# How can you describe the "Bubblegum" flavor without saying "bubblegum"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723 "2005-10-04T12:19:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/21 "2005-10-05T19:12:34Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > They sell a soda in South Korea that has that flavor. We called it bubblegum juice. There’s a soda in Peru called Inka Cola that reminds me of bubble gum flavor. I think it’s supposed to be fake banana, which a previou poster to this thread found to be one possible component of the bubble gum flavor. ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/22 "2005-10-05T19:40:16Z")
Back in my bartending days, when nights were slow and the boss didn’t mind us burning through some of the lesser-purchased liqueuers, I would make a shot called a **Bazooka Joe** for people. It tasted almost _exactly_ like Bazooka Joe bubblegum, if you’re into that sort of thing. The ingredients are: [ul] [li]Two parts Creme de Banane[/li][li]Two parts Blue Curacao (or Triple Sec, but the Curacao gives that nice Windex color) – these are orange-flavored liqueuers[/li][li]One part Bailey’s Irish Cream[/ul][/li] You can add some vodka too to give it extra kick, but it takes the edge off the bubblegum taste. You don’t want to drink a whole glass of this stuff, just a shot. So I concur with those who suspect the **banana** and **orange** flavors. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/23 "2005-10-06T13:22:28Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > The [Dubble Bubble](http://www.dubblebubble.com/) brand, tastes mildly like [wintergreen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_salicylate) (Specifically [Sathers’ Wintergreen Lozenges](http://www.farleysandsathers.com/Products_Sathers.htm)) to me, and [pepsin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsin). (I’m actually fond of [Beeman’s gum](http://www.giftideasforyou.com/old-fashioned-candy/retro-candy/beemans-gum-save.html), that’s how I recognize the taste.) probably a very good guess. One patent describes the use of oil of wintergreen in bubblegum flavours (US 5,128,154). Another discussion on googleanswers ( [Google Answers: Bubblegum Flavor](http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=525269) ) suggests a mixture of esters (ethyl butyrate, ethyl acetate, etc), oils(orange oils, wintergreen, etc) and sweet-ripe-juicy chemicals(ethyl maltol, vanillin, maltol, etc) ---
**Author:** ![RCalabraro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4bbf92/32.png) [@RCalabraro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RCalabraro)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/24 "2016-04-25T17:20:06Z")
Happy to see that somebody referenced my post on Google Answers from a trillion years B.C. I think the flavor that we recognize as “bubble gum” is probably an attempt to recreate the original Fleer flavor, which is of course a trade secret. I find it interesting that other things are now identified as being bubblegum flavor. It’s so meta. It’s like how we still describe cars in terms of horsepower. Do you think one day we will describe spaceships in terms of carpower? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/25 "2016-04-25T18:13:45Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Like cotton candy, but chewier. Cotton candy is pure sugar, unless you put some type of flavoring in it. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/26 "2016-04-25T18:37:05Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > The taste of that particular variety of Crest toothpaste. Whatever the case, be aware that quick comparison tasting of Toothpaste Flavor X with any Non-toothpaste Flavor X without a complete mouth rinse between is hopelessly flawed. “Why Does Everything Taste Bad After You Brush Your Teeth?” [Why Does Food Taste Bad After You Brush Your Teeth? | Mental Floss](http://mentalfloss.com/article/20151/why-does-everything-taste-bad-after-you-brush-your-teeth) Surfactants, baby. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/27 "2016-04-25T18:50:31Z")
If you believe the rumors we passed around as kids, then I’d say bubblegum tastes exactly like spider eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/28 "2016-04-26T01:53:23Z")
It’s that taste the lack of which causes you to kick ass. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/29 "2016-04-26T02:04:13Z")
It’s sweet with a mild light fruit flavor and a hint of cinnamon. That’s not that useful of a description, but that’s what I think it tastes like. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/30 "2016-04-26T02:25:57Z")
There’s this Peruvian soda called Inka Cola, which tastes like fake banana but also like bubblegum, so… _wait a minute…I’m getting a funny feeling, like a dim memory, from when I was a young man and a Black American president was almost unimaginable…_ ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/31 "2016-04-26T02:53:39Z")
How do you describe the “tomato” flavor without saying “tomato”? How do you describe the “strawberry” flavor without saying “strawberry”? Most things just taste like what they are. Bubblegum is no exception. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/32 "2016-04-26T02:56:33Z")
to me, prickly pear cactus fruit tastes a lot like bubblegum flavor. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/33 "2016-04-26T03:34:28Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > How do you describe the “tomato” flavor without saying “tomato”? How do you describe the “strawberry” flavor without saying “strawberry”? Most things just taste like what they are. Bubblegum is no exception. I could find a way to describe any flavor but it doesn’t help because I’d just have to refer to other flavors. It’s the qualia thing, we don’t have words precise words for sensations, but we can describe them comparatively. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/34 "2016-04-26T04:49:23Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > To me Bubblegum has a vaguely Banana & Rubber Taste. You’ve eaten rubber before? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/35 "2016-04-26T14:51:53Z")
The taste of bubblegum has the same character as the taste of the Peruvian soft drink [Inca Kola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Kola), which is flavored with lemon verbena. So, I could describe bubblegum as similar to lemon verbena. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/36 "2016-04-26T16:32:09Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > You’ve eaten rubber before? Well, I have–namely the erasers on the ends of pencils. It’s been a while, but it was a nervous habit, kinda like biting nails. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/37 "2016-04-26T17:33:37Z")
Bazooka tastes like banana and cinnamon with a hint of methyl salicylate. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/38 "2016-04-27T01:32:53Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > The taste of bubblegum has the same character as the taste of the Peruvian soft drink [Inca Kola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Kola), which is flavored with lemon verbena. So, I could describe bubblegum as similar to lemon verbena. Ha! Look upthread – I mentioned Inka Cola twice, eleven years apart. I never knew about the lemon verbena (I described its flavor as “fake banana”). Thanks for fighting my ignorance – it’s taken longer than we thought! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/39 "2016-04-27T05:52:46Z")
Cinnamon+coriander is the key, plus as mentioned above methyl salicylate and essential oils of orange and lemon. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/40 "2016-04-27T07:55:55Z")
I always thought it tasted like sarsaparilla, which I’ve only had a couple of times. It’s apparently made originally from the smilax regelii plant. I’m going with sarsaparilla, even though I have no idea what brand. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723.md?page=3)