Little buddy with taste (6)
I believe the answer is:
paltry
'little' is the definition.
(paltry means very little)
'buddy with taste' is the wordplay.
'buddy' becomes 'pal' (both can mean a friend).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'taste' becomes 'try' (try can mean to taste some food).
'pal'+'try'='PALTRY'
(Other definitions for paltry that I've seen before include "Trivial or contemptible" , "Derisory" , "Small and mean" , "Petty - worthless" , "Petty - base" .)