Debates on gustatory neural coding have been dominated by a small number of fundamental issues since the inception of the field in 1941. Three of these are discussed in this review: (1) are there basic tastes? (2) are there gustatory neuron types? (3) is the code for a taste read simultaneously across all participating neurons (across-fiber patterning), or is it confined to a selective channel composed of cells of one type (labeled-line or channeling)? No conclusions are drawn regarding (1), primarily because a universal definition of ‘basic tastes’ is lacking. It is concluded that gustatory neuron types are likely to exist after reviewing the issue from multiple perspectives and discovering recurring indications of neuron types from several. A firm conclusion, however, also awaits a widely accepted definition of what constitutes a neuron type. Issue (3) cannot yet be resolved for lack of definitive data, specifically whether the discharges of inhibited, unresponsive, or weakly responsive cells add to (signal) or detract from (noise) the neural code for a tastant.