For my first experience with absinthe, I chose Lucid, partly due to its availability in my local stores, and partly because the general consensus here at WS and other sites was that it's a good absinthe to use as a baseline for judging more complex absinthes.

I purchased this bottle in December of 2008, and opened it here in mid-March 2009. Taking the advice of others, I let it air for about an hour before tasting. I had two glasses on the first night, then two glasses the following night, and I am basing my review primarily on the second tasting.

Color: The color was a nice golden peridot prior to loucheing. There was minimal haziness. After loucheing, the color changed to a pale peridot verging on yellow, but it was not unattractive.

Louche: The louche began almost immediately, being fully underway at a 1:1 ratio and over by about the 2:1 point. Nonetheless, the thin and wispy strands resulting from a fine fountain drip were enjoyable to watch, however brief they may have been. For a second glass, my less steady pour with a mini-carafe formed slightly thicker clouds.

Aroma: There was a pleasant mix of vibrant anise with a strong scent of fennel that fully opened up once the water drip began, but also diminished significantly at the 2:1 point.

Flavor: The flavor was not complex, and was a little less bitter than I expected it to be, but the simple combination of the 'holy trinity', along with a slight note of something almost like celery, was mild and refreshing. Granulated sugar detracted from my first glass, in that the sweetness was very pronounced at first and was followed by bitterness, but a half teaspoon of organic blue agave nectar in the second glass made for a much fuller and more-balanced taste.

Finish: The Lucid has a smooth, mild finish with only mild numbing at 3:1 or 4:1. The aftertaste lingers only briefly, but is pleasant.

Overall: After trying at various strengths, I found that around 3:1 or 3.5:1 was the best ratio for water to absinthe to bring out the best qualities of the Lucid. Anything above 4:1 results in a weak, watered down taste. While this absinthe has a fine flavor when completely unsweetened, I found that the agave nectar complimented it very well, and much better than granulated sugar. Some have said that the Lucid has been "oversimplified" for mild American tastes and that may be true, but I found it to be pleasant and refreshing, and would recommend it to anyone who wants an absinthe with a lower amount of bitterness.