Broke out my bottle of Lucid for a night-cap and a tasting session with the WS Absinthe Score sheet last night (and posted the initial version of this in the forum, but now I can post it where it belongs… ?
The appearance is natural, correct, clear, acceptable-- but IMO too pale for the 4 or 5 ratings.
Louche: well, it's a great Louche—I’m tempted to give it a 5, except that I've seen Jade N.O. and La Clandestine after louching... Lucid’s good, but not the best
Aroma: I think it's acceptable, correct, good proper absinthe-- it's just a little undistinguished compared to the great ones, but there's nothing wrong with it. I didn’t catch any of the “funk” I’ve heard others report (admittedly my bottle is, at this point, quite well-aged though…).
Flavor/Mouthfeel: It's correct & proper-- I still like Lucid, even after trying several other varieties of Absinthe-- if it's got a flaw, it's that there's still a little more "burn" instead of "smooth" than I'd expect from a top-notch absinthe, and set next to Jade & La Clandestine-- two of the others I've tried-- it comes off as undistinguished, but only by comparison though. Still totally acceptable & nothing wrong with it – I’m tempted to give it a 4, but in the end I think 3.5 is the right spot.
Finish: The standard descriptor by the 3, "Lingers pleasantly, no outstanding characteristics." says it all-- nothing wrong, just not truly "outstanding".
Overall: It fits the 3 rating perfectly-- IMO, entirely acceptable and it's the very epitome of the proper mid-market standard.
Further comments:
As I've indicated previously-- I like Lucid, I'm going to keep drinking it occasionally, and when I finish this bottle, I'm going to buy another one. It's my standard, go-to, ordinary occasion Absinthe. It's my "I just want to enjoy sipping on a simple glass of absinthe at the end of a long day..." choice. I gave it the ratings I did because Lucid is the middle of the road standard: I'm well aware there are absinthes that are made better, are more complex, perhaps ultimately tastier-- and I plan to indulge in them when I can, whenever I want something good & complex; and definitely for special occasions. The existence of higher end absinthe doesn't change my decision that Lucid has a place in my liquor cabinet and at my table. However, since Lucid is readily available, it's also still my "baseline"-- I find Lucid fully acceptable, but any Absinthe that doesn't compare favorably with Lucid is unacceptable to me-- it is the basic standard that others must equal or exceed.

For those interested: I'm actually not quite sure of the exact water-to-absinthe ratio I use as a fractional measurement-- but I use the same glasses, I fill the reservoir with absinthe to the same line, I fill it to 1/2" from the brim with ice water every time I prepare absinthe, using a broullier or dripping over a spoon, with a sugar cube-- so I am consistent in my methods and amounts each time. And yes, I'm one of those who always takes absinthe with sugar by preference.

Color: Light olive. Somewhat dull and unremarkable but looks natural. After louche the color is murky, like dishwater.



Louche: The louche begins forming immediately. It could be thicker, but I wouldn't describe it as thin. It never becomes opaque. Not very attractive.



Aroma: Something immediately strikes me as "off" in the aroma. Not something I'd describe as clean. I find the peppery notes a bit distracting as well, but not all bad. Perhaps just a bit too heavy handed. The wormwood presence is more forward than I expected. And of course the predominant note is anise, no surprise there.



Flavor: Again I'm getting something I can only describe as "murky". It's pretty flat and uninteresting, like a light American beer. No flavors really jump out on my palate and demand my attention. Not very complex. I get that anise and underlying wormwood, along with the peppery presence.



Finish: The fennel becomes more noticeable in the finish along with a slight wormwood bitterness. Lingering but I wouldn't describe the duration as long.



Overall: I know that this is a quality made product, which is what I want to see entering the U.S. market. I'm just not a fan of this particular brand. I wonder if Ted attempted to cater to what we all know about the typical American beer preference (bland, watered down) when crafting this? This absinthe is to American beer as his Jades are to a full bodied ale.

Without comparing Lucid to any other absinthe I really enjoyed it. The color neat was a pale yellowish-green. When water is added to Lucid you can see trails from the water it is almost fully louched at 1:1. I like my absinthe without sugar or very little up to one cube and about 3:1 or 4:1 water ratio, overall the flavor of Lucid is very good, I taste mostly anise, not overly complex but to me still has a good flavor and I enjoy the finish, it has some mouth numbing. Now Lucid compared to another absinthe like Kubler, it is nowhere close to the complexity of Kubler and has a lot more of an anise flavor than Kubler and Lucid ends thinner than Kubler, Kubler has more of a milky ending to me. Also not nearly aromatic as Kubler. But on its own Lucid is a good everyday absinthe.

Preparation



Lucid was my first Absinthe and I suppose for that alone it will always have a place in my heart as perhaps not an extraordinary drink, but a damn fine good one. With company we'll break out the fountain. However as an "every day Absinthe" a slow drip from the Poland Springs cooler or carafe of ice water works just dandy.



