Stevia itself does have a licorice aftertaste. The producers know this and have worked to pull out the sweet parts of the plant while leaving behind the aftertaste. I've used several different Stevia products (
NuStevia,
Sweetleaf ,
Truvia--which is mostly erythritol,
liquid vanilla stevia from NuNaturals, and
NuNatural's MoreFiber, of which I'm especially fond), and most of them have been free from aftertaste. Personally, my favorite products come from NuNaturals. Though it took some time for me to get totally used to the flavor, I really love their vanilla-flavored liquid stevia. It is delicious in coffee and tea and you need so little of it that a bottle lasts months and months.
I think lots of things have an aftertaste, but your ability to notice it changes based on what other things you are eating. Long before I started SBD, I tried some cheesecake made with Splenda and thought it had a bad aftertaste. After several months on SBD, I tried the same cheesecake again and loved it (not noticing any aftertaste). I've found the same thing with other items: I used to think broccoli was bitter, but after months on SBD, I found it very sweet! So try it out, Meelsie, and see what you think.
Heidi, I've found that the liquid stevia is really great for adding stevia to coffee and tea because there are no dissolving problems.