Someone Asked, “What Smells Better Than It Tastes?” And Here Are The 48 Most Spot-On Replies
It's natural to feel a little put off or lose one's appetite when the food we are presented with doesn't smell particularly appealing or fresh. Although not as finicky, our ancestors did the same and used smell to determine whether food was safe and suitable for consumption. If it doesn't smell rotten—then it's good to go. No rocket science here.
The smell and look of food helps us decide what's safe to put in our mouths and what's not. However, food is not the only area where scent matters. And as we've come to realize, some in more brutal ways than others, not all that smells good tastes accordingly. And many of the good-smelling things are not even edible. Many have heard the riddle asking what tastes better than it smells (FYI, the answer is tongue), but what about things that smell good but taste bad? That's a different spin on the riddle! However, it's not so much of a mystery when you realize how many things that smell nice taste rather awful. In fact, they shouldn't be put in one's mouth at all. Interested in what smells better than it tastes, user Muntszy of the AskReddit community asked fellow Redditors to name more things that smell good but taste—not so. Unsurprisingly, many of the things people listed were not supposed to be eaten (at least not by humans).
Below, we've compiled some of the most spot-on or simply funny replies people left in the thread. As always, we invite you to upvote the entries you liked or can agree with. Also, do you know of more things that smell better than they taste which haven't been mentioned? If so, let us know in the comments!
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m00kiiprinxess said:
"Vanilla extract."
Sailor_Chibi replied:
"So glad this is near the top. I once made the mistake of giving into temptation and tasted vanilla extract. That’s a mistake you only make once."
how does it taste like? my impulsivity is kicking in and i may or may not try doing this later
Just give and try a little. Then at least your curiosity will be sated
Load More Replies...Like bakers chocolate when you're a kid. My mom told me I wouldn't like it. She was right! Yuck 😝
"Soap."
PmMeYourTattoo said:
"Cocoa powder."
ClutchingMyTinkle replied:
"Unsweetened cocoa powder."
guy_who_likes_coffee replied:
"I distinctly remember my older sister begging my mom to let her eat some of the (still unsweetened) chocolate stuff my mom was making... and then I remember my sister washing her mouth out under the sink cuz it turned out mom was right and she very much did not like it."
turns out that raw produce which was plucked from the ground and ground up does not taste good
Sighwtfman said:
"Coffee.
I know billions and billions of people like the stuff.
If it tasted the way it smells I would too. Love the smell.
The taste? Awful. Unless I put enough cream and sugar that it's basically a milkshake."
TheShoot141 replied:
"I like drinking coffee. It smells way better than it tastes."
So happy to finally find this on the list. Coffee smells divine. Diedrichs used to have coffee that tasted as good as it smelled, until they were bought out by Starbucks, who has the worst coffee ever brewed. Yes, it's got to be dressed up as liquid candy to choke it down.
Don't talk to me until I've had my coffee. Even my dog waits patiently while I have my coffee
I've only been drinking coffee daily since my early 30' s, (51f), but I have always loved the smell.
dash47 said:
"Perfume."
User No 2 replied:
"When I was little, I saw Pepé Le Pew spray something that looked like a fancy perfume into his mouth tryna get a smooch for that foxy cat or whatever he was always after. My mother had a similar-looking bottle and so I obviously had to try it.
Sometimes making a mistake once is enough."
i went to a fancy store a while ago and i was spritzing the tester perfumes around to see how they smell like. accidentally spritzed it in my mouth lol
"Scotch. Always smells delicious. Often tastes like bandaids."
bbear122 replied:
"Bandaids is a new one. I usually think of old carpet or books when I drink scotch."
I love the smell of scotch. My partner will pour one and I nick his glass to smell it
"The rotisserie chickens are sold in the front of supermarkets. They taste fine, but they smell amazing. I'm not sure anything tastes as good as those things smell."
About 90% of my customers walk into my shop with a cooked chook and my God sometimes I feel like crash tackling them for that chook
Especially,if they have sat in the warmer. That seems to me, to make the flavor more intense.
"Leather/new shoes."
sushisay replied:
"My dog would disagree."
"Uncooked minced garlic."
EclipsaLuna replied:
"Fun story, my sister realized she had Covid one morning when she woke up and couldn’t smell or taste her coffee. So she decided to try out items in her spice cabinet and see how far she could take it. For the final test, she ate a whole tablespoon of raw minced garlic. Nothing.
