Supertasters are real and it's estimated that 1 out of 4 people have the gene TAS2R38 that makes the person a Supertaster.
The TAS2R38 gene increases a person's perception of the bitterness in drinks and various foods.
Many supertasters find that they are very and extremely sensitive to a chemical that is called propylthiouracil.
Supertasters are people whose sense of taste for certain flavors and foods, such as chocolate, is far more sensitive than the average person.
You can find out if you're a supertaster by doing a test by placing a ring-binder re-enforcer sticker over your tongue and counting the number of taste buds within the circle.
If the number exceeds 30, you are a supertaster!
Supertasters are particularly known for disliking bitter foods like kale and other veggies, but they also seem to be more sensitive to sweet, salty, and umami flavors.
They're also more likely to find spicy food painful, since pain receptors surround taste cells on the papillae; more papillae mean more pain receptors.
About 25 percent of the population qualifies as supertasters. Women are more likely to be supertasters than men.
On the opposite end of the taste spectrum, non-tasters have fewer taste buds than the average person.
A study showed that supertasters preferred foods that were high in salt.
While there's no conclusion as to why they feel this way, researchers believe that it may be because salty flavors cut out some of the bitterness from certain foods, like cheese.