Sassafras tea tastes like root beer, and that’s no coincidence. Sassafras root bark was the original flavoring behind root beer before the drink became commercially mass-produced. The tea has a warm, spicy sweetness with layered notes of star anise, cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla, all coming from the aromatic oils concentrated in the tree’s root bark.
The Core Flavor Profile
The dominant flavor in sassafras tea comes from an aromatic oil called safrole, which makes up roughly 85% of the essential oil in the root bark. This single compound is responsible for that unmistakable “root beer” taste, but the full experience is more complex than what you get from a can of A&W. Fresh-brewed sassafras tea has a layered quality: a warm spiciness similar to cinnamon, a slight licorice note reminiscent of star anise, a faint citrus brightness, and a smooth vanilla-like sweetness underneath it all. Cornell Botanic Gardens describes the root bark’s scent as “a combination of star anise, cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla.”
The tea itself is earthy and aromatic, with a light body that feels closer to an herbal tisane than a heavy black tea. When brewed from dried root bark, the liquid takes on a reddish-brown color. The sweetness is subtle and natural, not sugary. Many people find it pleasant enough to drink without any added sweetener, though honey or sugar rounds it out nicely.
Root Bark vs. Leaves
Not all parts of the sassafras tree taste the same. The root bark, which is the traditional tea ingredient, carries the strongest concentration of aromatic oils and delivers that signature warm, spicy flavor. The leaves have a milder, more herbal taste. Indigenous peoples, particularly the Choctaw, have long dried and powdered sassafras leaves to use as a thickener in soups and stews. This powder, known as filé, adds a slightly earthy, almost woody flavor and a mucilaginous texture to dishes like gumbo. If you’re expecting root beer flavor, the leaves won’t get you there. You need the root bark.
How It Compares to Root Beer
Traditional root beer recipes dating back to at least the 1860s used sassafras root bark alongside other botanicals like sarsaparilla root, licorice root, mint, and nutmeg. So while sassafras was the star ingredient, old-fashioned root beer was always a blend. Pure sassafras tea tastes simpler and less sweet than commercial root beer, with a more pronounced anise-like spiciness and a woody, bark-forward character. Think of it as root beer stripped down to its most essential note, without the carbonation, heavy sweetness, or supporting cast of flavors.
Modern root beer no longer contains real sassafras. Most brands use artificial sassafras flavoring or safrole-free sassafras extract to approximate the original taste. This is why some root beer fans seek out actual sassafras tea: it delivers something closer to what root beer tasted like before the formula changed.
Why Real Sassafras Was Banned in Food
The FDA banned safrole, the key flavoring compound in sassafras oil, from commercial food and beverages in 1960 after animal studies showed it caused liver tumors. Safrole is classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program. This is why you won’t find traditional sassafras flavoring in any commercially sold root beer today.
The actual risk from occasional homemade tea is debated, but the numbers are worth knowing. A single cup of sassafras bark tea can contain anywhere from 0.09 mg to 4.66 mg of safrole, depending on how much bark is used and how long it steeps. One analysis found that a tea bag containing 2.5 grams of sassafras bark could deliver up to 200 mg of safrole in a single serving. Long-term intake of safrole at doses as low as 0.66 mg per kilogram of body weight is considered hazardous. Pure sassafras oil is toxic to adults in amounts as small as one teaspoon.
Some people still forage sassafras root bark and brew occasional cups of tea, accepting the risk as minimal for infrequent use. But the safety profile is the reason the commercial market has shifted entirely to safrole-free alternatives.
Safrole-Free Sassafras Products
If you want the flavor without the safety concerns, safrole-free sassafras tea concentrates and blends are widely available. These products use sassafras extract that has had the safrole chemically removed, combined with natural flavors and sometimes caramel coloring to approximate the look and taste of traditional sassafras tea. The flavor is recognizably similar, though some purists find it slightly flatter, missing some of the aromatic depth that safrole itself provides.
Blended sassafras teas often mix safrole-free sassafras bark with sarsaparilla root, birch bark, licorice root, star anise, ginger, and fennel to build a richer, more complex flavor that comes closer to the real thing. These blends lean into the “root beer tea” identity and can be quite good, especially served chilled with a little sweetener. If you’ve never tasted sassafras and want to understand what the fuss is about, a well-made blend is probably the most accessible starting point.