She then got to tell the story when the doctor asked her why she thought she might have Covid. The doctor had a good laugh."
I like garlic so much. When I was a child, I would pull it up out of the ground. And eat it, roots, dirt and all. Good times!! LMAO!!!
Again, moderation is key. Too much garlic and you start feeling sick, but if it's only a small pinch it's tasty.
Melisandre-Sedai said:
"Dragonfruit. They smell heavenly, then taste like a solidified La Croix."
Jmersh replied:
"They really are a very mild flavor, but if you've had them in the US, you have probably eaten a not-quite-ripe and not-freshly-picked fruit. They don't travel well once they're really ripe.
When they're fully ripe and just picked off the cactus, they are sweeter and/or more sour. I think they taste like a ripe pear with a little sourness like kiwi fruit. If you can find them in Central America or Mexico, I'd recommend it. Very good, but the further you get North, the worse quality you'll find."
I agree that a ripe white dragon fruit tastes similar to a kiwi fruit & has a similar texture. I've never tried red or yellow dragon fruit, the latter is meant to be the sweetest & tastiest
My boyfriend is Chinese and some of his mother's friends grow them (all the different color/varieties.) Her friends often bring boxes full of the fruits over, since they're all elderly at this point and don't have kids/family around to consume all the fresh fruits. Boyfriend and I always get the lion's share of the crops XD I can say that fresh ripe dragonfruit is AMAZING, and the yellow is hands-down the sweetest. It's like candy made into fruit, without being cloying/gross. All the varieties are phenomenal if frozen while fresh and then snacked on while it's hot out XD
Load More Replies...Dragonfruit tastes mild although I find the pink ones taste more vibrant.
I really like dragonfruit, I’ve never had a La Croix so wouldn’t know if the tasted the same.
I recently had some dragon fruit for the first time and absolutely did not like it. Flavorless.
oohanonymousperson said: "My strawberry shortcake doll that I had when I was a kid. Turns out her hair doesn’t actually taste like strawberry. Just plastic…" geegeeallin replied: "I wish I had one of those old strawberry shortcake dolls to smell right now. The memories would be intense."
FriskyKittenPaws said:
"Snazzy flavored herbal teas."
pamwhit replied:
"Every time. “Oh, I bet this one will taste good!” Nope."
silksalmon said:
"Every grocery store bakery's chocolate chip cookies."
Fragrant_Penalty_ replied:
"They’re always too doughy and sweet, it’s an insult to cookie connoisseurs."
Hannaford's are quite good. Not doughy or overly sweet. Nice chips in it too.
"Mint leaves smell like breath mints, tastes like leaves."
My go to for stomachaches is a blend of peppermint and spearmint with a bit of honey. Absolutely heaven.
Load More Replies...Mint is great xD Every time I order some lemonade and there is mint in it, I wonder if it sometimes baffles the waiters to find empty stems xD
I beg to disagree, mint and rosemary taste awesome. Obviously if you eat too much it starts to taste bad, but otherwise it's yummy.
paulfromatlanta said:
"Scented markers."
BTW_The_Names_Marcus replied:
"I don’t know, that grape marker looks pretty tasty…"
This should not happen.the company just want to make you hungry. Then you will go buy food. Vicious cycle.
I don't think that scented marker companies are producing scented markers in cahoots with restaurants/grocery stores, plotting to make you buy food XD
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2kRandy said:
"Roses."
earthdweller11 replied:
"I love rose tea. Taste like nothing but hot water but there IS a mild floral nice taste. Basically, I just love the heavenly smell mostly though. Also love jasmine green tea for the same reason."
I've tried rose flavoured chocolate and jam made of rose petals. Both tasted like perfume to me.
I prefer the taste, the smell is just too strong from a lot of roses.
Maso_TGN said:
"Old books."
nicetriangle replied:
"Supposedly one of the chemicals produced by books/paper aging is in the same neighborhood as one of the main compounds in vanilla."
It wasn't a book but I just watched a kid lick the entire program like a lollipop at a graduation. They moved on to the streamers/confetti when people started walking the stage
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"Movie theatre popcorn."
Impossible_Town984 replied:
"I eat handfuls of it hoping it will taste as good as it smells. It never does."
Not in my experience. The last popcorn I've eaten in the cinema was freshly made in their machine, still warm and caramelised. It was heavenly. But I live in Germany and I must admit the first time I ate popcorn in the USA I was a bit shocked. It was in no way tasting anything alike.
