What Are Super Tasters?

There are about 30 receptors that detect bitter compounds in the human tongue. Some people have active and some inactive versions of one of those taste receptors. People like me, who are non tasters, are much more likely to like bitter food so we're just less sensitive to a subset of bitter things. But there are also people who have a completely different path to sensitivity that involves just seeming to have more taste buts and more taste cells in their tongues. And they they are what are called super tasters. They are very sensitive to tastes. So these are the kinds of things that you learn about by studying the genetics.