Wurm said:
I respectfully disagree with you on a few of your points.
Thujone does have some 'psychoactive' properties, though much of this is a psychological effect only.
The Czech absinthe is as good as all the other European ones, it all depends on the brand, the lack of the 'e' is only a spelling difference.
And *edit* "it HAS to have anise in it to be Absinthe." there are recognized absinthes without anise, but since you hate the "Czech" variety I understand your statement.
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you can respecfully disagree all you like.
did you read the links that i provided? if you DID and are still disagreeing, then you are saying that you are more of an 'expert' than some of the most important people in the absinthe community.
yes, you can claim that Czech absinth is as good as all the other European ones. tastes is definitely subjective. you could also make the claim that Phillie Blunts are as good as Fuentes, or that Mad Dog 2/20 is as good as Dom Perignon. but people who know more about cigars and wine might disagree on many different levels. the links provided contain faqs from the most knowledgeable people in the absinthe community.
the thujone myth has been debunked for awhile now. but people don't want to believe the truth. they want to believe that they're gonna trip balz and see green fairies and the wallpaper dripping. they want to believe that it was thujone which made Van Gogh cut his ear off...not the fact that he used to drink paint thinner and also lick the end of his lead-based paintbrushes and was mentally ill.
people buy into the myth because they WANT it to be true.
it's much more romantic than the truth.
will absinthe get you drunk? of course it will.
will you feel different drinking absinthe than you would drinking gin? yes.
will you feel different drinking wine than you would drinking everclear? YES.
much like single malt scotch drinkers, real absinteurs drink absinthe for the TASTE.
the lack of E is NOT the only difference between proper European Absinthes
(certain French and Swiss Absinthes) and Czech absinthes.
that's like saying that the only difference between a Rolex and a Timex is 3 letters.
the Czechs are not interested in making a 'good' absinthe. they are interested in seperating fools from their money.
if you have actually had true distilled absinthe, made the correct way, and then were served Hills or La Fee Bohemian, you most likely would not think that they were as good as the 'true' absinthe. i suppose that if you prefer harsh, medicinal windex-tasting cocktails over the actual traditionally made absinthes you would disagree.
the Czechs have only been making absinthe since the early 1990s. and they don't use the traditional recipes.
it's like if Budweiser put "Bud Light Belgian LambiK" on a Bud Light bottle.
a Belgian Lambic comes from a different region, has different ingredients and is made differently.
please name one commercially made AbsinthE that does not contain anise?
hey, i can take grain alcohol and dump in some essential oils purchased from a hippie store, and SAY it's absinthe.
and I can even market it to gullible people.
that does not mean that my product actually IS absinthe.
on the same token, i can take some Skoal and put it in a blunt wrapper and tell some moron that it's a cuban cigar.
just because someone believes me and buys it does not make it true.