Which nerve provides taste sensation to the posterior tongue?

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Taste from the posterior one-third of the tongue is carried by the glossopharyngeal nerve. This cranial nerve supplies the taste buds in that region and sends the signal to the brain via the solitary tract nucleus, then onward to the thalamus and gustatory cortex for perception of taste. The facial nerve handles taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue (via chorda tympani), the vagus carries taste from the epiglottis area, and the trigeminal nerve provides general somatic sensation (not taste) from the tongue. So, the glossopharyngeal nerve best explains taste sensation in the posterior tongue.