Orange tasting notes | How 6 random oranges from Safeway compare to one another

Because what else are you going to do in a pandemic? Let’s have a mindful orange tasting. I highly recommend you give it a go.

6: Sunkist minneola tangelo

A tangelo is the result of a hybrid between a mandarin or tangerine and a pomelo or grapefruit. The Minneola tangelo specifically was is a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy mandarin, released in 1931 by the USDA Horticultural Research Station in Orlando. They’re easily distinguished by the “nipple” at the stem—hence the sometimes name honeybells.

My score: This was my least favourite in taste, but certainly the loveliest to look at for its colour and strange nip.

Colour: Of all the oranges, this one had the most pleasing colour. It has a deep, saturated orange that borders on crimson.

Tool peel: Super easy, smooth, and enjoyable to peel for cocktails.

Finger peel and hand feel: Very nice hand peel that feels good.

Pith: Just about right. Not overwhelming. Little leftover to deal with. Smooth and slightly wet.

Aroma on peel: I wasn’t a fan. It’s very bitter—almost unpleasant.

Segments: Pale and disappointing colour, given the peel. Firm, good texture.

Juice level: Juicier than the Golden Nugget mandarin, but not overly forthcoming.

Taste: Weak, bitter flavour. Almost thin. Disappointing.

5: Paramount Cara Cara

The Cara Cara is a type of navel orange, noticeable by its “navel”, and seems to have developed as a spontaneous mutation. It was discovered at the Hacienda Caracara, hence the name. Fun fact: the pigmentation in Cara Cara is due to carotenoids such as lycopene—basically a natural red pigment found in fruits and veg. It’s the reason tomato sauce stains your tupperware orange.

My score: I wasn’t a huge fan. I love raspberries, but for some reason the red flavour felt weak.

Colour: Deeper and a little more saturated than your classic navel.

Tool peel: Really easy and large enough to get a good purchase. Possibily the easiest of all.

Finger peel and hand feel: Lots of juice on the hand peel. Easier to get apart than the navel. Not a fan of the navel plug that makes it awkward to nicely pull apart. Least pleasing to hold.

Pith: The pith was medium and a little harder to get rid.

Aroma on peel: Light and present.

Segments: Gorgeous light pink segment colour. Hard to perfect due to the offputting plug. Flimsy segments, but not as delicate or stuck together as the navel.

Juice level: Not as juicy as the navel but still fresh and very juicy.

Taste: A weak sweetness. Easy to eat.

4: Blood orange

Blood oranges get their red from anthocyanin—another naturally occuring pigment that’s responsible for the reds, purples, blues, and blacks of various fruits and veg including blueberries, raspberries, black rice, and purple cauliflower. It’s also apparent in some autumn leaves. This distinct colour in the blood orange is created as the fruit develops at night in low temperatures. How very vampire. It’s a natural mutation.

My score: They’re a little more sour than typical, but it wasn’t as satisfying to eat as a navel.

Colour: It’s unique and has almost blue elements, but honestly not very attractive.

Tool peel: Really tough. Obviously the peel is naturally wrinkly, so this one’s no bueno for an Old Fashioned.

Finger peel and hand feel: So easy to hand peel. Love that.

Pith: The pith is really dry and medium thick. Not a huge fan. It really stays on the fruit as you peel, making it finicky to perfect.

Aroma on peel: Pretty sour and bland smell, if I’m honest.

Segments: Really hard to segment. The pieces stick together more than one would like. But, what an amazing colour—very rich red. No surprises there. Smells a lot sweeter once you get into it.

Juice level: Firmly juicier than most.

Taste: Light and tart, but kind of “red”, like raspberries. It’s a little sugary but has a sour pith. Skews toward grapefruit.

3: Golden Nugget tangerine

Presenting the cellulite realness of the citrus world. This tangerine was developed in the ‘50s at the University of California, Riverside. It’s a mandarin hybrid between two non-commercial breeding varieties, the wilking and kincy mandarins. That’s about all I could find out about these gorgeously bumpy little fruits.

My score: Perhaps unsurprising this was my favourite, given it’s basically a mandarin, so sweet.

Colour: Very rich orange that’s slightly deeper and redder than the usual.

Tool peel: Due to the cellulite realness of the skin, this one’s really hard to peel by tool.

Finger peel and hand feel: Pretty easy to unpack by hand. Came off more in chunks than pieces.

Pith: Scratchy and chalky pith.

Aroma on peel: Very sour and bitter smell. Possibly the least enjoyable of them all.

Segments: Very pleasing and very easy to separate. Nicest to pull apart.

Juice level: Right in the middle. Feels good and squishy but not bursty.

Taste: Not too sweet or sharp. Fresh, like a dessert orange. So easy to eat. Bright, sour, and immediate.

2: Paramount navel orange

Of course, you know they’re so named after their little bellybutton. I’m a little disturbed by the baby hole—literally a second baby fruit that grows at the apex—but that’s just me. Apparently their bitterness, compared to other orange types, makes them less juiceable. Here’s something mind-blowing: every navel you eat today is genetically identical to the origin tree of this fruit, which is around two hundred years old.

According to a study from 1917, a single mutation in a Selecta orange that was planted in Brazil, on the grounds of a monastery, is likely the tree that yielded the very first navel around 1810. It’s this mutation that creates a baby fruit in the fruit but also this mutation that makes it sterile, therefore the only way to make more of the same was to graft cuttings from the original tree. Every navel is a clone—just like Granny Smith apples.

My score: Just a joy to eat. I’ll forgive all the awkwardness in peeling and segmenting for that juice.

Colour: Classic. The one which all oranges are measured by. The definition.

Tool peel: Super easy. Again, a classic.

Finger peel and hand feel: Easy enough (ish) to hand peel. Really not a fan of the “navel” hole that becomes a weird plug.

Pith: Smooth and wet. Pretty thick and more juicy than the Cara Cara.

Aroma on peel: Fresh, juicy, and bright. Sets the standard for oranges.

Segments: Classic colour. The worst as far as peeling away nicely. Very flimsy. Best aroma on open. Annoying to hold.

Juice level: The juiciest of them all.

Taste: So thirst-quenching and juicy. Wonderfully sweet, but not too sugary. Vaguely tart. Right there, right away.

1: Cuties mandarin

Apparently the ancestral mandarin was a lot more bitter, but today’s mandarin is known for being sweet. It’s apparently one of the original citrus species. Tangerines, clementines, and satsumas are all types of mandarin. They’re thought to have first evolved in East Asia—Japan, China, Vietnam, and others—and might be so named after the color of the robes worn by mandarin dignities.

My score: Sweet, delicious, easy to eat—a total pleasure. My favourite of the lot.

Colour: Gorgeous colour that takes classic orange and deepens it a touch.

Tool peel: Hard to get a long peel from this small friend.

Finger peel and hand feel: The easiest of them all to hand peel and delightfully free of pith as you do so. I believe they’re bred for this.

Pith: Chalky and heavy, but comes off with ease.

Aroma on peel: Light and sweet and subtly sugary. A good smell.

Segments: Perfectly formed cute little pieces. Gorgeous light, pinkish orange colour.

Juice level: Much less juicy than your classic navel.

Taste: Sweet and petite flavour. Soft and super pleasing. Very more-ish.