Quality of Absinthe Glasses Options

[Azyanea]

Ok, I used search engine and couldn't find this anywhere.

When you buy absinthe glasses, what quality do they normally come in? Do they ever have weird white splotches that you can't wash off because the splotches are inside the glass? Do they ever have bubbles that look like a cat's claw (just one claw that looks like it fell out of the paw) on the bottom of the glass?

[peridot]

Generally quality is pretty good on both molded and hand-blown glasses. I've had the usual tiny bubbles but nothing like what you're talking about.

[Brian Robinson]

Pics?

[Aggelos]

Ok, I used search engine and couldn't find this anywhere.

When you buy absinthe glasses, what quality do they normally come in? Do they ever have weird white splotches that you can't wash off because the splotches are inside the glass?

Usually seen it in molded glassware, sand cristal would create little stones in the glass. Some people prize it very much in old glassware. If the glass is clouded though, then your glass is sick, but rarely happen to new glassware. I would be interested to see

Do they ever have bubbles that look like a cat's claw (just one claw that looks like it fell out of the paw) on the bottom of the glass?

Once again, could be a good sign : blown glass, with much handwork on it may have such bubbles, even in very fine antique pieces.
One way it could be created would be if the bubble is present when the glass is still supple, and then the bubble would deform when the glass is turned around while hardening

[E Bien]

Do they ever have bubbles that look like a cat's claw (just one claw that looks like it fell out of the paw) on the bottom of the glass?

One or two of my pontarliers from Frenchman Phil have exactly the same bubble, trapped where the foot meets the stem.

[Azyanea]

Ok, I tried to position the glass and the camera in such a way that you could see what I'm talking about. Glass is hand blown. I had a hard time keeping my hands still, and a hard time in getting close enough to the glass without damaging the clarity of the picture.

Anyway,

Cat's claw:





I'm just worried the claw would make the glass more breakable or something.


White splotches:





So are these good or bad? Can you even tell? Taking a picture of glass is extremely difficult.

[techdiver]

Do you have a macro focus on the camera?

[Azyanea]

i have a 4x optical zoom and a 7.1 megapixel. I switched the camera to auto and I think I got better pictures this time:

Splotches:



The white things aren't glares... They are splotches.

Claw:



Pretend you have a hook on your left hand (like Captain Hook). Raise up your left hand, and bend your pointer finger, with the pointer finger facing towards your right. The arch of your pointer is what the claw looks like.

It looks like a claw that fell out of a cat. For those of you who hate cats and have no clue what I'm talking about... A claw that's fallen out looks like this:



That plant is called a cat's claw... All the cat pictures on the internet had claws contracted or at least still in their sockets..so you'll have to do with a picture of a plant.

[dakini_painter]

I know that the glass from Frenchman and that sold by La Maison d'Absinthe are mouth blown and/or mold made. I often see artifacts of the production process on the glass and I understand that bubbles in the glass are normal in this kind of process.

Someone with more knowledge of glassmaking can easily provide more information.

[Pastaga]

The pontarlier glasses are made by La Rochère, a french company that makes interesting designs but with low quality material and basic processes. I am in the glass and wine accessories business and I know their whole line quite well and I almost always have been disapointed with La Rochère's quality. Thick glass, thick rim, bubbles, apparent mold line etc. Never seen white spots though, although I must admit it's hard to see in the pictures.

I am somewhat picky since I'm surrounded by glasses all day long, but I prefer crystal or crystallin glass than basic glass as it is thinner and almost always defect free. Even if this mean not using a glass designed for absinthe.



This post has been edited by Pastaga: Oct 22 2009, 06:43 PM

[Joe Legate]

Personally, I like the defects. I think it adds character.
I think of the old absinthe glasses I've seen. They were thick and heavy, fully capable of lasting a good long while as real barware. I like a heavy Torsade or Pontarlier glass and a few bubbles in the glass makes it a unique thing of beauty from a time long gone.


Maybe that's just me.

[Aggelos]

Maybe that's just me.

Hell no !

For example, in consider the value of this glass far superior to its cousins because of a huge white inclusion you can almost guess on the left.

The more "natural defects" there is (bubbles, asymetry, etc) the more the glass was handmade.

These "claw like" bubbles are, I do think, magnificent

[baubel]

It's that kind of mentality that makes me contemplate being a lazy potter.


Personally I go for the perfect, machined look. I got to at least try to be a badass/ as boring as a machine every once in a while.

The best instructor at the clay studio I go to purposefully puts faults in his pieces...so he claims. Finding them is the challenge.

[thegreenimp]

These are the nicest made glasses and drippers out of all of the ones I've seen and collected.

Lotsa luck finding them though.

[Aggelos]

It's that kind of mentality that makes me contemplate being a lazy potter.

Well, at least you'll be a hairy potter© (if that one has not been already done...)

[Absomphe]

Personally, I like the defects. I think it adds character.

Why, thank you, Joe.

And, seriously, I couldn't agree more. The unevenness mold marks, bubbles and other quirks just add to the charm of the oldies (I mean the glasses!).

[Aggelos]

The unevenness mold marks, bubbles and other quirks just add to the charm of the oldies (I mean the glasses!).

Right, cause my gran'ma making bubbles is nothin' charming.

[Absomphe]

Sheesh, it's not even 7:30 A.M. in this neck of the woods, Aggelos.

