ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Off-flavor

Off-flavor is when something that you eat or drink doesn't taste good because it has a weird or bad taste or smell. Imagine if you had a glass of milk that tasted like sour vinegar, or if your candy tasted like medicine. These are examples of off-flavors.

Just like how different foods have different flavors, they can also have different off-flavors. Sometimes, food can have an off-flavor because it's gone bad or spoiled. Other times, it can be because of how it was made or stored. For example, if you leave bread out for too long, it can start to taste stale or moldy.

Off-flavors can also happen in drinks, like when your water tastes a bit like chlorine or your soda tastes flat. This can be because of how the water was treated or because the drink has lost its fizziness.

In short, off-flavors are flavors that you don't want in your food or drink, and can be caused by a variety of things. You want your food and drink to taste good, so off-flavors are something you want to avoid.