Appearance
Unlouched, medium forest green with glints of olive drab. More natural looking than most Matter offerings. A quite heavy level of color, however perfectly clear and bright for this level. Louched, olive green with some rosy amber at the base of the glass and slight hints of blue at the edges.

Louche
Quite thick and as close to opaque as I would want to see. Quite quick to form. Just the slightest glints of opalescence, some blue, yellow, but mostly the typical amber glow at the bottom of an absinthe glass. Any more opaque, and this would be a 3.

Aroma
Neat, some anise and fennel with a strong blast of pontica. Louched, the coloring herbs talking the loudest. Wormwood, pontica, hyssop, and a little mint up front. Anise and fennel in a supporting role. A very clean base. Hyssop and some flowers become even more apparent as it warms.

Flavor
Once again, the coloring herbs in command. Pontica, mint, wormwood up front. Anise and fennel, like the nose, are present and in decent support. Underlying spice, and a minty/citric tang on the mid-palate. The spice really ramps up as it warms. If not for a slightly grainy mouthfeel (once again, the coloring herbs having their way), it would be a solid 4. The mouthfeel roughens it just enough that I would call this a soft 4.

Finish
A nice straight-line fade of all the palate sensations. A slight drying, and the graininess becoming dominate as the finish lingers. While there's nothing wrong with the flavors, this lingering texture is a little unclean. The hyssop has the final say as this lingers for quite some time.

Overall
A perfectly acceptable offering. I rather like it, but the deficits stemming from the heavy coloration can't be ignored. It's mostly in the area of visual aesthetics and mouthfeel, and the textural coarseness of this really does diminish my enjoyment. Due to these effects, I find it best at dilutions from 4.5:1 to 5:1. However, for anyone that really enjoys an herbal forward absinthe, this just may be for you.

Years ago, I had the pleasure of having both a Harley Davidson and a BMW in-line triple at the same time. Both were tremendously enjoyable. The BMW did everything it could to insulate one from the process of internal combustion, and the HD did everything it could to immerse one in it. It always reminded me of the first time my dad let me push the lawn mower. If someone had put a gun to my head and said "one's gotta' go", guess which would have survived? It's not always refinement that is the most enjoyable, and if the aim here is to capture the vibe of the big twins, I'd say Twin Tec's hitting on all two cylinders.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 4.2:1, 4.5:1, 5:1 and no sugar.

Twin Tec 10/23/10, 7/03/11, 2/12/12.
All evaluations had consistent notes.

Color: Vibrant green. Quite attractive.

Louche: Great layering. Very enjoyable to watch as the trails slowly build up a nice opalescent greenish hue from the bottom up.

Aroma: Herbal with a nice balance of good wormwood and anise with underlying hints of fennel.

Flavor: Well balanced. Maybe leaning a bit more towards the anise, but still very well constructed. Like most other Matter products, it's very easy to drink.

Finish: It lingers nicely, but doesn't impose itself too strongly.

Overall: It's tough to complain about it. It's a very nice absinthe and is what I've come to expect from Matter. Well balanced, clean, and enjoyable. A good addition to any collection.