The document discusses how taste buds allow us to experience different tastes through specialized sensory organs located on the tongue that contain microscopic hairs called microvilli. It explains that taste buds send signals to the brain when foods are sweet, salty, sour or bitter, and that factors like age, smoking and nasal congestion can impact one's ability to taste. Additionally, it notes that smell receptors in the nose also contribute to flavor perception as foods are chewed by releasing chemicals that travel to the nose.