Humans detect taste with taste receptor cells .
These are clustered in taste buds . Each taste bud has a pore that opens out to the surface of the tongue enabling molecules and ions taken into the mouth to reach the receptor cells inside. Each taste cell has receptor molecules on its apical surface which bind to molecules and ions that give rise to the 5 taste sensations. Although a single taste cell may have some of all 5 types of receptor, one type may be more active than the others on that cell. Each taste receptor cell is connected to a sensory neuron leading back to the brain.