From the nucleus of the solitary tract, taste information goes to the thalamus and then to the cerebral cortex. Rather, the trigeminal nerve carries information related to touch, pressure and pain. The complete inability to taste is called ageusia and the reduced ability to taste is called hypogeusia . Ageusia is a rare disorder. It may be rare because there are 3 different nerves that carry taste information to the brain.
Older people have a reduced sense of taste.
This probably occurs because the taste buds are not replaced as fast in older people. Try some experiments to test your sense of taste .