# Why does some teas taste like soap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-some-teas-taste-like-soap/568252 "2011-01-19T22:36:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infoseeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e68b1a/32.png) [@Infoseeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infoseeker)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-some-teas-taste-like-soap/568252/1 "2011-01-19T22:36:32Z")
I just but some Ahmad Tea-Earl Grey and it tastes like soap. However the people I share it with don’t recognize that and tell me its the best tea ever! They like the soapy taste so much they ask me to make it stronger. Happens to me all the time with different batches of black teas. It recently happened with a batch of green tea my mother brought with her from her visit in Asia. Though 'm going to vinegar clean the kettle, maybe there is residue from the black tea in it. So I don’t know, it’s like that even if I try to make it lighter. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-some-teas-taste-like-soap/568252/2 "2011-01-19T22:49:28Z")
I also think that the bergamot in Earl Grey tastes strongly of soap. Strangely, I don’t think corriander, another food often accused of tasting like soap, does. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-some-teas-taste-like-soap/568252/3 "2011-01-20T01:36:45Z")
I think you may just have a dislike for certain extracts. Bergamot is one (in Earl Grey) that many people object to. I’m not fond of it myself. The green tea, since it’s un-fermented, may also be just something you don’t have a taste for, or it had another flavor extract added to it like jasmine or something. Herb and flower extracts may just not be your thing. Stick to plain black teas, with no flavor added. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-some-teas-taste-like-soap/568252/4 "2011-01-20T03:05:45Z")
How do you taste cilantro? It tastes like industrial soap to some of us and I’m wondering if it’s the same family of plant? ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-some-teas-taste-like-soap/568252/5 "2011-01-20T03:46:18Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > How do you taste cilantro? It tastes like industrial soap to some of us and I’m wondering if it’s the same family of plant? They are not related. Bergamot is a citrus. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-some-teas-taste-like-soap/568252/6 "2011-01-20T04:03:25Z")
not sure about the OP, but i once had tea that was the same fragrance as whatever they used to wash the toilets with. yurk. nothing wrong with the fragrance mind you, but the association was not acceptable.