• Absinthe (and other herbals)

  Taste Test Results: Small Wormwood Vs. Mugwort Vs. Sweet Annie Part 1

  Posted by kiwi Bruce on October 20, 2024 at 4:08 pm

  Following the post I made “In defence of Artemisia Vulgaris (Mugwort)” (viewtopic.php?t=93556) I made three Absinthes to test the difference between the secondary Artemisia that could be used, the results follow.The only difference between the three Absinthes is the secondary Artemisia used. There are:-Artemisia Pontica (Roman wormwood or Petite wormwood)Artemisia Annua (Sweet Annie or Sweet Wormwood)Artemisia Volgaris (Mugwort or Ssuk)They were aged/maturing in the fridge seven days before the test tasting.The recipe I used to make 1 liter….1 quartGrand Wormwood :- 50 grams……1.75 ouncesAnise seed :- 50 grams……1.75 ouncesFennel seed :- 50 grams……1.75 ouncesPontica/Volgaris/Annua :- 15 grams…..0.5 ounceAngelica root :- 15 grams…..0.5 ounceLicorice root :- 15 grams…..0.5 ounceStar Anise :- 10 grams…..0.33 ounceCalamus Root :- 10 grams…..0.33 ounceAll the herbs soaked in 70% spirit for 12 hours then diluted down to 50% for the run.Coloring Herbs…Pontica/Volgaris/Annua :- 10 grams…..0.33 ounceHissop :- 10 grams…..0.33 ounceLemon balm :- 5 grams…0.2 ounceThey soaked for four hours and were the strained and bottled.The first thing I observed was the color, they are VERY different from one another!Pontica…typical Absinthe color, light yellow green.Volgaris…like Romanian Absinthe, green like food coloring, bright Emerald green, no yellow.Annua….dark blue green.Continued in Part 2.(It breaks my heart, but) I’ve finally decided my future liesBeyond the yellow brick road…from Elton John

  kiwi Bruce replied 1 month, 3 weeks ago 1 Member · 1 Reply
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  kiwi Bruce

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  October 20, 2024 at 4:10 pm

  The Results.Let’s start with the tasting notes that I would use to describe drinking my version of a traditional 19 century Absinthe with Roman wormwood (Absintha Portica). The Absinthe is mixed with a little over twice it’s volume of ice water and three sugar cubes. The up-front first taste is a gentle well rounded Anise taste from the combination of Anise seed, fennel seed and licorice, with a noticeable herbal bitterness from the wormwood. Noticeable but not overpowering, as the anise flavor mellows on the palate it gives way to the lingering bitterness of the wormwood. It’s about as bitter as the hop bitterness left in the tongue by a well balanced IPA. As this fades your left with the herbal Artimesia taste of the small wormwood (Absintha Portica) and the earthy tones of Angelica, the invitation to another sip. Overall it’s a refreshing and revitalizing drink. The same spirit with Mugwort (Absintha volgarus) substituting the Roman wormwood (Absintha Portica). Note :- this is not just regular dried mugwort. I used the method of preparing the herb in the Korean tradition for making mugwort tea (Ssukcha) which involves gently heating the herb and crushing the leaf cell fibers by rolling the plant between the palms of your hands or on a bamboo mat, reheating and repeating this nine times and then it’s dried. It completely changes the aroma and flavor of the mugwort by doing this. In my opinion it greatly enhances the herb for absinthe use. The flavor of the herb is noticeable with wormwood’s bitterness right up front. An herbal Artimesia taste but quite different to that of wormwood, more “woodsy” and blends pleasantly with the Angelica at the end.Overall I was very pleasantly surprised by this and I would be more than willing to use this again as a substitute for small wormwood.The same spirit but with sweet wormwood (Absintha Annua) substituting the Roman wormwood (Absintha Portica). Note :- I became interested in this herb when I read the Dr Yo’uYo’u of China won the Nobel Prize for Medicine for her research into it’s use to cure malaria. The flavor of this herb is also noticeable with wormwood’s bitterness right up front however it has a definite sweet herbal taste that downplays the wormwood’s bitterness quite noticeably. It also has a stronger herbal Artimesia taste that downplays the taste of the Angelica at the end. Overall I was surprised how different this herb is to it’s two sisters. Not an unpleasant surprise just different. This might make a splendid flavoring herb to used in conjunction with one of it’s two sisters.Conclusion :- I will need to make a comparison trial between regular dried Mugwort and that dried using the Korean curing and drying method. As it stands the mugwort dried in this fashion is a very suitable substitute for Roman wormwood (Absintha Portica)The sweet wormwood (Absintha Annua) not so much. Where as the difference between the other two herbs are “pale” and a “lighter shade of pale” sweet wormwood is different, not unpleasant, but it is not a substitute for Roman wormwood at all. As already stated, it’s use with the other flavoring herbs may be a great addition. I will need to try this. ( I know, what a terrible burden, but someone has to do it! Oh the pain! the PAIN!) There you have it, a very pleasant fall evening tasting and discussing with friends and my sons. Over the course of the evening we each had two or more shots from each bottle, and no I was not drunk and yes I did trip balls! I think it’s the addition of the calamus. It’s also called sweet flag (Acornus calamus) and it, like wormwood, also contains psychoactive chemicals.(It breaks my heart, but) I’ve finally decided my future liesBeyond the yellow brick road…from Elton John

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