Dear Rick,We’re surprised to hear about the flavor you experienced. Our lump charcoal is made from Acacia hardwood and is known for its clean, mild profile, making it a great base for adding wood chunks or chips to customize your flavor. We’d love to learn more about your setup and what might have contributed to that result. Please feel free to reach out to us at Hello@TheGoodCharcoal.com. We’re happy to chat and help make things right.Best, The Good Charcoal Team