Fellow German here. All popcorn in Germany is sweet, pretty much. When I moved to Ireland a few years ago, I hated the salty popcorn. However now, I can’t stand the sweet!
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Prank_Owl said:
"Cinnamon."
sonic_silence replied:
"The cinnamon really is only pleasant as an odor. The taste is actually bitter but is paired with other flavors to work with the scent. Such as sugar."
When we were little, my sister and I would eat the cinnamon sticks. Like the ones in the picture
I hate to break it to you, but that was 2012/2013
Load More Replies...I use cinnamon in coffee. When added to coffee, the cinnamon comes across as a subtle sweet. Don’t use sugar any more. I also used to take cinnamon capsules. Somewhere I read a thing that said cinnamon helped regulate blood sugar. Don’t know if it did that, but it certainly made sweating smell better.
no-more-mr-nice-guy said:
"Cucumbers! They lure me in with that wonderful smell and then reward me with the taste of stale water. Why do you hurt me so?"
Sapphire580 replied:
"The first time I had cucumbers I knew I had tasted them before, but then I realized they taste like a bit of watermelon at the rind. With no red in the bite."
I love cucumbers, AND I love watermelon pith (the whitish-greenish bits next to the rind, after you eat all the pink flesh.) I don't know why, but watermelon pith is AMAZING to me! XD It's not bitter or anything. I recommend trying a bite or two past the pink bits, next time you have a slice of watermelon ;)
I adore cucumbers. Sometimes I just want a giant salad redolent with cucumbers, onions, jalepeno - and lemon/vinegar/oil dressing. It's so easy to add as much or as little ingredients (pine nuts, walnuts, a little honey, mushrooms, black olives, etc. etc...) as you want to a basic cucumber salad - and have an amazing melange of flavors.
Load More Replies...I never ate cucumbers before (except pickles) Was invited over my new neighbors house for a barbecue. Eating the macaroni salad I wondered what the crunchy bits were. Cucumbers! I'll be darned! They really work in Mac Salad.
"Coconuts. Not that they don't taste good but man coconuts be smelling bomb!"
truthesda said:
"Gasoline."
Ralfarius replied:
"Unleaded tastes a little tangy. Supreme is kinda sour, and diesel tastes pretty good."
Or a mechanic who doesn't have time you wash their hands?
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"Candles."
Wax... Doesn't taste like anything. It's just waxy. Scented candles taste terrible though.
"Play-doh."
As soon as I read "Play-doh" I could smell it... and I haven't been near any for over 20 years!
its really salty and makes you stomach hurt afterwards, if you were wondering
Tastes as good as it smells if it's homemade. I can't stand the smell of bought playdough so would never have tried eating it lol.
Yeah, homemade play dough just tastes ok, a bit floury and salty.
Load More Replies..."Lipsmackers chapstick."
Some of them actually tasted good.but ,then the company changed the formula. Not so good anymore.
Zoltarrah2000 said:
"Deodorant."
an_ineffable_plan replied:
"I once accidentally applied deodorant like one would apply Chapstick because I was seriously spacing. I don't recommend it."
"Christmas trees. Currently decorating one. Tried a broken-off piece. Smelt great, tasted bad."
Another thing I'm allergic to! I have to make sure I switch my car to inside air when I go to my mum's because I have to drive past a pine mill.
christmas trees at christmas taste like plastice, christmas trees at EASTER however taste sour but not bad
"Fresh-cut pine. Amazing smell, a little bit prickly of a taste."
Mapletron2020 said:
"Pipe tobacco."
gil_beard replied:
"I've been a pipe tobacco smoker for almost ten years and mainly smoke aromatics like bourbon, vanilla, etc. People love the smell of it when I smoke around them. I have to remind them the taste isn't the same. Not as bad as a cigarette of course but no it isn't going to taste as well as the name implies."
I remember my great grandparents house smelling of pipe smoke. My GGranpa smoked his entire life, it's like an early childhood memory I can bring up when I think about it.
Omg, yes. My great-grandpa preferred cherry or blackberry tobacco. Some of my dad’s old paperbacks still smell like that tobacco. I started reading them just to have that smell. Hated the smoke, loved the smell.
Load More Replies...I am now recalling the day I went to my birthing unit's boyfriend's office. Smelled of all sorts of woody, earthy, sweet things. Turns out it was pipe tobacco.
