dedicated to the discussion of the chinese internal martial arts of xingyiquan, baguazhang, taijiquan, related arts, and anything else best discussed over a bottle of rum
So you have 4 basic tastes that the tongue recognizes: Sweet, Salty, Sour and Bitter. Pao is like the proposed fifth taste, Umami or xiānwèi (鮮味), thats described like a sort of "deliciousness, savory, brothy" taste. What it does best is enhance the other flavors.
So, Pao tastes good, and makes everything else taste better.