Hm.. when i started using cypress substrate last year, I never had any trouble. My snakes went a little wild at first, frantically flicking tongues and tasting their new substrate, but they gradually cooled off and accepted it as if it were always there. Same happened when I switched to aspen; I love the cypress but can't find it anywhere around here in fall/winter (I buy big bags of the mulch at a local nursery.)
Unless you had some sort of overapplied chemical residue, I don't see what the problem was. your snake probably just got a little freaked about the texture, but they soon get used to it. My BCI gets crazy if I put him out on the grass outside; probably similar But you know your snake best; if you think you want to switch back, that's what ya should do.