Alfalfa or Lucerne (Medicago sativa) belongs to the bean family. It is very proteinaceous and grows a blue-violet flower. It has been used as horse feed for millennia. The sprouts (germinated seeds) are mainly used for human consumption. The flowers of alfalfa have traditionally been used for tea or to flavor liquor.

Koch Alfalfa is thus a vodka flavored with Alfalfa flowers and sprouts. It is said to remove harmful substances from the body and lower cholesterol levels. Because of its high vitamin content, it neutralizes the harms of alcohol. The liquor is sweetened with honey and honeycomb wax. A 70 cl bottle of Alfalfa costs about € 18 in Estonia.

The aroma is peculiar and difficult to describe. I haven’t smelled or tasted lucerne before, but the smell has prunes and a little floral aroma. Is a bit like weakly produced cheap brandy. The taste is not as aromatic as I expected. It has flavours of plum, the bitterness of the wooden barrel and some kind of vegetal, slightly sour taste. It is not sweet at all, there is very little added honey. There is quite a pungent bite of ethanol,  which is probably due to the lack of sweetness.

Adding some water, there are a few more nuances to analyze, as ethanol is not strongly dominant. Lucerne is not a very aromatic plant, at least on the taste side. In the past it has probably been used precisely for its medicinal effects.

Koch Alfalfa is a rather unusual liquor. It could be the brandy in times of scarcity, just like during the world wars there was coffee made from chicory root. I think it should be a little more sweeter, so the pungent ethanol taste would not be so dominant.

80/100