Sea umami powder, the flavor of sea in powder. Umami, the fifth flavor, is one of the five basic flavors along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.The word umami comes from the Japanese language and means pleasant flavor – tasty. Umami is a subtle flavor but of prolonged aftertaste and difficult to describe. It induces salivation and a velvety sensation to the tongue that stimulates the throat, palate and back of the mouth.