It's odd that when I first started on this bottle, I would have rated the flavor as a 3. I now find it quite appealing. Color is a deep green, deeper than one might expect. Louche developed quite nicely, layered with not much opalescence. Whatever was present in the flavor that I found initially as undesirable, has vanished. All in all, an enjoyable absinthe. My original misplaced misgivings have fallen by the wayside.