# What flavor is bubblegum? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536 "2001-06-12T14:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/1 "2001-06-12T14:11:50Z")
Regular, standard, pink bubblegum. Is it its own flavor or is it a mixture of something else that we now know as “bublegum” flavor? BTW, I searched but didn’t find an answer. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/2 "2001-06-12T14:45:14Z")
I think that the flavor of bubblegum is bubblegum. In South Korea they have a type of soda with that exact flavor. I don’t remember the name for it but we used to call it Bubblegum Juice. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/3 "2001-06-12T15:26:54Z")
[What’s the term for people who can’t smell or taste? Flavor of bubble gum; No-flight zones (cont’d)](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/980327.html) ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/4 "2001-06-12T16:13:34Z")
‘Call it bubblegum flavor and let it go at that.’ Lovely. Undoubtedly, the Tops people didn’t give details of the components of their ‘fantasia blend’ (a combination of flavors which yields a single, unique taste, in which the components cannot ordinarily be detected) because it’s a trade secret. Try asking the Coca-Cola people what’s in ingredient 7X and see if you get any farther. 🙂 (Citrus oils, cinnamon, and vanilla, BTW. That’s the Coke-I don’t have a clue what’s in the bubble gum.) ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/5 "2001-06-12T20:06:19Z")
Well, I’m not one to criticize the Master in his research techniques, but… Asking the manufacturer, and no one else? No wonder he didn’t turn up anything. There’s the distinct bite of salicylic acid in bubble gum. The same flavor is very pronounced in pepto bismol and the odor, very similar to the taste, is also present in some linament muscular pain releivers like Absorbine Jr. (along with menthol and camphor and other aromatics). There is a lot of variation in the taste of different brands of bubble gum, but they all seem to contain a hint of salycylic acid, so perhaps that’s the flavor you’re thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/6 "2001-06-12T20:20:36Z")
I asked this to a friend of mine and he came up with the perfect answer: “Pink” ---
**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:** [June 13, 2001, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/7 "2001-06-13T05:22:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hajario \* > \*\*I think that the flavor of bubblegum is bubblegum. In South Korea they have a type of soda with that exact flavor. I don’t remember the name for it but we used to call it Bubblegum Juice. > > Haj \*\* In Texas you can get a bubble-gum flavored soda called Big Red. I know a guy who drinks nothing but a mixture of Big Red, orange juice and vodka. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/8 "2001-06-13T14:08:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bob Scene \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by hajario \* > > \*\*I think that the flavor of bubblegum is bubblegum. In South Korea they have a type of soda with that exact flavor. I don’t remember the name for it but we used to call it Bubblegum Juice. > > > > Haj \*\* > > In Texas you can get a bubble-gum flavored soda called Big Red. I know a guy who drinks nothing but a mixture of Big Red, orange juice and vodka. \*\* …visions of hang-overs past flash through head… ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/9 "2001-06-14T04:38:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bob Scene \* > \*\*In Texas you can get a bubble-gum flavored soda called Big Red. I know a guy who drinks nothing but a mixture of Big Red, orange juice and vodka. \*\* I never thought of it as bubblegum-flavored. I don’t chew gum very often, though… [sup]Screw this. There’s only one way to find out… ::adds Big Red and bubblegum to shopping list::[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/10 "2001-06-14T05:57:54Z")
Big Red is definately NOT bubblegum-flavored. Bubblegum tastes good, Big Red tastes worse than Vick’s 44 cough syrup. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/11 "2001-06-15T19:56:14Z")
Well, I probably haven’t tasted Big Red in 25 years, but as a child I sure thought it tasted like bubblegum. Maybe I’ll go out and get some and see. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/12 "2001-06-15T22:36:58Z")
Isn’t Big Red gum cinnamon flavoured? ---
**Author:** ![straykat23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@straykat23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straykat23)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/13 "2001-06-15T22:46:47Z")
Tastes just like chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/14 "2001-06-16T02:12:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Montfort \* > \*\*Isn’t Big Red gum cinnamon flavoured? \*\* Yes, but the Big Red we’re talking about is a red carbonated soda-pop-type drink made by the Dr Pepper/7up people. ---
**Author:** ![Kalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/15 "2001-06-16T03:16:23Z")
big red is a cherry flavored soda. It’s really nasty (in my opinion) and is sorta like carbonated water with a lot of grenadine. As a side-bar, it is commonly thought of as primarily popular amongst african americans … and when I first heard that I didn’t believe it… but then i started to look around, and sure enough, the only people i could ever find drinking it were african-americans. I am white, and I can’t stand the stuff… never have liked it, probably never will. There is a new “Red” Mountain Dew coming out soon… i am curious if it tastes like big red. As for the OP, i recall reading something about this a long time ago, and it was described as a “fantasia blend” of various flavorings … that when combined produce an entirely new flavor (cola is another fantasia blend). I cannot recall exactly what flavors were in there though. Pink does pretty much sum it up. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2001, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/16 "2001-06-16T08:10:14Z")
Both bubblegum and Coca-Cola use a “Secret Ingredient” in their flavoring that never occurs to most Americans because it’s so “off the map” of American flavor concepts. It’s **coriander** (_Coriandrum sativum_). Mainly used as a spice in Indian curry cookery. If you leave it out of the blend, you will fail to get the familiar taste. Americans of yore were more familiar with coriander than they are now. Those old-time jawbreakers used to have a coriander seed at the center. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/17 "2001-06-18T03:28:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mblackwell \* > \*\*Big Red is definately NOT bubblegum-flavored. Bubblegum tastes good, Big Red tastes worse than Vick’s 44 cough syrup. \*\* Big Red definitely **IS** bubblegum-flavored. The review at [BevNet](http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/bigred/index.asp) says so, and so does everyone I know who’s ever tried it. Big Red is definitely **not** cherry-flavored. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/18 "2001-06-18T04:35:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bob Scene \* > [BBig Red definitely **IS** bubblegum-flavored. The review at [BevNet](http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/bigred/index.asp) says so, and so does everyone I know who’s ever tried it. > \*\* I’ve had a lot of it, and I’m of the opinion that it’s more like grenadine than bubblegum. ---
**Author:** ![zpeterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/65b543/32.png) [@zpeterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zpeterson)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/19 "2014-10-08T17:48:30Z")
Bubblegum flavor is 1/5 part coriander flavor, 4/5 part banana flavor. There. Mystery solved. 13 years later! ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536/20 "2014-10-08T17:51:51Z")
Bubblegum is an example of the very few flavors that were created without reference to any pre-existing natural flavor. I’ve always wondered, since there are so many “artificial” flavors, why it is not more common for completely new flavors to be created that did not exist in nature. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-flavor-is-bubblegum/68536.md?page=2)