The absinthe pours bright emerald. A tad light, looks natural+, as in it looks like it's had a bit of help. It smells of strong, minty wormwood (or mint and wormwood) upfront. Sweet, nice anise, some perfume.

The louche is slow and a tad weak but not inappropriate. Very good milk jade colour with shades of blue. With water it smells minty, powdery, and sweet. Anise has come forward and is very nice.

Very powerful flavour with lots of wormwood and mint. Anise is present but just can't compete. Very noticeable lemon and spice. Maybe a tad brighter and more acrid than prefered. Very crisp and refreshing. I can see the argument that there's a bit too much pontica but that's something I enjoy.

The finish is cool, minty, and fruity, with an earthy undertone. Long with a bit of the Ricola herbal character I've noticed in a couple of absinthes lately.

This absinthe has a nice, unique character. With a bit of aging I expect it would mellow out nicely but as it is it tastes very new.

Color
A nice light medium green with a bluish undertone. A little monochromatic looking, it's typical Matter coloration, most of which don't quite look all natural to me. Pretty nonetheless. Louched, good green retention with an amber undertone, and powdery blue edges and meniscus.

Louche
Nice weight and just the right translucence to allow for very pretty opalescence even under moderate light.

Aroma
Unlouched, anise with herbs, mainly wormwood, detectable from several feet away. Louched, wormwood and other herbs up front with the anise and fennel definitely in a supporting role. An extremely clean base. A little minty, with pontica, hyssop and a slight earthiness showing, as it warms.

Flavor
Just like the nose, wormwood is up front. Joining forces is some coriander, creating a spiciness that pecks away at the tongue. Again, like the nose, anise and fennel are secondary. Spicy, tingly, with some mint and lemon notes, not so unbalanced as to be a "2", not so correct as to be a "4". My favorite dilution is a smidge shy of 5:1. As it warms, I get a slight "evergreen" tinge.

Finish
Long, peppery, spicy, evergreenish, slightly astringent and drying. Absinthium and pontica definitely in control. The pontica seems a bit much, to me. Sit on the finish long enough, and it becomes quite drying. The anise and fennel provide a little airy cooling waft while breathing through the mouth, but this just increases the drying effect. Nothing seriously wrong, but not seductive enough to garner a "4" or "5".

Overall
Nothing really wrong, nothing really refined. It's good, but not great. Nothing wrong with that. The way it's balanced, it reminds me of a milder Matter version of La Berthe De Joux. "La Berthe De Joux Light"!, very wormwood forward, but without the same fine level of ingredients and craftsmanship. Certainly correct enough for use in showing those new to absinthe a proper profile, and enough of a statement to allow the aficionado to join in "thumbing their collective noses" at the VdT. Throw in the very reasonable pricing, and it makes for a fair, no-nonsense, mainstream absinthe experience.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 4.5:1, 5:1 and no sugar.

LDF Absinthe Suisse La Verte, 5/09/11, 5/14/11, 5/21/11, 6/12/11.
All evaluations had consistent notes.