Developing an appreciation of the different strains

[mark the martian]

Could do with your advice here. For a weed noob, how would you go about developing an appreciation for the differences between the strains?

Because you can't really smoke a little bit of one and a little bit of another - you just get stoned and can't really pick the differences.

I'm particularly interested in the differences in effects. I can taste the differences, but I have trouble distinguishing an indica high with a sativa high.

I know this sounds like a dumb question, but maybe someone can tell of their first time really being aware of the differences in effects between certain strains?

For me right now, I can feel a little difference, but not a lot. I tend to just find strains that get me 'really stoned' and go with them. They can be indica or sativa. For example, I like White Widow at De Republiek, and I like SS haze at Rokerij. Those should apparently have very different effects on me - but I'm not really getting it.

[puffpuffgive]

your first smoke of the day you';ll usually get your best impression of. So pick an indica as your first smoke one day, 100 % sativa the next, then a haze first, then a kush, etc etc..

also try different batches of the same weed at different coffeeshops can help to familiarise with common traits

[metal4mullets]

It's not a dumb question at all. The majority of strains out there are hybrids of sativas and indicas. Haze strains are sativa dominant, but seem to be something like 90% sativa and 10% indica most of the time. That amount of sativa will certainly give you almost a 100% sativa effect, though. It's understandable that it gets confusing.

My advice to you would be to go out and pick a sativa dominant strain...Silver Pearl gets mentioned a lot lately and I can personally attest to it's effect. It is a high that almost never leaves your head. You will get an intense head buzz and possibly some mind-altering effects. That is what a sativa is known for. Grabbing a pure sativa is possible as well, but usually pricey, i.e. Pure Equatorial, Dr. Grinspoon, etc.

Then, I'd suggest you go and get a pure indica (or indica dominant) strain like a kush. Amnesia has Pink Kush which is a pure body stone. Katsu also has the infamous Black Widow strain which will stone you to the bone. Black Widow reportedly will put you in to couch-lock...which basically means your body feels very heavy and relaxed; so much so that you'll either not want to move, or even be able to! This should be accompanied with a clear head and you'll most likely be able to think, talk, and function normally in an alert sense.

Hope that helps

[colinzeal]

To my mind it is also a little about teaching your mind the necessary vocabulary to describe the various sensations, feelings, flavours etc. I mean you may have smoked much marvellous weed in your time but if you have never attempted to describe it to someone (or even yourself) it may not be such an easy task. A person can smoke different weeds and know which they enjoyed most without necessarily having the ability to describe why very well.

As such it is all about the experience and the attempt! As you try more to distinguish the properties and effects of different strains you will sharpen your abilities.

Puffpuff gives some good advice in trying different batches of the same strains.

It is good to know what skunky means in terms of smell flavour effect and physical texture. The same with hazey. So a simple working knowledge of strain genetics and history would be an invaluable asset in your quest. Then you can go buy some different strains and learn to identify for example what afghan genetics might mean for flavour and effect.

The one thing that is sure; its a learning curve for everybody. I too am just learning but think something like knowing about where the buds come from, their genetic history is an excellent grounding. If you were to learn about wine and wine tasting no doubt you would quickly require knowledge on the origins and properties of different grapes before you could progress much further, then of course you would need to apply your knowledge and taste all these wines you have learned about. happy hunting

[metal4mullets]

Very good suggestion in regards to researching parental origins, Colin. I think that would be a great deal of help. Although, it'd be quite difficult to find pure samples of a strain's heritage to sample yourself, reading descriptions of them could certainly shed some light on why a certain strain has it's own characteristics.

Also, after reading your response I realized that for a long time I couldn't have described being "stoned" until I heard someone else give their account on it. I believe it was something along the lines of, "I melted in to the couch and was stuck there for the night.".

Well done, sir *golf clap*

[StonedSince67]

I know this sounds like a dumb question, but maybe someone can tell of their first time really being aware of the differences in effects between certain strains?

when i started smoking in 1967 the choices were simpler than now, grass was sativa and hash was indica

then when the marijuana breeders started doing their magic with skunk no. 1 and the original haze and all combinations in-between, things became complicated

when trying a new variety of smoke it takes me a little while before i know what the variety does for me ... i need to smoke it first thing in the day as well as throughout the day as well as the last thing at night, i need to smoke it on sunny days and on rainy days, i need to smoke when i'm up and when i'm down ... after all that then i have a reasonably good idea of what i have been smoking

so when i go to the candy store that is amsterdam i limit myself to only a few varieties and smoke lots of each ... then i take what i have learned and make the necessary changes to the list on the next visit

but remember that smoke is a very individual thing and you will find the varieties that suit you best ... i see the process as being a lifelong task

enjoy the search ...

[Marco]

Hey Mark, I feel what you are saying. I am used used to buying what the dealer had in the US, and all the choices here can be a bit overwhelming. But its really nice to learn.

Maybe we could meet up at Republiek some time. I have not been there yet.