No_Language_423 said:
"Grapefruit."
Misseskat replied:
"Yes, I remember the grapefruit craze about 10 years ago - it's unbelievably bitter. I remember tasting it as a kid and I still feel the same way about it. Makes awesome juice and soda though."
Ah, I'm one of the strange ones, I LOVE grapefruit :) I also love green apples, so maybe I'm just a fruit mutant XD
You and I have that much in common, Lakota Wolf - although I like bitter tastes more than sour. I can't stand sour. Grapefruit I crave.
Load More Replies...My mother-in-law taught me this many years ago. Didn't believe it until I tried it.
Load More Replies...If sectioned and the membrane is removed it is far less bitter. Can't eat it now due to my medication. Love the stuff.
"Juniper berries."
"Sausage sizzle. I love the smell of sausages and onion cooking but I really do not like eating them. Sausages just make me feel sick. It's weird."
I can't stand the smell or taste. Makes it hard walking past the hardware store or going to vote :)
Suddenly thought of Bunnings on a Saturday morning right fellow Aussie's
Same with industrially produced sausages I get a tummy ache from them. But fresh ones from the butcher - awesome!
EntropyBier said:
"Hop extract.
I brew beer and use the hop extract in certain processes as an alternative to fresh or processed hops. It smells great if you love the smell of beer, particularly an IPA. Got some on my finger once, just a small drop, and without even thinking licked it off. F'ing ruined me. Destroyed my taste buds for like 3 days, all I could taste was bitter."
Stagism replied:
"This is how I feel after tasting an IPA. Just palate destroying bitterness. I think it's literally the only type of beer I don't like."
A lot of the 'craft' beers of the last couple of decades, particularly American ones, have far too much hops in them. It was originally used in IPA to disinfect the beer to allow it to stay good on the trip from Britain to India, not as a flavouring in and of itself. For some brewers it's become a trademark, almost so it's the only thing you can taste in their beers.
korinthia said: "How has nobody said McDonald’s pancakes? They smell like heaven and taste like regret." Nickgio999 replied: "You watch your mouth… those are delicious." korinthia replied: "Well, then I pity you for never having had a quality pancake."
One can love McDs pancakes AND love "quality" pancakes as well. Personally I'm pretty fond of the McDs hotcakes. They taste of childhood joys :) I especially love rolling them up and dipping them into the syrup by hand. But, as I have established in previous comments, I am strange ;)
Yuck. I must be the only person on the planet that hates McDonald's. It's so gross
"Truffles."
"Bacon. I think part of the problem is that people often overcook it to the point that it’s charred. This isn’t acceptable for most other kinds of meat, so I’m not sure why it’s commonplace with bacon. I like it on the chewier side."
Steev182 replied:
"Back bacon is where it’s at for that. The problem with belly bacon is that by the time the fat is mostly rendered, the meat has lost all moisture even when it isn’t charred. But back bacon, there’s only a light rind of fat, so it’ll render much quicker and leave you with a decent amount of meat."
Never was a fan of bacon. The grease always made my stomach hurt. Been a vegan for 12 years and the comment I always get if having to divulge my eating habits is, “but bacon!”
So the saying "A vegan will tell you they're vegan even when it isn't necessary" is true
Load More Replies...I am in the thin and crispy club, the best is when it is so thin and crispy it just kinda dissolves
Load More Replies...I have noticed that in America people generally seem to cook their bacon much longer, to what I would say is over cooked.
I agree! For all of my narcissistic, abusive mother's flaws (and she has a lot of flaws), she made the BEST bacon I've ever had in my life. I have tried many times to reproduce the bacon of my childhood, and have never succeeded. Maybe bacon was different 35 years ago when I was smol XD
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AllysonAmbrose said:
"The roasted nuts on the streets of NYC."
Basketball312 replied:
"Roasted chestnuts they sell (or used to) around London were like this. Smelled so good, tasted not bad but nowhere near as good as they smell."
Roasted chestnuts taste amazing! Warm, and tasty. I have no idea how to describe it.
Tedtox77 said:
"A nose?"
Moonlight_Darling replied:
"The nose actually does most of the tasting for you. Try eating something with your nose plugged and unplugged. You’ll be able to tell the difference since the plugged taste will be much more bland."
jzpidtzqsyvcsulrnb said:
"Grass."
_i_own_this_username replied:
"Never tried it but tbh it seems like it'd be nice too. Chuck it in a blender and you got green juice too."
