The short-term registration of a domain to test its monetization potential. The technique generally targets domains recently released or with an address similar to that of a popular site. Most often the new owner places a web resource on it with a view to earning advertising revenue. If the potential profits exceed the value of the domain, the buyer keeps it. If not, they cancel the application within the grace period granted by the registrar and receive a full refund.
Domain tasting can also be used to send spam. After the grace period the attackers delete the domain, thereby covering their tracks.