It’s such a delight to have some of the new-to-market expressed rind oil of the Meyer Lemon, I wanted to share my organoleptic evaluation of it with you, and give some away to a reader who leaves a comment.  I also want to encourage you to subscribe to the blog, and/or the comments for the blog, and if you leave a comment, don’t forget to check the box that will allow you to receive posts on the meyer lemon blog, so you’ll know if you’re a winner.  I filled a 15ml bottle with the

10.9g of meyer lemon oil in a 15ml bottle, a good example of specific gravity and your need to know it.

10.9g of meyer lemon oil in a 15ml bottle, a good example of specific gravity and your need to know it.

meyer lemon oil for you, and to show you how much specific gravity matters, know that it’s only  10.9g or oil!  I haven’t had time to weigh the oil and determine the S.G., but know that I will, since I determine the S.G. on all my oils, and teach it to my advanced students.

So – meyer lemon!  People have craved an oil of this prolificly-bearing small tree for years, and we’re finally getting it from California. It’s probably conventionally farmed, as the first-line supplier didn’t include any organic designation.  It’s available for retail and wholesale from Arlys Naturals.

I had a meyer lemon tree for several years until the Florida Citrus Nazis (you can search my old blog for the sad story of that horrible episode in Florida history) chopped it down. The first year, I was shocked at how many fruits!  My little tree was probably only 5 feet tall and just as wide, and there must have been over 100 fruits. Here’s a photo of one, not mine:

Meyer lemon tree with a typical load of fruit!

Meyer lemon tree with a typical load of fruit!

Now, to what it smells like, and a glimpse of the Organoleptic Evaluation Form (OEF) that my students use, starting in Module 1 in their studies at the Natural Perfumery Institute. It’s imperative for students and perfumers to know all the aspects of the aromatic they’re studying.  The only OE observation I’ve left off the form is taste.  I taste all my oils, but I am wary of a student ingesting a dangerous amount, or perhaps being allergic to an oil, so it’s not on the form.  If I have an attorney draw up a disclaimer for me, I may include it in the future.  Needless to say, the oils tastes wonderful, a broad, soft citrus flavor, soft and still invigorating.  Arlys Natural owner Susan Stype reports she and her husband enjoyed Meyer Lemon martinis!  I used it in a salad dressing over organic spring greens and feta cheese with cherry tomatoes (the veggies from my garden) and it performed spectacularly!

The Aromatic Lexicon referred to in the OEF is a page listing Sensory (alert, happy, relaxed, uneasy, velvety, erotic, etc.), Scent on drydown (amber, berry, butter, herbal, fruit (encompasses citrus and all fruit, up to the evaluator to determine), olive, musk, wine, etc.) and Place Memory (church, home, ocean, park, person, etc.). My students have enjoyed this word-jogger since 2007, and find it helps them greatly when searching for the elusive descriptor for a scent, while concomitantly helping them use the mind/nose/body connection to firmly root the oil in their Scent Memory.

Organoleptic Evaluation Form (OEF) by Anya McCoy for Meyer Lemon oil - click to enlarge

Organoleptic Evaluation Form (OEF) by Anya McCoy for Meyer Lemon oil – click to enlarge.  Note this is for the undiluted form.  Students also fill in an OEF for diluted aromatics.

Leave a comment about meyer lemon or a question for the weekly Ask the Perfumer forum, from now until 10 PM ET USA, and you’ll be in the drawing for the meyer lemon oil. Winner will be announced here tomorrow by noon.  If winner doesn’t claim prize by Tuesday 11:59 PM, ET USA, second winner’s name will be posted. Good luck to everyone, and I hope I have excited you about this new addition to our perfumer – and aromatherapy – palette.