Hi Martin: Strictly speaking, they are flavors. Tastes and flavors are [memberonly nologin] not the same although we often use the terms interchangeably. If you hold your nose, what is left is taste. The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. These are perceived in the mouth by taste receptors all over the mouth and tongue. By contrast, flavors combine tastes, smells, and textural stimulation (what you get from, say, chiles or menthol). The brain can learn and recognize an infinite number of flavors.

—Karen