# Things That Smell Better Than They Taste **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257 "2008-12-22T02:00:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/21 "2008-12-22T05:46:37Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Herbal teas smell lovely. They just taste like hot water to me though. I came in to say the same: Herbal Teas. You smell them and it’s like, “Wow, a candy store!” and then you have a sip and it’s just plain old tea. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/22 "2008-12-22T05:52:17Z")
Those peanuts that the vendors sell in New York City. I hate peanuts but love smelling them. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/23 "2008-12-22T06:08:05Z")
Regular coffee smells fine and doesn’t taste good to me at all. Hazelnut, on the other hand, has a stomach turning smell, so I’ve never been inclined to try it at all. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/24 "2008-12-22T06:30:18Z")
Popcorn does not taste as good as it smells. Heck, NOTHING tastes as good as freshly popped popcorn smells. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/25 "2008-12-22T06:58:11Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > For no particular reason, years ago I stopped drinking coffee very much and maybe have a cup once every two months or so, tops. > > Today I walked down the grocery store aisle that had coffee beans, and wow - did that smell great! > > Didn’t buy any, but sure did smell good. If you ever see the guy walking leisurely back and forth in the coffee aisle and sniffing . . . that would be me.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/26 "2008-12-22T07:49:04Z")
Sesame Seed oil. Seriously, chinese food is such a tease. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/27 "2008-12-22T07:56:04Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Gasoline. I enjoyed this answer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/28 "2008-12-22T13:27:37Z")
Coffee and Pipe tobacco are both on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/29 "2008-12-22T13:35:42Z")
Ivory Soap - also spoken from childhood experience! ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/30 "2008-12-22T13:46:19Z")
Yo’ dick? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/31 "2008-12-22T13:58:25Z")
Well, I like coffee, but my mother did not. However, about once or twice a year, she would taste some to make sure it _really_ didn’t taste good! I feel pretty much that very same way about Scotch whiskey, which my hubby loves, and I just sniff. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/32 "2008-12-22T14:21:25Z")
I tell people that coffee looks nice, coffee smells nice, coffee feels nice and warm, and it has a good effect on your body. But it tastes like shit. Flashback to “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/33 "2008-12-22T14:28:02Z")
Popcorn ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/34 "2008-12-22T14:28:04Z")
I like coffee, but then I tart it up with cream and sweetener. For me, that would be ham. It smells good when it’s cooking, but I really don’t like the taste. In fact, thinking about it now makes me shudder. Fortunately, there will be enough food at Christmas that I can eat vegetarian. Robin ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/35 "2008-12-22T15:39:05Z")
A freshly mimeographed high school math test from the 1970’s. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/36 "2008-12-22T15:55:53Z")
I gotta agree with gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/37 "2008-12-22T16:11:15Z")
[Hoppe’s](http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0028834226978a.shtml) oil. Marvelous aroma, horrible flavor. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/38 "2008-12-22T16:44:11Z")
I’ll join in with those who said popcorn. From the smell you’d expect some kind of rich, fresh bread like flavor, but instead it’s just a “crunch, hmm…bland” experience. ---
**Author:** ![Finally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/67e7ee/32.png) [@Finally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finally)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/39 "2008-12-22T18:52:20Z")
Not to hijack but I saw Playdough perfume somewhere recently. Yuck! ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257/40 "2008-12-22T19:36:49Z")
I love the smell of a nice red wine, but can’t stand to drink it. I realize I’m in the minority on this one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-smell-better-than-they-taste/478257.md?page=3)