Color: A mostly yellow-yellow-green, clear liquid. I see some opalescence after the louche; the finished glass of Lucid is mostly white with some blue and green highlights. It's acceptable.

Louche: Glass brouilleur was placed over my classic Pontarlier absinthe glass, which has a nice glass bubble on the bottom to hold and measure the correct amount of absinthe. Sugar cube was put into brouilleur and filtered ice water was poured in. A small stream of iced water poured into the Lucid through the brouilleur. (I can control the drip of the brouilleur by placing it flush over the top of he glass to create a tight seal. The water won't drip then. I slowly slide the brouilleur to open the seal to control the flow, from drip to slow stream.) This time I simply went with the slow stream all the way. Surprisingly, the louche took its time finishing. Nice oily trails appeared through the lower "bubble" in the Pontarlier glass, for what seemed a goodly time providing a nice show ... before turning into some lovely swirling white clouds, which went on for longer than usual before finally turning to an opaque, mostly white drink with very slight blue and green highlights.

Aroma: Strong anise and fennel aroma that is slightly peppery. Not very complex, but not bad.

Flavor: Again, strong anise and fennel taste, slightly peppery. Wormwood clearly numbs the tongue, so it's present. The "trinity" is there — it's a real absinthe — but I can't tell what are the other herbs. Not very complex is the main thing. Problem? Aftertaste is quite poor, perhaps due to the beet-based alcohol. Mouth ends up quite numb with not the most pleasant taste.

Finish: I'm through with the first glass and waiting for the second. Aftertaste of the first is a bit unpleasant and now I'm considering the elixir quality. So far it's mediocre. However, my mouth is numb; in that way, the slightly unpleasant background taste is thankfully minimized.

Minutes later ... OK, I've had most of the second glass. Again, it's a real absinthe, the "trinity" is there, my impression is slightly "complex," better than after just one. Still, the low quality of the beet-alcohol base is too evident. Why use beets and charge this price? There are plenty of wine- or brandy-based spirits in France, this country of elite alcohols, aren't there?

Overall: Again, it's a real absinthe. Lucid leaves you with not the most complex or pleasant taste, but a slightly complex "impression." It's very average, not the type of thing I would want to have at a sunny café late in the day, but rather something desired in a blues bar late at night while wearing dark glasses, if it was on "special." It is quite overpriced: I paid more than $80 including tax at a local liquor store in New Jersey for it. At this price range, I would certainly consider other absinthe "vertes," such as the Duplais Verte or the Pacifique Verte, a Swiss and an American brand respectively. They are far superior choices. Lucid's louche is nice, yes, but the beet-based alcohol has been cited as the main issue here concerning poor aftertaste, and it might be. Still, I'd cite the lack of excitement concerning the herbal ingredients as the main determining factor in giving this an average to slightly below average score. Also, the bottle with two light green eyes on a dark green bottle — the "green lady," is it? — with the word Lucid in dripping green, it's all a bit purposefully creepy. It makes what's in the bottle seem sinister. The half-empty bottle is going to the back of my liquor cabinet, a souvenir of the first offering of a real absinthe in the USA in a very long time.

Update May 20, 2010: This is often the best choice in liquor stores in New Jersey, as it beats out Pernod and all of the hyped Czech brands. New Jersey liquor stores have yet to catch up and it seems very, very few carry the superior brands, such as Pacifique, Walton Waters, Absinthe Duplais Verte (or Blanche!), La Clandestine, et al. But Lucid is usually stocked — So far, it's invariably the best thing on the shelves here, and it's a reasonable choice.

Update May 23, 2010: If it's Lucid or Pernod, then get the Pernod. Both are subpar when compared with Pacifique, Walton Waters — the "boutigue" brands — but he Pernod was just better for me for taste, aftertaste, and secondary effect. The Pernod's liquor base is also "cleaner" IMO. Still, these are very average brands, and I recommend St. George, Absinthe Duplais varieties and La Clandestine (as a blanche) as more better choices. All are far superior to Lucid or the current Pernod offering.

Color was a nice light peridot, not quite as clear as it could have been, but it looked natural.

Louche was appropriate, and detailed. Nice trails and clouds that built up from the bottom with a nice layer above.

Aroma was anise and fennel for the most part, with a mild spice.

Flavor was a balance of anise, fennel and wormwood. I found none of the "funk" a few have mentioned.

The finish was clean and crisp, lingered well. Not as 3-D as the best out there, but again, you could do a lot worse.

I was expecting this entry level absinthe to be mediocre, but it was pretty good!
In fact, I'd suggest this to someone who wanted to try absinthe to see if they like the general vibe, letting them know there are better absinthes to be had...but for the $60 kit which includes 2 glasses and a spoon, it's a good starter for someone to test the waters. I think it would lead one to purchases of higher end absinthes.

Color- Thin green. A little bit hazy as well. No sediment and it’s leaning towards a nice peridot.

Louche- It takes a while to develop and is a welcome change from some ‘premature’ star anise louches that are over in an instant. Decent refractions and a nice green tinge at the edge of the glass.

Aroma- Fennel and anise dominate with a bit of ‘dirty sock’ funk that brings it down a notch

Flavor- Heavy on the fennel with the anise in equal measure. Decent wormwood bite mid palate. A nice creamy mouth feel is interrupted by some peppery aftertastes that are kind of annoying. I can detect the ‘saltiness’ as others have noted.

Finish- Lingers for a while but is nothing but pure anise. Doesn’t leave a sense of complexity in the mouth.

Overall- This is a decent verte and is a good place to start absinthe tasting. Decent value depending on where you buy it.

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.

Admittedly, it has been just under a year since I finished my bottle of Lucid. However, since it was my first absinthe I wanted to share my thoughts. I have since tasted around 10 COs in my first year of absinthe, so my hindsight is thus colored. (Macerated?)

Bottle acquired February, 2007.

Color: I enjoyed Lucid's green. It was correct and not pale like some of the later batches, as noted by others.

Louche: I can't say it was opalescent, but I feel Lucid gave me an *excellent* introduction as to how a nice louche looks. Very enjoyable, and all my glasses were carafe pours.

Aroma: The transformation and opening up of absinthe's aroma upon the addition of water was another thing I that endeared me to the drink as a complete novice. As the bottle of Lucid aged, I enjoyed the aroma even more.

Flavor: Though I can't disrespect Lucid because it was my first, it hadn't totally convinced me that absinthe's flavor was "for me." Almost. Kubler, my second, would clinch it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the "licorice" talk was inaccurate, due to the crisper, herbal, and far less cloying flavor of anise. I enjoyed the subtle bitterness of the wormwood, and was glad it wasn't front and center for my first experience. (I'm still somewhat of a bitterness wus.) However, the strong black pepper-like flavor really got in the way. I do not have fond memories of it at all; it even overshadows the "murky" aspect to the flavor that others have noted. My distaste for this pepper note may mean I'm not a fan of coriander, but I can't be sure. The murkiness felt like a sort of barrier preventing me from fully experiencing the herbs.

Finish: I was struck by the milkiness of absinthe, and am happy to have had Lucid introduce me to this. I don't recall the immediate finish after a sip, but recall really enjoying the flavors staying with me for an hour or two after I had finished the glass.

Overall: Here is where we catapult back into the present. It is an excellent starter absinthe, not too complex, has all the right components, and is well-made. The bottle only got better as it aged, but that pepper note was still there. Lucid will always have a place in my heart having been my first, but since my absinthe explorations have taken me elsewhere, I can't envision buying another bottle in the near future. It's not my first choice, but I would not refuse it if offered.