Does tasting coffee with an attempt not to swallow any of it, leaving a taste and smell in the mouth, invalidate the fast?
It is permissible for a fasting person to taste food or coffee when there is a need for it, and their fast is not broken unless something intentionally enters their stomach. However, tasting it without need is disliked (makrooh) but does not invalidate the fast. This ruling has been affirmed by Ibn Abbas, Imam Ahmad, Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, and the Permanent Committee, with the necessity of being careful to prevent anything from entering the throat. The mere lingering of taste or smell does not affect the fast.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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