For the portion of the population that experiences cilantro as a soapy taste, I am so sorry. While Chipotle can’t fix that, it can create a fun gag gift to stuff the stockings of the cilantro-haters. In a press release sent to The Takeout, the brand announced a new “cilantro soap bar” as part of its holiday goods drop. And mere hours later, it’s already sold out.
The brand cited a 2015 SciShow YouTube video explaining that between 4% and 14% of the population experiences a soapy flavor when eating cilantro. I do not fall into this category, but I do have a love/hate relationship with cilantro. The herb is fragrant, and I love what it adds to food. What I hate is the bushels it comes in. If you buy cilantro from the grocery store, you better be prepared to use it in every meal for about a week. Otherwise, what usually happens is that a recipe calls for a small portion of chopped cilantro and you put the rest away to just rot in the fridge.
Yep, we humans have a complicated relationship with cilantro. That’s why, back in August, Chipotle shared a mock-up of the soap as a joke—but it started some seriously lively conversation online, which was enough to inspire Chipotle to turn the soap joke into the real deal. (Turning jokes into real products seems to be a trend this year.)
Let’s hope that Chipotle restocks its supply of cilantro soap so more of us have the chance to try it out. If you missed out on the soap, customers can also purchase beanies, crew neck sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, “Dad” hats, and more in the online store. Proceeds go toward charitable organizations that focus on sustainability in farming or fashion.
The people who managed to buy a bar of cilantro soap before it sold out must have been quick on the draw. And since they’ll be walking around smelling like an herb garden, they’ll be easy to spot.