To spit, or to swallow? A sexual debate which has haunted the bedrooms and taste buds of generations. Whether male or female, gay or straight, giver or receiver- the debate rages on... The answer to the classic "spit or swallow" debate seems to be a personal, individual, case-by case scenario, since everyone has their own perceptions and opinions about ejaculate...

Spit
To some, the concept of swallowing ejaculate is disgusting...  It is, after all, a body fluid, and drinking bodily fluids generally is not considered hygienic, nor enjoyable by most people.  Some equate swallowing semen with drinking someone else's saliva, blood, or urine; an act which many find disgusting.  After all, ejaculate comes from the same orifice as urine, it excretes at roughly the same temperature, and semen is filled with tens of thousands of living sperm, swimming around in search of an egg to fertilize.  The concept of having thousands of sperm dancing around, bouncing against the lining of one's stomach can be a bit nauseating.  For some, these concepts alone are enough to elicit the desire to not have ejaculate in their mouth at all, let alone to swallow it.

Despite the hygiene and mental images, the biggest issue many seem to have with ejaculate is the taste and consistency.  Despite the male ego and fantasy, most people with a cock in their mouth are not thinking,"I can't wait for him to shoot his tasty cum in my mouth! It's yummy and tastes like candy!"  Instead, they are mentally preparing for an explosion of something with a consistency like Elmer's glue, but with a worse taste. (To make matters worse, imagine drinking that glue out of a fleshy straw that is also used to urinate.)

Not all ejaculate is equal in consistency, or taste...  Consistency varies with diet, hydration, amount of exercise, and frequency of sex.  Excretions can range from a watery-liquid to something a bit more syrupy and thick.  It can range in colour from white to grey, and even yellowish hues, and can range from transparent to opaque. (If semen is pink, it may be a sign of blood in the ejaculate. If this occurs, it may be signs of a serious medical problem, and medial attention should be sought immediately.)

Describing the flavour of semen is a bit more challenging, since that ranges widely from individual to individual, and can vary for a single individual from day to day, depending on their physiology, diet, environment, and clothing. (Clothing can affect the temperature of glands, which impacts sperm production, and the chemical composition of the ejaculate.)  In addition to sperm, ejaculate is also comprised of vitamin C, calcium, chlorine, cholesterol, citric acid, creatine, fructose, lactic acid, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, vitamin B12, and zinc.  The flavour and consistency may vary, depending on the ratio of these components, which are subject to the conditions of the individual and glands, (seminal vesicles, prostate, testicles and epididymes, bulbourethral, urethral) which create them.  Other chemical variations in the individual, (whether they smoke, consume alcohol, do drugs, have a vitamin deficiency, or are exposed to toxins,) can have an effect on the consistency and flavour of the ejaculation as well.

For most men, ejaculate can be described as a salty, acidic fluid with chemical undertones. Whether those undertones are bitter, sour, tangy, or (although rare) sweet is completely dependent on the individual.  From my experience, tastes can range from tolerable to offensive, from mild to overpowering, from salty to sweet, and everywhere in between. 

Not knowing what the individual's ejaculate is going to taste like is also a deterrent for some who may not allow ejaculate into their mouths to begin with...  This may be the result of a bad experience during their initial introduction to oral sex, or a past experience with a partner who has foul-tasting cum.

Swallow
So, given all of the above, why would anyone want to swallow?  I think the best analogy I can come up with is this:  Not everyone likes sardines. Some people think they are vile, disgusting things which should never be eaten, while others think that a pizza just isn't a pizza without the salty tang of sardines.  The same can probably be said about ejaculate.  Some people like the taste of their partner's cum, while others enjoy the psychological and emotional context of tasting the orgasm they just provided their partner. Further still, there is a raw, sexual aspect of cum which has been romanticized by pornography...  there are even fetishes centered around ejaculate.

While there are some who perceive cum as a hazard of orgasm, some advocates of the "swallow" method view the excretion as a sort of reward for well-performed oral sex. Others swallow it because they consider it to be 'more hygienic' than spitting it out. Others still swallow it because they believe it will be a greater turn on to their partner. 

When you consider the contents of cum, there are some (albeit tiny) nutritional benefits to swallowing...  Risk of sexually-transmitted diseases aside, the consumption of vitamins B, C and protein are all beneficial.  While the average ejaculation contains a mere 20-90 calories, the nutritional value is equivalent to eating a peanut.  So, to really feel the health benefits, you'll need to give a LOT of hummers, but it's still nutritious.

Pornography often portrays ejaculate as a sexual substance. Cum-thirsty porn-stars hungrily lap at it, happily enjoying every precious taste.  Others excitedly beg for it to be squirted across their face, (a practice known as facials,) while others beg for it in their orifice of choice.  The pornographic practice of showing off a vagina or anus filled with or squirting out ejaculate is known as 'cream pie', and the act of consuming cum from those orifices is known as 'felching'. 

Another common fetish is for ejaculation to occur in the mouth, holding the substance without swallowing. This is followed by kissing, to share the sperm with someone else- often the person who ejaculated.  This is known commonly as 'snowballing'.

There is also a fetish which started in the Japanese culture, known as 'bukkake'.  This is the practice where several males ejaculate onto a single person, causing them to be saturated in the fluid.  Sometimes this practice is done clothed, other times with a nude individual, or while the individual is engaging in a sexual practice.  This practice is believed to be from the feudal era of Japan, used as a punishment for infidelity.  Since then, in both straight and gay pornography alike, it has become a specialized fetish topic.

The decision to spit or swallow is an individual choice.  It is unfair to expect your partner to want to swallow your ejaculate, just as it is unreasonable to expect your partner to understand when you spit his cum onto his stomach...  They key is communication. For those performing, let your partner know whether you plan on swallowing or if you don't want him to come in your mouth at all. If you're receiving, male or female, give a little warning as to when you are about to come. Keep a box of tissues nearby, just in case. Communication clears up any respect issues and prevents an awkward situation.