I just returned two bottles of vanilla I purchased at Marshalls. They were both from Sonoma Syrup co. One was the vanilla crush the other was the vanilla blend. They didn't smell like I expected at all! They actually didn't even smell like vanilla to me. So I returned them. Maybe I don't know much but I figure if the smell isn't right then the taste must neither!! I'm hoping the Nielsen-massey paste and extract I just ordered are better results!! By the way anyone wanting to order the paste from Surfasonline.com, its back ordered!

While smell is a very sensitive sense .... many times smell and taste don't go hand in hand. I didnt' drink coffee until I was in my late 20's and always said "If coffee TASTED as good as it SMELLED.....!" Some things smell great and taste like crap .... some things smell like crap and taste great. (Hate the smell inside a chinese restaurant .... LUV the food!)

I *still* don't understand how something can sell asooooooo great but taste soooooo horrible as coffee!!

It would have been fine. Like they said, smell and taste are related, but not interchangeable. You should have kept it and tried it in baked goods.

Many people think coffee smells good, but tastes icky.

Stick your head inside a newly opened sack of granulated sugar sometime and take a big ol' whiff.

Fish sauce in thai/asian food, for example.... smells disgusting, tastes icky by itself, but many dishes, without it, are just simply... lacking.

Epoisses cheeses!! Smells gross gross gross.... but a wonderful mellow nutty flavor!

I saw those vanilla blends at marshalls too and I found one that was kind of opened by someone else and took a whiff and it smelled lovely to me! I didn't buy any because I was afraid they may have been previously opened or old....and because I didn't know if I wanted to spend that much on vanilla. But it seemed really good to me.

And I second the coffee thing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easy on the coffee bashing...some of us (ie: me) think it not only smells divine, but tastes like happiness.

Good coffee can make me euphoric!

Unfortunately, there is more icky coffee out there than good...

Life is just way to short to drink bad coffee.

I also want to add that their was a date printed on the bottle of Jul08. Was that the best if used by date? Also the manager told the cashier to put them back on the shelf!! I reminded her kindly that the seal had been broken and opened she responded with "Vanilla doesn't expire" and that it would be fine to put back on the shelf. I will never buy food products their again!!