1. What's the story with thujone?
2. How can I receive news about special discount offers and new
products?
3. Is Oliva Absinth "real" absinthe?
4. Can you ship to my country (United States of America,
Canada, England, etc)?
5. Isn't Absinthe illegal in America?
6. Are you a legitimate company?
7. How do I contact you?
8. Can I sell your absinthe in my brick and mortar store?
Q. What's the story with thujone?
A. The thujone question. Yes, thujone is poisonous and a hallucinogenic.
However, there is not even close to enough thujone in any absinthe
ever made(!) to cause any hallucinations or harm anyone. All re-creations, and
tests, of actual pre-ban absinthe (before 1915) show that they all had 10mg or
less of thujone content.
The harmful effects noted leading up to the ban were not due to
thujone, but caused by people trying to make absinthe cheaply. They would use
poisonous compounds to color it (blue vitriol ie. copper(II) sulfate!) and
enhance the louche {clouding of the absinthe due to release of essential oils}
(antimony trichloride).
The positive, enjoyable, and unique effects of absinthe come not from the
thujone, but from the other herbs used. This is why the brand
of absinthe matters for more than just taste. Each absinthe is made with
different herbs in different proportions chosen by the manufacturer. The
kind, quality, and amount of these herbs will vary your experience dramatically.
Some of them have a stimulating effect. Some have a relaxing effect. Some even
have a sexual aspect to them. More than that, it's the combination that makes it
for you. Many of them are synergistic. You will notice this even
before the alcohol kicks in. If you drink it slowly, you can carry
this effect all the way through your whole experience without the alcohol
overpowering it. If you drink it too quickly, all you will feel is very drunk,
with a bit of a clear head.
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Q. How can I receive news about special discount offers
and new products?
A. Just join the
Royal Bohemian
Association! You will receive information about new products,
promotional offers, and special discounts. You will also be able to get free
absinthe because it is also a frequent buyers program. Just click
here to join.
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Q. Is Oliva Absinth "real" absinthe?
A. Yes, of course! We worked very hard to make this the ONLY authentic
Bohemian absinth on the market (see our
History of Oliva
Absinth page). Absinthe from the Czech Republic has a well deserved terrible
reputation. Currently, most is undrinkable at best. This was not the case
a hundred years ago. At this time great Bohemian absinth was being made.
We were able to find and resurrect the best one.
This is
what absinthe should taste like.
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Q. Can you ship to my country (United States of
America, Canada, England, etc)?
A. Yes we can! Actually we ship worldwide (with a few exceptions). For more
information about shipping and costs involved go to the
shipping page.
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Q. Isn't Absinthe illegal in America?
A. The consensus opinion of the law in the USA is that it is not illegal
to buy absinthe from a country abroad as long as you don't plan to sell
it. The FDA prohibits any beverage containing thujone from sale.
The FDA has jurisdiction to prosecute only US based sellers of Absinthe,
not any buyers.
Absinthe is NOT a controlled substance. It is not a DEA issue.
Oddly, US Customs DOES have a regulation that specifically prohibits absinthe
from importation. They can seize any absinthe they find crossing the boarder.
However, in reality, this never happens. If you are buying a few bottles for
yourself, it is always let through.
See the
Wikipedia entry on this topic.
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Q. Are you a legitimate company?
A. We certainly are (would anyone say otherwise?)! We are one of the few
companies out there that has proof to back up our claim.
We have an ongoing relationship with the
Don and
Mike radio show. We are the feature of their annual Absinthe show. Our most
recent appearance was November 2006. See our
media page for full
details. There are also several articles in print about us that we are
attempting to link.
We have also posted a few of the hundreds of unsolicited
testimonials we get for you
to read.
We are the manufacturer as well as the seller. We promote our brand
more than our site. This is just an outlet for our products so we could get them
out to you for a cheaper price than a 3rd party re-seller can.
We do have an office address if you must send a regular letter.
Borivojova 35/878
13000 Praha 3
Czech Republic
Please be advised that the Czech Post is not nearly as reliable or fast as most other countries. If you wish to communicate with us, the best and fastest way is by email through our
contact form
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Q. How do I contact you?
A. EASY! We are happy to answer any and all questions within hours. All
replies are personally written by humans. We are happy to answer any questions
or concerns you may have. We do a lot of online shopping ourselves, we know how
important it is to feel comfortable with the company you are doing business
with.
Please just go to the
contact form of our site, submit your information and question, and we will
contact you in a just matter of hours, sometimes faster.
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Q. Can I sell your absinthe in my brick and mortar store?
A. We are working with Canada to allow our absinthe to be sold in their
government run shops. We are currently looking for wholesalers in UK.
If you are interested, please
contact us.
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