I bout my little Mighty Leaf variety pack for. Sure, there are a few other teas I’m interesting in trying, but this is the one that made me actually buy it. I love oranges.

This is for the teabag version. The teabag weighs 3.2g – I realize it is a bit dorky to weigh my teabags, but I find myself curious as to who skimps on leaf and who does not. Anyway, it smells creamy and orange, like orange sherbet. I tossed it into a cup with some water and waited for 4 minutes.

The smell reminds me of SpecialTea’s Earl Grey de la Crème, though I admit, it’s been a while since I’ve had that so I’m not sure how accurate that memory is. The taste is different from the smell though – bolder, not as sweet or soft as I was expecting. More of an unsweetened orange gummy slice with cream over it. That’s to say, not an actual orange – it’s not tingly citrus enough for that – but more orange candy, but without being hurt-my-teeth sweet. And the cream taste is changing on me, seeming to switch around from cream to an almost light caramel flavor that reminds me of Haagen Daz Dulce de Leche. If I slurp I get a bit of a floral taste that is almost perfume-y mixing with the candy orange taste and that combo makes the flavoring taste a bit unpleasantly artificial. Not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the tea but enough to make me not want to slurp anymore.

Not a knock-my-socks-off cup but enjoyable. I could see having a little stash of this in my pantry for times I feel like an almost dessert tea or something orange.

I bought a whole box of this a while ago evidently hoping I would love it, but alas…

It decided to steep some up today to see what I remember of it, an orange jasmine-y tartish perfumish mess. Smells like a perfume my Grandmother might have bought that went rancid. It is definitely more enjoyable with soymilk but now I’m just kind of sad I have so much of it. If anyone wants to swap, let me know. Other people really seem to love this tea!

This is great for tea on the run.

I thought it would be a typical black tea in a teabag…bitter, overly flavored, cloying. Not so! I’m happily surprised. The sides and string of the tea sachet look crocheted. It’s very cute. The tea itself is naturally sweet and perfume-y. The orange and vanilla yield a smooth and creamy taste. The aftertaste is very creamy! The orange flavor is very mellow, not sour at all…but kind of artificial. Other reviews note that this tea reminds them of Earl Grey and I have to agree. The tea seemed a little too light for me to add milk and sugar but it’s fine on its own. It’s won’t knock your socks off but it’s better than no tea at all.

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act V scene 2

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless’d;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
The Merchant of Venice, Act IV scene 1

When I tore open this teabag’s packet this morning I was quite intrigued by the smell. I think that I actually inhaled some of the escaped fannings while my nose was jammed into the packet. I was trying to figure out the scent. I had been expecting a Constant Comment-esque smell, but this was completely different ::sniff-sneeze!:: I had to trust that my subconscous would eventually figure it out. As it steeped I read the little packet and was surprised by the ingredients: Jasmine? Really? Huh…

I swear that for the whole friggin’ cup I was trying to figure out what I wanted to compare it to (so much for subconscious). It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t teagasmic, but it was utterly distracting. The orange was probably the most mellow of the flavors, but I couldn’t tell if it was because it melded nicely with the rest or if it was just barely there. I also think that my mind goes to a default “anise-flavored” when uncertain of a fragrance. I have no clue as to why. It was one of those teas where if someone was giving some away I’d be fine with taking it, but I’m not going to go out of my way for more.

After reading some other comments hoping to find the “mystery association” I found it: orange creamsicle. I think that I’ve had less than 5 of those in my lifetime, so after I removed my palm from my forehead I laughed at my sipping intensity as I had pondered similar tastes.

Oh, but where does this tea fit into the Shakespeare cannon? More pondering! It’s feminine, more comic than tragic (not worthy of a sonnet), not the best but not the worst. What play haven’t I touched upon yet? ::ponder, ponder, ponder:: Merchant of Venice! But all I really know of that play is a few quotes, anti-Semitism, and Shylock. ::research, research, research:: I came close to dubbing this tea Shylock’s daughter Jessica, but I felt that this tea had more oomph of a larger character. Portia! Yup, I’m calling this tea Portia. She’s the catalyst for a lot that happens and then does the whole “dress up like a man to set men straight” deal. I think that nowadays she’s portrayed as a strong feminine character, but back in Shakespeare’s day she would have been seen more as “the Fool” or a lot like Kate in The Taming of the Shrew. Yes, she’s allowed to get some great digs at the men (who are all not the sharpest spoons in the toolshed’s lightbulb) but once the shennanigans are over with, well, she’ll go back to being a humbled wife. NE

Bleeeaarrrgghhhhh. I got this as a sample, I am not sure but I think it was in Traveling Tea Box A? I had so many envelopes full of samples I dumped them all into a plastic container and now I don’t know what I got from whom. :-(

Anyway, the scent of the teabag was promising enough, I have nothing against orange. I didn’t realize it had jasmine in it too, about which I will quote Heidi Klum on Project Runway, “I don’t hate much, but dat I hate.” What it doesn’t have is anise or licorice, yet to me that is ALL I can taste! It seems overwhelming! And I usually like anise. The only thing I can figure is that since I didn’t know I was drinking a jasmine tea, my mind went to anise instead and was grossed out by too much anise instead of the true gross ingredient which was the jasmine? I don’t know. I’m confused.

