This is good reading before I head out tomorrow , did you by any chance check out any of Club Medias or Voyagers sativas?
Voyager's has Purple Strawberry Bliss (13.50e) and Wild Lemon Haze (10e) both on the menu right now. The Wild Lemon haze is as nice a sativa as you will get anywhere near the center of town for that price. Nice tart zingy lemon flavor and lovely high. The Purple Strawberry Bliss tastes like sour gummy candy with a rank tasting finish. It's soo goood.
I don't think I smoked any of Media's sativas this trip. (Unless Old Geezer rolled/bought some?) I have in the past reviewed many of them though, if you are just wondering what they're like.
Jwall- it was so nice to get to meet you! Have fun when you return to town.
ss'67- Thanks for the nice words. I 've lately been contemplating some sort of guide-type project, so the encouragement is welcome. Also, I forgot to respond to that alice in wonderland quote way back when, but yay! I totally loved it.
Slo and Lion King- Thanks!
Spireax- Thanks, and I hope you have a fun trip!
UR- I didn't actually buy all 25, some hazy number (more than 6 and less than 12) were purchased by others at TnTs. If I get a chance to smell it, feel it, smoke it pure and I can remember it I figure it's fair game for reporting. I won't, however, pan a weed I didn't buy, just in case the person is wrong about where they bought it/ what it is.
The quality was totally great. Things were especially flavorful and resinous because of the cold winter. I didn't shop ANY of the main-stream centrum shops because I had REALLY limited time, and was after getting to the shops where I love the folks and the gear.
As a result I found the prices quite reasonable. The most expensive weed I smoked was the Kosher Kush at 137, which was 14.50 Euro/g. But from everything I've read that's a low-yielding strain and hot at the moment so I didn't mind paying it.
I bought a 10e bag of Gardela and a 5e bag of Kashmir at De Graal. Those are actually 16e/g, but worth it. Tasty, special, and potent.
I think 13.50/g for the top-shelf gear at Voyagers is actually the VALUE of the centrum. HB only sells the most prime specimens for that price, plus you will pay for the convenience of the location. Also, the 10e weeds at Voyagers are always great too.
Most of the weed I smoked was around 10-11e/g. That's up menu for the Oud-West and De Pijp though, where I spent most of my time. I think that's a real sweet spot.
I smoked good 7-8 euro weeds and hashes too- The Eidelweiss, Zero-zero hash and Intensive Care at 1e Hulp, the AK 47 at Hugo, the Power Plant and bubblegum at Siberië, and the excellent Moroccan hash at Voyagers are all smokes I'd gladly have again (and again and again.)
Outside the centrum the menus seem to be getting more interesting again. Thank god that the Haze Craze seems to have broken a little. There are still plenty around though.
Sorry, Lloydy, I ment to get back to you sooner, but I wouldn't have been any help as I did not see ANY blueberry at all. The menus seem to be changing now, after seeming pretty static for the last two years, which excites me.
Voyager's Casey Jones
Sour Diesel crossed with Trainwreck (13.50 e/g). Here’s the current bud on the Voyager’s menu that like their weed raunchy tasting and strong. (In the grand tradition of that killer OG-18 and that peppery Silver Bubble.) Smelled like rich black dirt to me. Coffee and a sweet sandalwood note that I usually associate with fresh resin. Rich sour flavor with a bit of diesel tickle in the back of the throat and a light sandalwood finish.
Casey Jones is a hybrid, and one that’s touted to be sativa-dominant, but this one hit me like a train. Muddled, spacey with a nice relaxed bodily heaviness. This is not the fruity sativa phenotype. Yay! This monkey way prefers stone. If you liked the Silver Bubble, you'll love the Casey Jones.
Bluebird's Mt Cook
Gapie and I both bought this, as it had a delightful caraway and hash aroma and looked resinous. We were both dissapointed as it tasted murkey and didn't really cut through. The dealer also showed us the Blue Cheese and the Lemon Skunk. The Blue Cheese is one of their in-house strains, and looked and smelled lovely as always, and I found myself wishing we had bought that instead. The Mount Cook is a Kiwi seeds strain that Afghan/thai X N.L/Hashplant, which still sounds so promising to me. We did smoke the whole thing, so it wasn't BAD, it just was a rare miss as most weed had been so tasty and distinctive.