Very bitter taste, but freshly cut grass with a high moisture content is the best smell on the planet. It smells good when the grass is dry, too, but not nearly as good as when it's lush and dark green. Plus, you can put a blade of grass between your thumbs like a reed, and blow through it to make an awful whistle that sounds like a mutant bird stepped on a Lego.
OMG! I used to do that as a single-digit kid (I'm 41 now)! That takes me back! My childhood home is all artificial turf now... my mom long ago replaced our grass lawns, which is probably good for Southern California, but I sure miss the grass "whistles" and the smell of newly-mown lawn :( Now I grow "cat grass" for my two cats and every once in a while I might snack on a blade or two myself XD
Load More Replies...nbarry1425 said: "Purple gluesticks." Verminnesotanboio replied: "The only thing worse than how a gluestick taste is how "well" it sticks."
hcos612 said:
"Beggin’ strips. “Dogs don’t know it’s not bacon” but I sure did."
KevinFrane replied:
"My older brother tried one of my dog’s Milk Bones once out of curiosity and from then on he’d dead-a** snack on them now and then."
My great-grandfather had to be told Beggin' Strips were for dogs cause he was snacking on them. Admittedly the man did live through the Great Depression so he probably had worse
I recall trying my dog's Kibbles n Bits as a child. Did not taste nearly as delicious as they looked (they'd been made to look like little strips of cheese mixed in with normal kibble.)
Best dog food commercial ever was the first Beggin' Strips one. IT'S BACON!!!
wtfhassan said:
"Subway."
Shadowchaos replied:
"I honestly like Subway too but it's the first thing I thought of when I saw the question. It's not bad but it's not great either, but the smell of the bread and the restaurant itself is amazing."
"Rosemary."
Rosemary makes cooked dishes taste great, particularly chicken. You aren't meant to eat the leaves raw.
"Bread. Whenever I drive past a bakery, I'm like "That smells delicious!", but when I eat a slice of plain white bread, I'm like "Meh. It tastes like bread. That being said, the brown cracked wheat bread from the Cheesecake Factory tastes as good as it smells."
clutchcitycupcake said:
"Nail polish."
BuffsBourbon replied:
"I prefer nail polish remover."
"Ginger root. I was tricked, okay?"
I love ginger. It's hugely common in Asian cooking and I guess I've gotten used to it/developed a taste for it after dating my Chinese boyfriend for 22 years XD I also get frequent migraines and eating some ginger really helps. Whenever boyfriend and I go out for Japanese food, I'll eat all the sliced ginger they give you on the little plate XD
Another that tastes great in cooking and pretty good as crystalised or pickled ginger.
All of these people eating non edible stuff need to be checked out for a disease
"What smells better than it tastes?" *numerous people immediately think of things that are not even edible* We're doomed, aren't we?
This post is what smells better than it tastes. Why are so many non-food items listed? Who eats candles, soap, perfume, etc? 🤨 Of course the NON food items will taste awful.
There's two kinds of dragon fruit. Sure, the pink one is pretty but doesn't have a strong flavor, but the yellow one does and tastes like a mild kiwi.
There was one time when I tried "food"-themed/scented face masks that had gotten featured on a Bored Panda article. I vowed in the comments to order them and eat them. They were NOT as tasty as they smelled XD I also did this with Kraft mac and cheese gummies... basically if someone dares me indirectly to eat a product that gets featured in a Bored Panda article, I'll probably do it XD
Gas station hot dogs. Mainly Maverick's. They smell so much better than they taste.
All of these people eating non edible stuff need to be checked out for a disease
"What smells better than it tastes?" *numerous people immediately think of things that are not even edible* We're doomed, aren't we?
This post is what smells better than it tastes. Why are so many non-food items listed? Who eats candles, soap, perfume, etc? 🤨 Of course the NON food items will taste awful.
There's two kinds of dragon fruit. Sure, the pink one is pretty but doesn't have a strong flavor, but the yellow one does and tastes like a mild kiwi.
There was one time when I tried "food"-themed/scented face masks that had gotten featured on a Bored Panda article. I vowed in the comments to order them and eat them. They were NOT as tasty as they smelled XD I also did this with Kraft mac and cheese gummies... basically if someone dares me indirectly to eat a product that gets featured in a Bored Panda article, I'll probably do it XD
Gas station hot dogs. Mainly Maverick's. They smell so much better than they taste.
