Yes - definitely an acquired taste! I love dandelion coffee, but am not a coffee-drinker, so am not comparing it - it makes a difference if you've tried a wide variety of non-coffee 'coffees': here in Italy there is orzo instead of coffee in most bars - barley. Loads of people drink it as a short shot - I have it with milk and hot water as a daily drink :-) I'm inspired by this article and discussion to go out and crop some dandelion roots, though! :-D