Bay leaves definitely have a flavor. Adding more than you need can really unbalance a dish.

If you want to learn what they taste like by themselves, you could make a cup of tea by steeping a few dried leaves in boiling water.

Bay leaves are exquisite with a totally unique fragrance and strong flavor. Tasteless would be the last word that I would use to describe it. Must be used dried and in small amounts.

I haven't heard it put that way about taj, but I can see how compared to so many other comparatively distinct flavors that it doesn't appear to contribute much.

And hing is like the MSG of flavors. You can't put your finger on why exactly, but it makes everything taste better.

Interesting. I agree on the ineffable quality of bay leaves, but asafoetida is exactly on the opposite end of the spectrum. It has a very strong pungent smell and taste. But it does come diluted with gluten (wheat) so maybe your particular brand has more gluten than usual?

Also it's probably worth pointing out that the bay leaves used in Indian cooking is different from bay leaves used in Western cooking, so beware. Indian bay leaves have three veins coming from the central vein on them.