And as for the dried, powdered version tasting different than the original – most spices (like ginger) are used dried, so the fact that the root is sold and used fresh always struck me as unusual, anyway. And it happens frequently that drying an herb or spice dramatically changes the flavor. For instance, fresh cilantro is known for its crisp, slightly metallic twang – the taste that one could imagine from smelling a freshly mowed lawn. Dried cilantro, on the other hand, tends to have a slightly sweet, cinnamon flavor.