I don't think it has anything to do with taste. In the amount of time it takes to slice the garlic to place it in the press and squeeze, you can mince a clove. Plus, there's less to clean up. Nope, nope, nope. At least, not for me. My local grocer peels my garlic for me. If I want 2 or 3 cloves, it takes me a total of 6 or 7 seconds to mince it with a press, and 3 seconds to clean before popping it in the dishwasher. Getting out a cutting board, making sure that it's the one for "aromatics", smashing the garlic, mincing it, scraping it into the pan, and then washing knife and board (by hand) takes far, far longer for me. Now if I want sliced garlic, or coarsely chopped garlic, that's an entirely different matter.