1 full-leaf pouch for 400mL water, bare.

Okay, here’s a new low for MBH the Tea-Fiend. While looking in Winners last night for a can opener — a freakin can opener, people — I bought tea. Fancy schmancy over-packaged tea, left over from the ‘Desperate for a Gift?’ display. I bought a mug I most certainly do NOT need just to get the two pouches of Mighty Leaf Orange Dulce within. (Actually, a covered mug as packaging for teabags is pretty cool. Unlike the insane platic divided tray Tea of Life is using for a collection of rooibos pyramid sachets.) But I digress. The point is, I bought a mug just to get the tea. Cause Mighty Leaf isn’t available by retail here in NL.

Opening the foil packet, I could swear heat escapes. Or am I running a fever? (My household is rotten with a cold virus.) Smells smooth, not all biting harsh like Bigelow’s Constant Comment or Stash’s Orange Spice. Impressive ingredient list.

Oh, my. Gentle orange, gentle tea, but neither one is faint. Oooh, I could really get to like this. I’ve been cionsidering an order from Mighty Leaf on the description of Beatles Blend alone (major Beatles geek here). Creaminess, too — ooh, real vanilla! Not girly-shop-and-perfume vanilla. And jasmine scent. Oh. Excuse me. Orange Dulce and I need to be alone.

Thanks again LiberTeas for the chance to try this tea. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like this one too much. I did taste the orange but still the combinations in this tea just wasn’t for me. Oh well, ya never know unless you try.

I have two favorites from Mighty Leaf, this one and Mayan Chocolate Truffle. However, somehow… some way… this tea is not as good as it used to be. Or at least as good as I remember. It was one of the first teas I remember trying out about eight years ago when I was contemplating opening a brick and mortar tea room. And I fell in love.

The orange flavor has what I would call a sharpness to it rather than a sweetness. It is very a very bergamot-ish orange flavor. The vanilla softens this flavor a bit, and the jasmine is very subtle but offers a pleasant floral tone to the finish.

Even though the information on this site about this tea doesn’t say it, this tea has green tea as well as black to it, so I steep it at a lower temperature so that it doesn’t become bitter.

A very nice, well-rounded cup.

Headache city, right now. I don’t mind perfumy teas, normally. But right now my apartment is a mess, my cat is hiding under my futon which I’m scared might break at any moment, and this tea is just making my head feel worse. I probably shouldn’t have chosen this tea for the moment…I have an aversion to vanilla (but not cream, strangely) so I have no idea why I picked this out.

I can taste jasmine, followed by vanilla, followed by orange. I added too much Splenda, and it is just too, too sweet.

This tea almost reminds me of a very perfumy Earl Grey with cream, but without any of the characteristic lightness. The liquor is heavy, almost syrupy. It’s hard to swallow. On the plus side, it’s quite smooth. I can’t detect any bitterness or sharpness.

I’m not getting orange creamsicle from this, but that’s okay. I’m sure this would taste good under other circumstances, but at the moment it’s just not working for me. I will have to review this again when I’m in a better mood. Hence, no rating.

Had this with lunch yesterday…its not what I expected. If it has “orange” in the name, I expect orange in the flavor. Didn’t get that, not a single peice of orange peel in the tea bag; what I got was a bit of flowery jasmine and smooth vanilla creme. Still quite nice with my Chinese food lunch, but I consider it a bit of a “bait-and-switch”.
Brewed very light in the cup, I blame the instant hot water tap with being not hot enough…that and the bags a bit skimpy.

In a nylon sachet and larger pieces than other orange flavored teas. Still, why confine those wonderful bits in a sachet? http://lyt-tea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/review-mighty-leafs-orange-dulce-black.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag, 2.9 g
Additives: none
Water: hot spigot water, 12 ounces? in mug
Steep Time: a little over 4 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: orange, bergamont, floral
Steeped Tea Smell: vanilla, black tea
Flavor: smooth black tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: floral
Liquor: translucent dark brown

I purchased a sampler and this was included.

The smell was amazing, the tea was a quality black tea but what happened to the orange and vanilla flavor?

