I think I'd prefer coffee, (I drink too much of it, heck I'm drinking coffee right now lol), but I could see how someone in the 18th century, living inland away from port cities, in essence the frontier, would be tempted to drink this concoction in the absence of the real deal, not very unlike many in the South during the Civil War drinking "coffee" made from chicory.
In the spirit of experimentation, I might try this oddball concoction, after all like I heard all my life:
"Don't knock it till you try it!"