# Like cherries, hate cherry-flavored things
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 13, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141 "2019-09-13T02:10:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kirkrapine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirkrapine)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/1 "2019-09-13T02:10:28Z")
I like **fresh** cherries, but anything cherry-flavored tastes like maraschino cherries.
---
### Author:  [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/2 "2019-09-13T02:13:39Z")
I am just the opposite. I like cherry flavor, but myeh on cherries.
Same thing with coffee. I don’t like coffee, but I like coffee flavor (ice cream).
---
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/3 "2019-09-13T02:19:43Z")
I like both real cherries and artificial cherry flavoring, but I also recognize that they are two completely different flavors.
---
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/4 "2019-09-13T03:19:00Z")
Yeah, the maraschino flavor is a type of (bitter) almond flavor.
And there’s also cherries vs sour cherries, which, at least to me, are two different flavors, as well.
---
### Author:  [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/5 "2019-09-13T06:03:14Z")
I have always loved cherry-flavored foods. From drinks to candy, I have always found that flavor to be reliably tasty. But actual cherries? I can’t remember ever actually eating one any earlier than the past few years. They just weren’t something that was around the house when I was a kid. I think having a co-worker who brings them to the office quite a lot, combined with a generally more adventurous attitude regarding food as I have aged, that prompted me to finally give them a try. They’re not bad, but they’re also a little messy and a little expensive, so I don’t know that I’m going to partake all that often.
---
### Author:  [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/6 "2019-09-13T07:47:22Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#):
>
> I have always loved cherry-flavored foods. From drinks to candy, I have always found that flavor to be reliably tasty. But actual cherries? I can’t remember ever actually eating one any earlier than the past few years. They just weren’t something that was around the house when I was a kid. I think having a co-worker who brings them to the office quite a lot, combined with a generally more adventurous attitude regarding food as I have aged, that prompted me to finally give them a try. They’re not bad, but they’re also a little messy and a little expensive, so I don’t know that I’m going to partake all that often.
What kind of cherries were they? [Bings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_cherry)? [Vans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_cherry)? [Rainiers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_cherry)? Where I live, those are the most common cherries you can find in supermarkets.
---
### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/7 "2019-09-13T08:39:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> And there’s also cherries vs sour cherries, which, at least to me, are two different flavors, as well.
That’s been my experience, as well. I’ve made a few cherry pies, and I use tart cherries (sweetened with some sugar) for the filling. I think that’s what the classic artificial cherry flavor is trying to mimic, so, of course it’s different from the taste of naturally sweet cherries.
---
### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/8 "2019-09-13T10:16:59Z")
> [@kirkrapine](#):
>
> I like **fresh** cherries, but anything cherry-flavored tastes like maraschino cherries.
I’m FinsToTheLeft and I endorse this message.
---
### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/9 "2019-09-13T10:31:18Z")
I adore fresh cherries, and only rarely enjoy cherry-flavored things. I generally hate cherry flavored candies and beverages, unless they’re made with real cherry juice.
---
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/10 "2019-09-13T12:17:43Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> That’s been my experience, as well. I’ve made a few cherry pies, and I use tart cherries (sweetened with some sugar) for the filling. I think that’s what the classic artificial cherry flavor is trying to mimic, so, of course it’s different from the taste of naturally sweet cherries.
Yeah, this morning, I just remembered that it’s pretty clearly not just me, as some languages (like Polish and Hungarian) have two completely different words for cherries and sour cherries. (_Czereśnia_ and _cseresnye_ is typically used for sweet cherries in Polish and Hungarian, respectively, and _Wiśnia_ and _meggy_ for “sour cherry.”
---
### Author:  [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/11 "2019-09-13T12:23:35Z")
I’m that way with grapes. I love grapes, but grape soda makes me want to barf.
---
### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/12 "2019-09-13T12:25:15Z")
I like all things cherry. Cherry is a spectrum, from tart to sweet. I like it all.