Post-Steep Additives: +1 packet white sugar – not much change, a slightly artificial aftertaste
+1 (=2) packet white sugar – very artificial aftertaste bleh!

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/mighty-leaf-tea-teabag-black-tea-orange.html

This is the first time I have tried this tea thanks to MandyB. This tea is a wonderful rarity because the name ORANGE Dulce makes me think pure Orange Black Tea but it’s very different because it’s floral and sweet, too…it’s not overly orange nor is it a BOLD Black Tea Flavor. It seems to be a nice happy medium of everything! Very Nice!

I swear I wrote a review on this previously, but I don’t see it. Maybe I just tried to do it back when the site was having hiccups.

A few years ago, when I discovered I could actually find loose teas, I bought a set of 6 Mighty Leaf sample tins. Orange Dulce was one of them, and I loved it. Flash forward to about 2 months ago, when I had a big tea shopping spree, and I ordered 4 oz of it, based on those memories. When I got it, I eagerly brewed up a cup, and… BLEARGH! It was awful, and bitter. I took some to work, and tried making some there, where the water is cooler, and still it was bitter. I tried giving that small bit at work to the tea drinker in the next cube, and she gave it back because she didn’t like it!

I am discouraged. I tried again at home. I tried it straight and unsweetened. I tried it with sugar and half & half. I tried frothing it as a latte. All disappointed me.

So now, I am trying one last time. I am using Daisy Chubb’s directions for cold-brewing (thanks, Daisy!) and if this doesn’t give me a tea I actually like, I am pouring the tea out of the cute little tin I bought for it, into a zip lock or some little disposable tub, and offering it up here in trade. There are good reviews of it, so someone out there will want it. Hopefully. I hate to see a tea go unloved.

Check back later and I’ll pronounce the verdict. :)

This was the tea that I chose today, when I purchased my lunch at the Roost.

You can smell the orange, although I did not notice any vanilla it was still tasty, fragrant and floral. … I had this tea at 6am, I should go and get some more so I can better define how delicious it is.

Okay this tea confused me because the box lists this tea as containing: black tea, jasmine, green tea and natural flavors. So I was like where is the orange in the name coming from? Then I opened the package and a smell of homemade caramel emerged furthering my confusion. Then I steep it and the scent morphs into a sweet vanilla almost birthday cake scent. Then I take a sip and it’s almost all orange (it reminds me on orange spice herbal tea from bigelow) – here I’m at the height of my confusion.

Now the description here lists notes of orange and vanilla which makes way more sense to me so I don’t know what the box was talking about! Regardless the tea was just okay. I am beginning to think I don’t really like orange flavored teas, I think it ends up tasting like watered down orange juice. I am sure I will enjoy the rest of this tea, hut definitely not a favorite.

I got this as a extra with a sample of a florence I got from doulton. Thank you by the way. Backlogging. I liked the black tea in here and I liked to combo of the orange and vanilla but I could taste the jasmine to and thats not my thing. Still I think this is good.

Second tea from the Mighty Leaf sampler. I’ll own up to the fact that I was not looking forward to it – while I love bergmot, orange is not one of my favorite flavors. I was delighted with the smell of the leaves, which promised a sharp, almost perfumed orange.

I initially tasted the tea with no additions. It had a nice natural sweetness, and would be totally drinkable on its own. I wasn’t getting much orange though, so I added milk, hoping to get the creamsicle note. The milk amped up the vanilla, but the orange stayed in the background. To put it plainly, this is one that does not deliver in the cup what it promises in the aroma.

Ah well though – it’s a rather nice tea all the same. The vanilla is warm, and the orange does add a nice caramel note in the background. The tea has no bitterness whatsoever, which is actually pretty impressive. I can taste the jasmine, but only faintly.

To tell the truth, if I hadn’t enjoyed Mighty Leaf’s Earl earlier in the day I might have liked this more. As it was, I kept thinking of that tea, which shares many notes (orange (well, bergmot,) jasmine, black tea) but was more to my taste. But… it was rather nice as an after dinner tea, and I wouldn’t turn down a cup!

Reminds me of Earl Grey but it’s a lot more smooth than many of the Earl Grey teas that I’ve tasted before. This smells good too.

It’s interesting to see how wide the variation is in reviews on this. I received a free sample bag with my Mighty Leaf order, but I’ve had this before. It was on my to-drink list for a long, long time, since it gets such rave reviews on tea blogs and ML’s website. I just don’t get it. It’s not as creamy as I always think it will be, the orange isn’t terribly pronounced – in fact, very little is pronounced in terms of flavor. To me, it just tastes like a decent black tea mixed with some muddled flavoring. The aftertaste is very orange, but that’s all I can really distinguish.

It’s still a good tea. It just doesn’t deliver on its promise.