# Why can I smell coffee in my urine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 14, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309 "2004-03-14T22:37:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/1 "2004-03-14T22:37:00Z")
Well, I guess it doesn’t really smell like coffee. But it smells like _something_. I don’t drink coffee every day. I tend to go through phases, where after weeks of not drinking a cup, I’ll drink some every morning for a week or so. Then I get tired of it. For the first couple days of coffee drinking after one of these hiatuses my pee has a noticeably different, somewhat strong aroma. If I keep drinking coffee, it isn’t noticeable after a day or two. And if I quit drinking, of course, it goes away. Also, I’m a heavy and frequent drinker of tea, cola, and beer. Yet none of these beverages seems to alter my urine. A couple people I’ve asked about this think it’s odd, so I seem to be the only one so far. It kind of reminds me of the SD article on [asparagus pee](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_383.html). Maybe I’m just rare in being able to smell a chemical that everyone is producing, too. Anyone have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/2 "2004-03-14T23:22:27Z")
As a serious question, do you eat asparagus? When you pee after eating it, can you smell that unique pungent odor? ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/3 "2004-03-14T23:28:21Z")
_“Wake up and smell the urine!”_ Nope. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/4 "2004-03-14T23:29:25Z")
I know the smell you’re talking about. I get it too, but only when I drink real strong stuff… I guess some coffee aroma substance makes it through the kidneys. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/5 "2004-03-14T23:36:46Z")
You know, it seems like you could probably get Starbuck’s interested in this phenomenon… I’m sure they’d want to capitalize on it. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/6 "2004-03-14T23:41:23Z")
My urine usually smells like fresh espresso. Coffee gets its characteristic odour from caffeol, which is water soluble and passes through the human body rapidly without being metabolized. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/7 "2004-03-14T23:52:21Z")
Bill: It smells like an ashtray when I pee. Is there anything you can do to help with that? Dave: Gosh, I hope not. -Newsradio The first thing I thought when I opened this thread. Sometimes my pee smells like ham. Maybe nitrates (or is it nitrites?) are making it through my kidneys? ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/8 "2004-03-14T23:58:45Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > As a serious question, do you eat asparagus? When you pee after eating it, can you smell that unique pungent odor? Unfortunately, no, I don’t eat asparagus. I have no idea what it does to my pee. But at least I feel better knowing I’m not alone on this coffee thing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rudy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Rudy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rudy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/9 "2004-03-15T01:00:58Z")
Oh Goodness, I can definatly smell that coffee aroma when going to the bathroom. I drink alot of strong coffee, and the odor is the strongest after consuming 100% Colombian. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/10 "2004-03-15T01:20:50Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > My urine usually smells like fresh espresso. > > Coffee gets its characteristic odour from caffeol, which is water soluble and passes through the human body rapidly without being metabolized. Without trying to sound pedantic, can you give a cite for this? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/11 "2004-03-15T01:32:20Z")
> [@Rudy](#): > > Oh Goodness, I can definatly smell that coffee aroma when going to the bathroom. I drink alot of strong coffee, and the odor is the strongest after consuming 100% Colombian. I can just see “Juan Valdez”\* leaning over your shoulder as you type, giggling. 😛 Peace, mangeorge \*Of Folger’s coffee fame. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/12 "2004-03-15T05:28:15Z")
I can’t add anything to the discussion except to agree, especially when I drink a lot of coffee. My first pee break in the morning at work always has me feeling a little self-conscious. I hope there’s no one else in the bathroom, because my pee is gonna smell funny. The weird part is that it’s not a coffeeish aroma. It smells, if anything, a little bit like tuna. Not fishy, but like some other component of the scent of tuna. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/13 "2004-03-15T07:22:20Z")
I don’t get the coffee smell, however much coffee I drink. But if I have even one cappucino flavored Slimfast, my pee smells funny. A little like coffee, a little like SugarSmacks. It’s quite disconcerting. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/14 "2004-03-15T11:54:50Z")
Just to add to the variety, my pee sometimes smells like fresh baked bread. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/15 "2004-03-15T13:29:55Z")
Are you sure no-one is peeing in your coffee? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/16 "2004-03-15T14:15:58Z")
I can smell a difference when I drink coffee. Definitely when I eat asparagus. And I can smell a difference after eating hot wings. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/17 "2004-03-15T16:02:23Z")
I don’t smell anything different when I go to the bathroom after eating hot wings. But I definitely\* feel \* something different. And it’s not the pee. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/18 "2004-03-15T17:06:10Z")
> [@audilover](#): > > I don’t smell anything different when I go to the bathroom after eating hot wings. But I definitely\* feel \* something different. And it’s not the pee. > > ☹ Pssst… in this case try washing your hands _before_ you go to the bathroom. 😉 I too get the Urethra o’Fire if I eat too many spicy wings as well. It’s not nearly as common as the Ring o’Fire though. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/19 "2004-03-15T17:22:18Z")
Should Customs officials be on the lookout for contraband in large shipments of your urine? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309/20 "2004-03-15T19:42:44Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > I don’t get the coffee smell, however much coffee I drink. But if I have even one cappucino flavored Slimfast, my pee smells funny. A little like coffee, a little like SugarSmacks. It’s quite disconcerting. And I was going to say that my pee smells just like Sugar Smacks soon after eating a bowl of Sugar Smacks. Wanna smell? Coffee smell for coffee too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-smell-coffee-in-my-urine/234309.md?page=2)