[mark the martian]

I've never actually sat in there, but it seems nice, sure

Thanks for the responses guys, really nice of you.

I can relate to what StonedSince'67 said about needing to 'experience' the weed fully. I find that too.

Ok, I've been smoking a White Widow for weeks and weeks. How about soon I go and try something super Sativa-ish. Thanks for the couple of recommendations, but anyone have a strain that they feel is a definitive 'sativa' strain? Maybe I shall take metal4mullets' advice and go for a Haze? There's a nice looking 8 Euro SS haze at my local

[metal4mullets]

I've never actually sat in there, but it seems nice, sure

Thanks for the responses guys, really nice of you.

I can relate to what StonedSince'67 said about needing to 'experience' the weed fully. I find that too.

Ok, I've been smoking a White Widow for weeks and weeks. How about soon I go and try something super Sativa-ish. Thanks for the couple of recommendations, but anyone have a strain that they feel is a definitive 'sativa' strain? Maybe I shall take metal4mullets' advice and go for a Haze? There's a nice looking 8 Euro SS haze at my local

The SSH is definitely a good start

As I said above, the pure sativas are usually pretty pricey (mostly due to their long finishing times and low yields) but can be found fairly easily. Grey Area has Pure Equatorial, Barney's has Dr. Grinspoon...and I can't recall at the moment who carries Quaze and Quazar (I think Amnesia had Quazar). Those four strains are actually the same just labeled differently by the shops. They are 100% sativa so the high is extremely clear and "up".

Again, the hazes will definitely give you the desired effect as well. Super Silver Haze is definitely good and a few months ago was getting mentioned almost every day. Mellow Yellow used to have a good example of it but I've been hearing that they've dropped off a bit lately. They were the most inexpensive as well.

Personally, I can attest to Silver Pearl's potency and effect...which can be found at Homegrown Fantasy. Give it a shot and let us know what you think

[mark the martian]

Thanks! I know that the tired old 'recommend me some shit to get me fucked up' questions are boring. So thanks for humoring me

Holy shit, Dr Grinspoon from Barney's costs 17 euros, I see what you mean.

Will definitively try the Silver Pearl one of these days, sounds nice

[tastywaves]

I know this sounds like a dumb question, but maybe someone can tell of their first time really being aware of the differences in effects between certain strains?

when i started smoking in 1967 the choices were simpler than now, grass was sativa and hash was indica

then when the marijuana breeders started doing their magic with skunk no. 1 and the original haze and all combinations in-between, things became complicated

when trying a new variety of smoke it takes me a little while before i know what the variety does for me ... i need to smoke it first thing in the day as well as throughout the day as well as the last thing at night, i need to smoke it on sunny days and on rainy days, i need to smoke when i'm up and when i'm down ... after all that then i have a reasonably good idea of what i have been smoking

so when i go to the candy store that is amsterdam i limit myself to only a few varieties and smoke lots of each ... then i take what i have learned and make the necessary changes to the list on the next visit

but remember that smoke is a very individual thing and you will find the varieties that suit you best ... i see the process as being a lifelong task

enjoy the search ...

Well put "StonedSince'67 that's how its been for me. Choices is the 60's - 70's was simple compared to all the strains these days. Experiment to find that desired strain and enjoy the research.

Peace 2 All...

[metal4mullets]

Thanks! I know that the tired old 'recommend me some shit to get me fucked up' questions are boring. So thanks for humoring me

Holy shit, Dr Grinspoon from Barney's costs 17 euros, I see what you mean.

Will definitively try the Silver Pearl one of these days, sounds nice

Lol...seriously, it's not a bother at all. I'm more than happy to share what little knowledge I have. 95% of what I've learned has come from this forum so I feel it's my duty to pass it on whenever I get the chance

Umm, yeah....I have to admit that those pure sativas are priced a bit ridiculously

The Silver Pearl was outstanding. TBH, it was a bit too trippy for my taste (as I'm more of an indica fan) but that's what it's supposed to do so I'd say it did it's job well The taste was brilliant, though...I found it to be sweet/fruity on the inhale and a bit spicy on the exhale. The high also lasted 3-4 hours. It was wonderful

[mark the martian]

Nice review man, very clear what you mean there.

Got a little SSH so I'll give it a go and see if I can get a little Sativa vs Indica recognition going.

[echc1]

get a few friends around(each bringing a different strain) and have a taste/effect party then compare....i have to agree its a lifes work......often a case of"remember that stuff that was killer" then spending years trying to find the strain/buzz/high and finding many other good strains on the search..........just remember no 2 plants/buds are exactly the same otherwise we'd just have a handful of choices,hence you read/hear such and such a strain is not very good at the moment and a few weeks later others will state it's kickass....there is variation even in clones to a certain extent to the average grower

[mark the martian]

I've actually tried doing a 'tasting' get together with some friends. Didn't work so well, I just got really really stoned. Hehe, it was awesome.