Blood Orange & Mandarin

Before I get into the taste of this tea, I want to talk about the color. This tea…when they say “Blood” orange, they mean it. The color has an orange color, most definitely, but it is red orange, to say the least. Put it in a black cup, and it looks a bit like blood. To avoid that creepy feeling, I’d stick to any other color of china, glass, mug, etc. So all in all, I love the color, minus the vampire scare. XD

Now onto taste: This is an orange lover’s tea. I happen to be an orange lover. :-) It has a VERY strong citrus-y taste, obviously, orange being the major one. You take a sip and you are greeted with a strong sour, which then quickly transforms to a sweet orange flavor. Proper sweetening to taste will change the speed of that transformation, or if there is a sour taste at all. I have just started using Agave Nectar, and about a tablespoon and a half (that’s guessing though, need to go back and measure exactly) gets a nice sweet without overpowering the tangy of the orange. So it’s a sweet-and-sour deal, and if you like orange, you’ll LOVE this tea.

I usually try to end my daily tea consumption before 7:00 PM. At that time I’m ready to unwind for the evening and come down from the energizing doses of caffeine supplied by my morning cups. However, tonight I had a craving for tea to accompany my pasta supper. Remembering that my Wissotzky gift chest contained some fruity caffeine-free varieties, I reached in and pulled out a bag of Blood Orange & Mandarin Scent. After steeping, the tea had a clean translucent orange/cherry color. I also enjoyed the tantalizing fruity aroma that emerged from my cup. This tea has an exquisite yet mellow citrus flavor. I don’t seek out flowery tasting teas, but the hint of rosehips in this blend greatly enhances the flavor. I thoroughly enjoyed it with my meal. If you dim the lights in your dining room and use crystal goblets, this tea can be an integral component of any gourmet occasion.

(Tea bag is labeled “Blood Orang & Mandarin Scent: Magic Garden” so this may be a different version.)

Strong smell of tart orange for both the teabag and the infused tea. Has a bit of hibiscus flavor which I normally don’t care for, but in this case it works well with the sour orange.

Disgusting. Like drinking syrup. I was served this after a Passover seder- I had to discretely throw it down the sink.