Have merci mercy with the imagery, okay?

[Azyanea]

So if there are sand crystals in the glass, what would they look like?

[Joe Legate]

Right, cause my gran'ma making bubbles is nothin' charming.

That's the best thing I've read all day! <wipes tears>

[Pontarlier]

Oui! I agree...

Every glass has its own uniqueness especially in the 'personally turned' realm of mouth blown glasses.
I like the variety and appreciate that if you are seeing new ones, that means that someone is responding to the needs of absinthe drinkers (a huge plus) and the market will decide to support innovation.
How someone decides to capture the dose in their glass making is what I find the most intriguing.

I realize that my favorite "dose" glasses are not exactly or necessarily the most sought, but they seem to be the best for measurement and pervassive display art within glass. They don't have grains or "claws", but some of this may be an emergence of trademarking I am told. This may be complete farce as well.

Tangent: the best in my opinion have been the bubble glasses. I am also ever an advocate of the old fashioned Pontarlier glasses with the notches on the dose.

Give me the glass clarity yielding the best ability to see the absinthe louche.

There's a common level of thickness or maximum glass tickness allowed in most of these to be able to serve that purpose as well as durability.

[Pastaga]

If I may...

Small bubbles and imperfections do not mean "hand made." Most poorly machine-made glasses have such bubbles in them and high quality handmade glass is almost always free of them.

I fully understand the charm of small imperfections that make the uniqueness of an item, but I would not want my fellow absinteurs to be fooled by a low quality glass sold as a high quality handmade piece.

Now, after that its all a matter of taste and personal subjectivity. One can prefer the durability or the feeling of "manliness" brought by a thick and heavy glass over the sharpness of the taste, clarity and precision on the tongue of a thin glass.

But honestly, if you guys ever have the opportunity to experience a really thin glass like the ones made by Riedel or Spiegelau you might change your take on this.

Cheers!

[StevePrime]

What he said.

[kaseijin]

[...]But honestly, if you guys ever have the opportunity to experience a really thin glass like the ones made by Riedel or Spiegelau you might change your take on this.[...]

My absolute favorite glass at the moment is this super incredibly thin Pontarlier that I picked up from Luc when I was in Paris a couple of years ago. I had assumed it came from Frenchman, but the ones I have seen from him since have not been of the same make, and I have yet to see one quite as thin and delicate.

It's pretty much perfection.

[OMG_Bill]

I struggle with a delicate glass. I need (prefer) a glass with a bit more heft. It isn't a manliness issue but more like I'm a clumsy bitch and drop or spill things with amazing regularity. I broke a shot glass last night while pouring lemoncello into it. Two glass object got too close together and one didn't pass the test. <shrug>

At the tasting in OC I spilled several drinks while serving samples.

I really like the crystal flutes and wine glasses but they are in peril if I'm nearby.

Breaking a glass or carafe during a visit with friends sort of dampens the party for a bit.

The Simon Pearce glasses are nice and heavy and they have some character.

...to be continued

[Wild Bill Turkey]

My absolute favorite glass at the moment is this super incredibly thin Pontarlier that I picked up from Luc when I was in Paris a couple of years ago. I had assumed it came from Frenchman, but the ones I have seen from him since have not been of the same make, and I have yet to see one quite as thin and delicate.

What you have there is a Frenchman Pontarlier glass from before 2006/7. They were incredibly thin and delicate, just beautiful. But too many absintheurs had comments similar to Bill's, above. There began to be a deafening roar from the community that the drunkards, myself included, wanted thicker glass, and the Frenchman, who has always been good at listening to his customers, made the change. Nowadays, his Pontarlier glasses are almost twice as thick, with a beaded lip.

I still have a few of the old ones, and the difference is huge. I love the delicacy of the old style, but back when that was all there was, we had a palpable need for something more substantial.

[kaseijin]

Interesting. Good to know the story behind it - thanks!

That kinda makes me sad, though -- For inebriated evenings with friends, I have several thick, clunky, bar-grade glasses that came with the old bottle/2 glass/2 spoon sets that LdF used to sell, but I'd really love more of the delicate ones like that old Pontarlier.

[Wild Bill Turkey]

I can imagine a future where absinthiana collecting will have gotten so refined that people will be selling those old-style Pontarliers on ebay as "early-revival" period collectibles.

[Pastaga]

^^Those thin Pontarlier seems quite interesting... which I could lay my hand on one.

For those with hands "unfriendly to glass" you should look for companies such as Schott Zwiesel (German), Mikasa (French) or Arca (Italian). Those guys make what they call "break resistant glass" which is thin but increadibly though.

Schott Zwiesel calls its though glass Tritan, Mikasa Kwarx and Arca Nesium. These are glass alloys like crystal but, instead of using a 24% lead oxyde that makes it sparkling and thin they use titanium or magnesium oxyde to larger proportions which results in increased thoughness.

As far as I know none of them make glasses especially for absinthe, but they still have many choices that could fit the requirement.





This post has been edited by Pastaga: Oct 27 2009, 11:41 AM

[Funky D]

Does anyone know who made the Lucid Pontarlier glasses that came with the Lucid gift boxes last holiday season? They were also very thin, but a bit on the small side.

Unfortunately I only have one left... the other flew out of my hand during a washing mishap. One of my broulliers met a similar fate