Last Updated on July 21, 2025 by Lexi Kisses
All cum will be slightly bitter, that just comes with the taste. But if it’s sour, salty, or extra tangy; there may be some things you can do.
What is Cum Supposed to Taste like?
To properly understand what cum is supposed to taste like, we’ll have to look into some chemistry, specifically the pH scale.
The pH scale measures the acidity or basicity/alkaline of a liquid.1
The scale’s numbers range from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Liquids that score below 7 on the pH scale are acidic, while those that score above 7 are basic.
In terms of taste, this means numbers higher than 7 will get progressively more bitter, and numbers lower than 7 will gradually become more sour. The average pH of semen falls between 7.9-8.7.2 3 This means that cum, on average, will have a slightly bitter taste to it.
You may also notice that cum sometimes has a metallic and slightly sweet taste. This is because it contains minerals4 and fructose5 as well.
Cum can taste bitter, sweet or even a little irony depending on the individual and their seminal make up.
What Affects Semen Taste?
What affects the taste of semen is all up to speculation. Science doesn’t exactly study the taste of cum.
But it seems things such as diabetes and lifestyle habits may contribute to the flavor.
Type 1 Diabetes
A factor that you can not change that may affect the taste of your semen is having diabetes.
A study conducted in 1984 found that type 1 diabetics may have sweeter semen because their seminal fructose levels were significantly higher than average.6
Make Sure You Drink Water!
The amount of water you intake may affect the potency of your semen.
The theory goes that because your cum has a high water concentrate7, if you don’t drink enough, your semen will become concentrated. Leading to a more potent taste.
And, if you are getting enough water, your cum will have a light flavor because it will contain a higher amount of water to minerals ratio.
Diet
Diet influences our moods, energy, and body odor. This means that the idea that it can affect the taste of your cum isn’t that farfetched.
What May Give Semen a More Bitter or Saltier Taste?
Odor producing foods that contain high amounts of sulfur may make the taste of cum more bitter.
Some foods that are high in sulfur are:
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Onions
An easy rule to remember is; if the food has a strong odor, it will probably affect the taste of your cum.
Studies also have shown that high amounts of meat & dairy8 9 in a diet affect the overall quality of semen negatively.
According to observers, these foods can also be what contributes to saltier semen.
Lifestyle Habits
The frequent use of tobacco products, coffee, and hard alcohol may all lead to a more bitter and pungent taste.
This is because of their dehydration effects.
Making adjustments to the type of alcohol consumed (beer instead of whiskey), as well as the amount of coffee and tobacco products you use, may improve the taste of your cum.
What May Give Semen a Lighter, More Neutral Taste?
Many foods appear to make semen less basic, but none of them are more notable than the pineapple.
The old logic behind this was that the high acid and sugar content in pineapple mixes with the sugars already found in semen and lowers the usual pH of 7.9-8.7. Making cum sweeter.
There is no scientific research to back this up.
However, fruits, including pineapple, may make semen less bitter, not sweeter, because of their high fructose content.
Final Thoughts
No matter what you do, your semen will always be bitter and salty. What you might have control over, though, is how much.
Keeping a healthy lifestyle will keep your semen levels healthy and, at minimum, it will make your cum palatable. To those who want to swallow it, at least.
Have you noticed a difference in the taste of cum? What have you tried?
- Britannica. “PH.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/science/pH. ↩︎
- Harraway, Carolyn, et al. “Semen PH in Patients with Normal versus Abnormal Sperm Characteristics.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 182, no. 5, 1 May 2000, pp. 1045–1047, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937800701505, https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2000.106051. ↩︎
- HAUGEN, and GROTMOL. “PH of Human Semen.” International Journal of Andrology, vol. 21, no. 2, 5 Jan. 2002, pp. 105–108, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2605.1998.00108.x. ↩︎
- Biology of Reproduction. Vol. 37, Society For The Study Of Reproduction ; Champaign, Ill, 1987, 0006-3363. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marjatta-Kantola/publication/19493838_Lead_magnesium_selenium_and_zinc_in_human_seminal_fluid_Comparison_with_semen_parameters_and_fertility/links/5405b85b0cf2c48563b184ea/Lead-magnesium-selenium-and-zinc-in-human-seminal-fluid-Comparison-with-semen-parameters-and-fertility.pdf Accessed 10 July 2025. ↩︎
- “Studies on the Metabolism of Semen .” Nih.gov, University of Cambridge, 2025, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1258384/pdf/biochemj00956-0057.pdf. ↩︎
- Padrón, R S, et al. “Semen Analyses in Adolescent Diabetic Patients.” Acta Diabetologica Latina, vol. 21, no. 2, 1984, pp. 115–21, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6475450/, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02591100. ↩︎
- Clinic, Cleveland. “Semen: Fluid, Production, Storage & Composition.” Cleveland Clinic, 26 July 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/semen. ↩︎
- Mendiola, Jaime, et al. “Food Intake and Its Relationship with Semen Quality: A Case-Control Study.” Fertility and Sterility, vol. 91, no. 3, Mar. 2009, pp. 812–818, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.01.020. Accessed 22 Jan. 2020. ↩︎
- Afeiche, Myriam C., et al. “Processed Meat Intake Is Unfavorably and Fish Intake Favorably Associated with Semen Quality Indicators among Men Attending a Fertility Clinic.” The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 144, no. 7, 21 May 2014, pp. 1091–1098, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.113.190173. ↩︎