Bluebird's Lemon Skunk
The lemon skunk was one large crystally nugget and had a fresh meyer lemon nose with an undercurrent of musky skunk. Fortunately OG-J bought this, as it was really nice. Distinctive tart lemon and skunk flavor, nice heavy stone that wasn't enervating. Really nicely cured so that the flavor really carried through the smoke.
Cotton candy, light thyme and musk. Perfectly dried and deeply sticky. It had a smooth cotton candy flavor with funky thyme on the exhale. Hints of pear. Weighty, relaxing stone. Pressing warmly down and very mellow. (10 e/g)
The drizzle started to pick up just as my nose started to twitch. Mmmm sweet skunk means I must be getting close to Coffeeshop Utopia. The smell intensified as I pulled open the door of the crowded shop. Utopia was almost full, with a group of university looking lads rolling up a giant spliff around the table in the window, and half a dozen men enjoying their morning coffee and a smoke along the wall.
The smell of great ganja had a spontaneous grin breaking out on my face as I made my way back to the dealer counter. A few friendly smiles lit my path, but I barely noticed the as I was a woman on a mission. My eyes locked onto the menu even as I greeted the dealer.
“Hi, I just got into town and I’m looking for a good first smoke.”
“Strong, or-” I cut him off.
“Strong.” He chuckled and reached immediately for the Citronella. A light fresh lemon-blossom smell emanated from crystal-covered buds. He also put down the Eidelweiss, which looked frosty.
“Can I also see the Bubba Kush?” A rich funky coffee smell emanated from the tub. I decided to start with a sativa, so I ordered up a gram of the Citronella and a water. Grabbing a rolling paper and filter I barely remembered to borrow a grinder before I took one of the few remaining seats available on the comfy banquette.
Utopia's Citronella
My joint-rolling has come a long way since that time in Mellow Yellow I almost lit myself on fire, so my mind was still a million miles away as I ground up half the citronella and tore a strip off the paper to narrow it. I pulled my copy of Auden out of my bag, placed the paper on the book, and knocked the weed neatly out of the grinder onto the paper, where it proceeded to spill out over the edges. “Silly geek, you are never going to get that rolled. Too much weed, too little paper. And you only took ONE paper?” I sheepishly made my way back up to the counter, and three papers in hand I returned to my weed-covered book. Auden looked no less cynical covered in crystals, which made me smile. Quickly, I scooped the weed onto a full size paper and had it neatly rolled in a moment.
Utopia's Citronella
I sparked the joint, noting the light fresh lemon flavor, which was pleasant but not the most distinctive. I felt a light lift and hit the joint harder. Unimpressed with my initial impression, I studied the other half gram. Silly geek, everyone told you this was dry, you aren’t allowed to be disappointed by that. I took another deep hit, and felt myself rise a little higher. Then the music changed, and the rain shifted again.
A warm ball of euphoria burst through me. I giggled out loud and the sun broke through the clouds, highlighting the crisp white trim of the buildings across the street. I. was. in. Amsterdam. For the next 56 hours with nothing to do but please my geeky little soul. The music shifted to a wiz khalifa track about buying weed that had me laughing out loud again. This humble wizened little bud had totally crept up on me and blossomed into something really special. Happy happy joy joy. I took another deep hit, which reminded me of lemon blossoms, and carried another warm wave through me as I reached for my camera.
I was feeling seriously good as I finished my joint of Citronella, and just as I started to think about heading towards Voyagers, it began to rain again. Well, that just calls for another joint, but I needed to be more stoned. I headed back to see the dealer again.
“Can I get a gram of Bubba Kush and a cappuccino?”
The rich dark coffee and smoked meat smell of this bud is just up my alley, as I like funky tasting weeds. The Bubba Kush rolled up beautifully, slightly sticky and dense under my fingers. A perfect compliment to coffee, the rich meaty flavor was savory deliciousness. The effects were strongly relaxing with a very strong anchoring effect in my body.
Utopia's Bubba Kush
The dense, dreamy stone seemed to wrap me in a warm bubble that had me heading across town with my camera as soon as the rain stopped. I had vague plans to find something to eat and check into my room at Voyagers before the noon crawl.
The city was so quiet it felt like I had it all to myself.
The façade of Koninklijk Paleis is decorated with unicorns. How magical!
, did you by any chance check out any of Club Medias or Voyagers sativas?
