diff --git a/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/Response.java b/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/Response.java
index e362aaaafde..120b232d8a0 100644
--- a/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/Response.java
+++ b/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/Response.java
@@ -717,9 +717,16 @@ public class Response implements HttpServletResponse
                 {
                     _characterEncoding=null;
                     if (_cachedMimeType!=null)
-                        _connection.getResponseFields().put(HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE_BUFFER,_cachedMimeType);
+                        _contentType=_cachedMimeType.toString();
+                    else if (_mimeType!=null)
+                        _contentType=_mimeType;
                     else
-                        _connection.getResponseFields().put(HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE_BUFFER,_mimeType);
+                        _contentType=null;
+
+                    if (_contentType==null)
+                        _connection.getResponseFields().remove(HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE_BUFFER);
+                    else
+                        _connection.getResponseFields().put(HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE_BUFFER,_contentType);
                 }
             }
             else
diff --git a/jetty-server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/ResponseTest.java b/jetty-server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/ResponseTest.java
index a3af0709931..98ab5502819 100644
--- a/jetty-server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/ResponseTest.java
+++ b/jetty-server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/ResponseTest.java
@@ -129,6 +129,39 @@ public class ResponseTest
         response.setContentType("text/json");
         response.getWriter();
         assertEquals("text/json;charset=UTF-8", response.getContentType());
+        
+        response.recycle();
+        response.setCharacterEncoding("xyz");
+        response.setContentType("foo/bar");
+        assertEquals("foo/bar;charset=xyz", response.getContentType());
+
+        response.recycle();
+        response.setContentType("foo/bar");
+        response.setCharacterEncoding("xyz");
+        assertEquals("foo/bar;charset=xyz", response.getContentType());
+
+        response.recycle();
+        response.setCharacterEncoding("xyz");
+        response.setContentType("foo/bar;charset=abc");
+        assertEquals("foo/bar;charset=abc", response.getContentType());
+
+        response.recycle();
+        response.setContentType("foo/bar;charset=abc");
+        response.setCharacterEncoding("xyz");
+        assertEquals("foo/bar;charset=xyz", response.getContentType());
+
+        response.recycle();
+        response.setCharacterEncoding("xyz");
+        response.setContentType("foo/bar");
+        response.setCharacterEncoding(null);
+        assertEquals("foo/bar", response.getContentType());
+        
+        response.recycle();
+        response.setCharacterEncoding("xyz");
+        response.setCharacterEncoding(null);
+        response.setContentType("foo/bar");
+        assertEquals("foo/bar", response.getContentType());
+
     }
 
     @Test