This study aimed to use the Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) in conjunction with consumer acceptance to identify the drivers of liking of orange juice and to verify the influence of the preservation method in the sensory profile of this product as well as their acceptability. Five brands of Brazilian orange juice (100% pure) subject to different preservation methodologies (conventional thermal processing, thermal processing under vacuum, and non‐thermal processing) were used in the study. A trained panel evaluated the samples by the TDS test and then, a consumer test was carried out. It was verified that the preservation method had a great influence on the orange juice characteristics. Furthermore, consumers had a clear preference for products that have characteristics that are as close as possible to the natural product, that is, the natural taste of orange and acid taste attributes were those which characterized the most accepted products by Brazilians. Practical applications In this work, it was possible to verify that the TDS method, in combination with the sensorial acceptance, is adequate to obtain the drivers of liking for orange juice. In addition, the sensorial profile of Brazilian consumers was specifically verified for orange juice and the importance of the conservation and processing method in obtaining high quality products. That is, faced with consumer demand, the need of the industries to seek alternative conservation methods and differentiated manufacturing processes to obtain products with characteristics more similar to the natural was clearly verified in this work.