I have been a fan/user of Stevia products for years. My problem with all of them to this point is that they have an anise taste. Is this part of the basic chemical makeup or is it a flavor introduced during the extraction process?

For many uses this anise flavor is not an issue. But in teas and coffee it alters the flavor of the beverage. Can Stevia be obtained without this flavor?

I haven't found any of the stevia products which do not have that slight anise/licorice flavor. I have become used to it over the years but, yeah, you are correct, one needs to adjust for it in our expectations.

I actually add the stevia directly to my coffee maker when I make my quick & dirty Turkish-style coffee. Have a wonderful Bunn cawfee maker that gets hot enough to put out near to 220F water, so I cheat and do it all at once. Anyway, I find the stevia adds to the spice flavor of the Turkish coffee.

BTW, if anyone tries this, make sure you have your favorite source of cawfee grind it for you otherwise ya never will get a good Turkish super fine grind...also be ready to use less than normal amounts of cawfee for a while because the fine grind can lead to overflow and a heck of a mess. D'OH!! But just put all your spices in the filter holder, stevia included and it's sorta tasty...

BTW, I have done the same thing to make coco and even just water for tea...