# What does cocaine taste like?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cocaine-taste-like/62110>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 16, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cocaine-taste-like/62110 "2001-04-16T01:26:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cocaine-taste-like/62110/1 "2001-04-16T01:26:05Z")

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You always see in cop shows when an officer seizes a bag full of white powder, tastes it, and declares that it is indeed cocaine. What’s the distinctive taste?

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**Author:** ![jazzmine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jazzmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jazzmine)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cocaine-taste-like/62110/2 "2001-04-16T01:54:19Z")

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Well, it has a very bitter taste that lingers on. I can tell you that it doesn’t taste like baking soda. 😉

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**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cocaine-taste-like/62110/3 "2001-04-16T02:03:15Z")

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Cocaine’s a local anesthetic, so it tastes like a numb tongue, with a bit of a distinctive, ethereal flavor. Or so I’ve read.

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**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cocaine-taste-like/62110/4 "2001-04-16T03:06:40Z")

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Aside from the odd numbing effect, it is kinda bitter, a little sweet, and it feels cold on your tongue, kinda like certain mints. Depending on what it is cut with, it may have other tastes to it.

What’s funny about how the cops in TV shows take a taste is that if they aren’t regular users of cocaine with a developed tolerance and it is fairly decent stuff, they should get pretty high from doing that. A lot of cocaine users like to do ‘numbys’ where they take a pinch and rub it between their jaw and their lip. Usually they do it when there’s not enough left for a line on the mirror, plate, picture frame, whatever, and even an experienced user will feel some effect from it, other than the numbing of the mouth. If a non-user took a tiny pinch of fairly pure cocaine from a bag and put it in their mouth, they would probably feel like they just did 10 shots of espresso and a couple of novocaine.

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**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cocaine-taste-like/62110/5 "2001-04-16T15:26:02Z")

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You watch too much TV. Real cops use a test kit on the spot that tests what it is. You know blue for heroin, etc.

Doesn’t taste like anything really, kinda dry bitter aftertaste.