When the Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, a strange fad arose where people would intentionally lick the console’s game cartridges to find out (the hard way) that they taste extremely bitter. It seems enough years have passed for people to once again grow curious about the taste of a cartridge, especially following a Japanese user’s allegation that Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges taste similar to the currently in-season cherry blossom tree buds.
Their curiosity piqued by the comparison, some users rushed off to find a nearby Switch cartridge and put it in their mouths. The result is the same as it was years ago: with tasters expressing extreme disgust at the lingering bitter flavor and people warning others not to do the same.
Back in March 2017, a Nintendo representative emailed Polygon confirming fan theories that Switch cartridges were intentionally coated in a bitter substance to dissuade people (particularly children) from ingesting them. The substance in question, Denatonium Benzoate, is a non-toxic compound commonly used to discourage the ingestion of whatever it is applied to, which in this case are Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 cartridges.
Given that Denatonium Benzoate is manmade, there is no chance that cherry blossom tree shoots contain any trace of the substance unless someone intentionally applies it to them. Regardless, the shoots are still extremely bitter and should probably stay off the menu should you come across them.