Color Before Water





Lucid isn't as green as any of the Jades I've tried. It leans more towards a yellow. It's pale and crystal clear - pretty enough but by no means gorgeous nor eye popping. It's also incredibly consistent, I have yet to notice any variance of the slightest shade. And although I find the bottle itself rather silly and unfortunate in the sense it plays to the propaganda of Absinthe, perhaps the use of dark glass keeps the light at bay and from changing the color. Just a theory.



Aroma Before Water



If you love Anise, you're in for a treat.Many a time I've opened a bottle only to find my partner or friends arrive shortly thereafter and announce "I could smell that before I reached your front door" Some people might find the aroma a bit too candy like ~ especially when compared to higher end brands but it suits me just fine. If the bottle is left to breathe, more complex notes will blossom most definitely of Fennel with slight under tones of floral and herbs.



Louche





Lightening fast. But non the less interesting. Appealing strands of oily goodness cascade from the top down and a puffy white cloud forms at the bottom. The Louche becomes turbulent with wonderful movement as it encompasses the elixir within. The final completion is an off white with a very decent opalescent quality. This makes it appear thicker than it actually is ala mouth feel but again, it's very decent and never disappoints.





Aroma After Water





Still heady with Anise but the more complex aromas have a chance to shine through. I would say Lucid shoots from the hip, no odd herbs, no peculiar deviations as with some of the odd ball Absinthes such as the ST George. Purists may find it in fact to direct and too simplified but I would counter and say it's consistency bottle after bottle is a good thing indeed. The heat of alcohol gives way too a more complex fragrance than from the bottle alone. Albeit it never loses the wallop of Anise and Fennel.









Flavor





Perhaps a bit too sweet, I can't imagine using sugar with Lucid. And I do miss the sharp tone of Wormwood and that "bite" of lovely bitterness that I have found with other, more complex and certainly more expensive bottles of Absinthe. But that aside I find it delicious and although a bit thin on mouth feel a very pleasant drink in every way. The after taste can be a bit sticky sweet but there are herbal complexities that shine on.



The Finish





Again a bit too sweet perhaps. But it's absolutely devoid of any funky or strange aftertastes.The Anise and Fennel linger on the palate which isn't at all bad, but I do miss a bit of a bite from the more bitter ingredients which if in tact would balance Lucid out beautifully.





Final Impression





Lucid is a fine "first Absinthe" and an equally decent daily Absinthe to have around the house. I don't hesitate to recommend it ~ silly bottle and all. It was close to what I imagined Absinthe to be. Is it wonderfully complex? no, not really. But it's a lovely drink, it's affordable, available and again consistent. I would say the positives here far outweigh the negatives - There will always be place on my bar for the black bottle with two silly glaring cats eyes.



Peter

This is a solid absinthe with a nice aroma, a reasonably well-rounded flavor and a decent louche.

Prepared 3:1 (water: absinthe), one sugar cube on a slow drip.

The pre-louche color is a bit yellow; fairly unremarkable, but not off-putting by any means. One thing I will say is that, to their credit, Lucid does not use artificial colorings as some new absinthe makers seem to be doing.

The pre-louche aroma indicates a healthy dose of fennel with a well-balanced anise scent, a powerful, sweet, nutty overtone, - almost caramel - and a nice, detectable waft of wormwood; some subtle spice and a pleasing bouquet of meadow herbs. Overall a very pleasing aroma. Post-louche the scent mellowed out a bit, and was more balanced, but also more subtle. Personally, I enjoyed the strength of the pre-louche aroma.

The louche begins with a delicate, oily “dance” and is not too quick. End result is a traditional looking opalescent with some nice subtleties in the light. Nice, even, heavy legs.

The flavor is well-rounded with plenty of detectable wormwood, some lingering anise and a bit of spice in conclusion at the back of the tongue. All told, a balanced, ‘fresh’ taste, light and crisp.

The finish is smooth, with no abuse to the tongue. I did, however, detect a somewhat strange, unidentifiable aftertaste accompanying the anise after about ¾ of the glass had been finished. This didn’t ruin the drink by any means, but caused the raising of an eyebrow. I can’t place what the taste is, but it’s ever so slightly “rubbery.”

I would say that this is definitely a strong absinthe for the US market at this point – probably the best verte widely available in the States. The other labels most commonly available now in the US – as of 12/2008 – are the Kubler (a good blanche, though I am personally not a huge fan), the pathetic Pernod remake, and the highly offensive Le Tourment Verte. If you’re buying locally somewhere in the States, are partial to vertes, and this is the lot you have to choose from, Lucid is certainly your best bet. As others have noted, this is a good introduction for the US market, and will hopefully become a baseline standard for American absinthe drinkers. We may all pray that US liquor stores start stocking Jade PF or Eichelberger at some point, but until then Lucid is a better-than-acceptable placeholder.