Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe What Is A Treat For The Nose But Not The Tongue

People Describe What Is A Treat For The Nose But Not The Tongue
Battlecreek Coffee Roasters/Unsplash

Putting on that pot of coffee in the morning, it smells so good you can almost taste it.

Well, actually, you pretty much can.

Our sense of smell is incredibly important to our sense of taste.

Science World said:

"Our sense of smell in responsible for about 80% of what we taste."
"Without our sense of smell, our sense of taste is limited to only five distinct sensations: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and the newly discovered 'umami' or savory sensation."
"All other flavors that we experience come from smell."

However, sometimes those smells are deceiving. There are certain things that just shouldn't be eaten.


Redditor n0_y0urm0m asked:

"What smells way better than it tastes?"

These Redditors tried these already so you don't have to.

That fresh from the dryer smell.

"Clean laundry."

- Akiram

"Came here to say laundry detergent. I've always wanted to eat the powder kind."

- Betty_Jean

Great for baking but not on its own.

"Vanilla extract."

- Mettabox452

"Because it's mostly grain alcohol with a tiny bit of potent beans."

- sameth1

"However! You may enjoy Vanilla bean paste should you want to taste that smell."

- kaikura89

"Surprised cocoa powder hasn't been mentioned yet."

- SirBroccolingtonIII

"Don't make hot chocolate with cocoa powder. Found that out the hard way as a ten year old... it just tasted like disappointment. Adding vanilla extract doesn't help either."

- 8dogsinatrenchcoat

It's meant to smell good, not taste good.

"Candles. Yankee Candles especially. They smell so tasty."

- thedudeisalwayshere

"For the price they run for, they should be edible."

- /FuzzMcBeefy84

"If they were edible, I'd be on My 600lb Life."

- dodexahedron

Ouch.

"Campfires... tastes like burning."

- rickm3

"What about people who drunk Islay Scotch?"

- SculpinIPAlcoholic

"My husband drinks Lagavulin Scotch. Its tastes like buttery campfire. Awful but damn is it smooth."

- plz2meatyu

"I love Lagavulin but my wife thinks it smells like burnt bandaids. And she's not wrong haha."

- jmaca90

Very unexpected.

"My nose. Ha!"

"In the same way my mouth tastes better than it smells."

- adept_ignoramus

"Unexpected dad jokes are the best kind."

- WickedEng90

"Came here for this. Studied sensory science at uni and man, mouths and noses are wild."

- FriedBeeNuts

There's no reason it shouldn't taste good.

"Chapstick, definitely chap stick."

- Simpl3Nik

"Cherry scented chap stick smells soooo good. Then you put it on and lick your lips… nope, what an awful taste!"

- wickedbunny42

"I don't know why but when I put on scent chap stick, I can taste the flavor even though I cant????????????"

- Brilliant_Surprise_3

We all wanted to know.

"Those scented markers from the late 80s early 90s. They smell great, but I can confirm they taste like sh*t."

- snowf*ckerforreal

"The Mr. Sketch ones?"

- xscumfucx

"Yep, those are the ones. I tasted all of them just to be sure. The lies… they tasted nothing like the fruity deliciousness they're masquerading as lol."

- snowf*ckerforreal

Watch where you're working.

"Petrol."

- Punyeah_

"How do you know it doesn't taste good?"

- asdfoneplusone

"It doesn't. It made my tongue numb. Hard lesson on why you don't lay under the fuel line you're undoing."

- KotexAvenger

It's not like breath spray.

"Perfume."

- Definition_Only

"This brought back memories of the time me and my sister sprayed a sh*t ton of perfume into our mouths because we thought it was essentially the same thing as breath freshening spray."

- DevTheDummy

Maybe you were a curious kid and you tried the markers that smelled good or the bottle of vanilla extract.

It's totally normal.

Our sense of smell is important to our safety and in helping us detect what we can or cannot consume. I guess some of these can be pretty tricky if you don't know any better.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Design For New Commemorative Coin Featuring Trump Just Dropped—And People Can't Believe It's Real

On March 19, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), comprising people appointed by MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, unanimously approved a final design concept proposed for a 24-karat gold United States semiquincentennial commemorative coin.

Instead of featuring the Declaration of Independence or some other images central to the foundation of the nation in 1776 or more universally recognized symbols from the last 250 years, the CFA chose a sketch based on a photo of Trump leaning over the Resolute desk in the Oval Office for the coin's obverse or "heads" side.

Keep Reading Show less
Gavin Newsom; ICE agents at Atlanta airport
Steve Jennings/Getty Images; Megan Varner/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Said What We're All Thinking About Trump's Decision To Deploy ICE To Airports

After President Donald Trump moved to deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports amid a partial government shutdown that has caused exceptionally long delays at TSA lines nationwide, California Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out exactly why the move is so troubling for citizens and non-citizens alike.

ICE agents are still getting paid during the shutdown, unlike TSA agents, who are currently working unpaid and struggling amid the affordability crisis. News outlets have confirmed ICE agents have been deployed in airports that serve Democratic strongholds, particularly John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports (New York), O'Hare International Airport (Chicago), and others.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Ebrahim Zolfaghari; Donald Trump
RpsAgainstTrump/X;

Iranian Military Spokesman Trolls Trump Hard In English With Classic Trump Catchphrase

As the war with Iran enters its fourth week, Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has gone viral for trolling President Donald Trump in a video with one of Trump's most well-known catchphrases.

The Apprentice was of course the show that made Trump a reality star for quite a few years, where he became known for his catchphrase "You're fired!"

Keep Reading Show less
Reese Witherspoon
JC Olivera/Variety/Getty Images

Fans Can't Believe How Old Reese Witherspoon Is After She Just Celebrated A Milestone Birthday

Reese Witherspoon just celebrated a milestone birthday, but it wasn't her 30th or even her 40th.

Legally Blonde's Reese Witherspoon just celebrated her 50th birthday, and just like Elle Woods, she's proven yet again that it's "not hard" for her to look fabulous.

Keep Reading Show less
Chappell Roan (left) and soccer star Jorginho Frello (right) are at the center of a reported security incident involving his 11-year-old stepdaughter in Brazil.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Ruano Carneiro/Getty Images

Chappell Roan Speaks Out After Soccer Star Says Her Security Guard Aggressively Confronted His Young Daughter

Chappell Roan has responded to an alleged altercation between the singer’s security guard and the daughter of soccer star Jorginho Frello.

On Saturday, Frello wrote on Instagram that he, his wife Catherine Harding, and his 11-year-old stepdaughter were staying at a São Paulo hotel ahead of Roan’s headlining performance at Lollapalooza Brazil when the singer, who was also apparently staying there, walked past their table at breakfast.

Keep Reading Show less