Root Beer taste...Nobody knows because nobody can tell you what sassafrass or
birch or bananas tast like.
Root Beer was originally an infusion of sassafras, ginger, sarsaparilla, lots of sugar and other herbal and rooty flavors but there's no actual 'root beer flavor' like there is apple flavor; each maker has their own recipe
There's Birch beer made from the sap of Birch trees.
So Root beer probably got its name from sassafras since it is a root.