---
### Author:  [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/13 "2019-09-13T12:30:31Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> I like all things cherry. Cherry is a spectrum, from tart to sweet. I like it all.
A good point. Strawberries, for example, are pretty much the same. Bing cherries, on the other hand, are sweet, especially when they reach optimal ripeness. Washington State cherries are firmer and tarter, even when optimally ripe. I alternate for variety.
---
### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/14 "2019-09-13T12:39:55Z")
For me it’s banana flavoring. Banana’s don’t taste like that!
---
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/15 "2019-09-13T14:12:53Z")
> [@Jasmine](#):
>
> I’m that way with grapes. I love grapes, but grape soda makes me want to barf.
How are you with grape jam? The (American) grape soda type of grape flavor is based on the Concord grape, which is known for a flavor characteristic known as “foxiness.” Niagara grapes have a similar foxiness to them, but are white grapes, rather than the red/purple of Concords. (I say “American” as I’ve had grape sodas that did not have that type of flavor that is associated with “grape” and “purple” here. Hungary, for instance, has a classic soda called Traubi, which is made from white grapes and doesn’t have that foxy flavor.)
---
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/16 "2019-09-13T14:20:15Z")
> [@DCnDC](#):
>
> For me it’s banana flavoring. Banana’s don’t taste like that!
Well, the story behind that, if you don’t know it, is that the artificial banana flavor is based on the Gros Michel banana, which was nearly wiped out by disease in the 50s. Gros Michel does still exist, but the main cultivar sold since the late 50s or so has been the Cavendish (which may themselves soon suffer a fate similar to the Gros Michel.)
Now, how much the Gros Michel really tastes like the artificial flavor (or I guess vice versa), I have no idea, haven’t experienced Gros Michels myself. But, supposedly, that’s what artificial banana flavor is modeled after.
---
### Author:  [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/17 "2019-09-13T14:31:24Z")
Reminds me of tomatoes, but the opposite: I hate tomatoes, but love tomato-based derivatives (spaghetti sauce, ketchup, etc.). Apparently this is true for lots of folks.
---
### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/18 "2019-09-13T14:41:12Z")
> [@DCnDC](#):
>
> For me it’s banana flavoring. Banana’s don’t taste like that!
And strawberry. Artificial strawberry is terrible. Concord grape flavour is great for candy and while I do like fresh grapes, I wish they tasted more concord-y.
And like other, I enjoy all forms of cherry flavour, from tart to artificial.
---
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/19 "2019-09-13T14:50:40Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> And strawberry. Artificial strawberry is terrible.
I dunno. When I pick a really fresh strawberry, the kind that stains you and everything you touch red when you eat it, it does actually remind me a lot of artificial strawberry flavor. But it’s only at peak ripeness. Supermarket strawberries never taste like that, and even freshly picked strawberries picked just a little bit shy of ripeness don’t quite get it, either.
---
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141/20 "2019-09-13T15:04:54Z")
I like Cherry Coke. Buy a six pack a few times a year.
I recently bought Ocean Spray Cranberry - Cherry. Very disappointed. It had a cloying sweet after taste that lingered in my mouth. I’ll never buy that juice blend again.
[http://www.grocery.com/store/ocean-spray-juice-drink-cran-cherry-64-ounce-bottle?language=en¤cy=USD¬ax=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw\_OzrBRDmARIsAAIdQ\_JYS9IqGXSveG8uRgEPGaTtC1SFa1xukPukqEEOlp7F6SpilFvgyHYaAnEkEALw\_wc](http://www.grocery.com/store/ocean-spray-juice-drink-cran-cherry-64-ounce-bottle?language=en¤cy=USD¬ax=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_OzrBRDmARIsAAIdQ_JYS9IqGXSveG8uRgEPGaTtC1SFa1xukPukqEEOlp7F6SpilFvgyHYaAnEkEALw_wc)
Cran-Grape is very good. I’ve bought it for many years.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-cherries-hate-cherry-flavored-things/840141.md?page=2)