With my trip only a week away, I have been doing as much research as i can. I was reading the hip guide to amsterdam and it had a section about rip-offs.
It seems making a huge markup on marijuana isn't enough for the poor coffeeshop owners. Go ahead and ask to see a few varieties next time you're in a coffeeshop. Look for those big buds dripping with white resin. Did you find them? If not, you're the next victim in the big Coffeeshop rip-off - Shake & Sell!
Most growers and coffeeshop personnel nowadays have discovered the wonders of pollinator and isolator hash, which is the concentrated resin from the cannabis flower. It's extremely pure and potent, and goes for a very high price, usually double or triple the price of imported hashish. The demand for this has grown as the Dutch preference for these forms of cannabis becomes more widespread.
Unfortunately to get enough to meet their own in-house demand and for those willing to pay the price, most of the marijuana being sold in Coffeeshops now gets "shaken" not once but twice or three times. What does that mean? It means that you no longer get what you pay for. Instead the best part of the cannabis plant, the THC bearing tricomes get skimmed off by "shaking" or dragging them over a screen, or using a pollinator which tumbles the precious buds. Doing this causes the biggest, juiciest resin glands to fall from the bud and thru the screen. This is collected and made into hashish which is then either sold separately or consumed by those supposedly selling you intact buds.
But really this process is akin to "stepping on" the drug, where you dilute it with another substance to make it go further and increase your profits. But rather than adding something, the thing you most want and the substance that gets you high (THC), is being STOLEN from you. You are paying for buds without getting the full amount of THC that was present on that bud when harvested. The cream has been siphoned off leaving you with far less potent marijuana. Just a shadow of what it was.
Do you remember a time when they had microscopes on the dealer counter for you to view those tricomes close-up? Try to find one now. Yup, Amsterdam's coffeeshops once had pride in the products they sold. Now it's just another business trying to maximize profits. At your expense.
Some might see some logic in this. After all by "diluting" the THC content, they are selling a less potent product, which is probably a good idea since most tourists who purchase marijuana in Amsterdam aren't used to the "heavy" stuff. Thus it's like insurance against tourists overdoing it. Also some might say by allowing the coffeeshops to skim off the best and make more expensive hashish, it keeps down the price of the grass. Sort of a subsidy. For an inferior product. I wonder what the EU Agricultural commission would think about that.
But I say it's an insult to those who bred the strains to sell a "brand" of cannabis that is anything less than advertised. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do about. Or is there? What if when you go to the dealer's counter to make your next purchase, you ask if the pot has been "shaken". Look them in the eyes. Note their response. Check out the buds. Can you see sticky resin on the outside? I don't mean small tricomes here and there (there's always some that doesn't fall off). I mean big beautiful buds covered by tricomes that stick to your fingers.
Are you getting large dense buds? Or somewhat smaller broken up pieces? That's a sure sign the pot has been well-shaken, and much of the THC has been removed. If it isn't to you liking, ask to see what they have that hasn't been shaken. If they don't have anything else that hasn't been molested to offer you, then take your business to another coffeeshop. Repeat as often as necessary.
I know there are some coffeeshops and growers who still take pride in what they sell, and want you to experience the full effect of their products. However it's getting much more difficult to find a fair deal anywhere. So unless you, as a consumer, demand unshaken buds, you will continue to get ripped off.
is this really a problem? and is it rude to ask the budtender if his buds have been shaken? The whole site seems to have a negative attitude.
Last edited by Roybee on Wed 4th Mar 2009 07:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I just dont know myself TBH. But at the end of the day its buisness and buisness people do what it takes to get the cash in. I have purchased really poor ganj whilst in the dam so if they will sell that then you never know.
Just have a good look at it and go by your own judgement is always best.
You could take a pocket scope but i would not try to look at bud with it unless you have purchased it.
enjoy
De Kuil (Cafe 420) still has its microscope in there - mind you, I've only ever had one bad bag from there in over 10 yrs...
Just steer clear of the Grasshopper/Bulldog style tourist traps and you should be ok.
Most decent coffeeshops will be happy for you to inspect the weed before you make your choice. If not, just walk on by... There's plenty of good places to visit that serve decent product.
i wish shaken buds were a myth but unfortunately i have seen it in the dam many times.
i was at the green place last week,as i had heard good things about it,but alas i looked at some chocoloupe only for it to have been shaken;
very small buds.
looked very well manicured,probably too well.
loads of crystals inside.
disappointed,never mind may have been a 'bad batch'.
what made me laugh was looking at the 5g/35 euro deals here.
the bud tender would show me the varieties with his 2g bags and then when it came to a decision, the 5g bag was given and the buds inside were totally different in looks and smell,in fact all of the different 5g bags(4 in total), never on the counter at the same time,had the same bud and smell.
again disappointed especially with the kudos the place has had recently.
would probably visit again to see if there has been any changes...
Bags where pre weighed?
Not when i went they was weighed in front of me? (FEB09)
Any1 else have pre weighed from here?
Green Place doesnt do preweighted. I dont know what toki ken is on about. I was there just last week. I bought Chocolope, Blueberry Cheese and Purple Kush. They were all out of the tub and weighted right in front of me; like always. None of them looked shaken. It was great quality as usual. Peace.
toki ken wrote:i wish shaken buds were a myth but unfortunately i have seen it in the dam many times.
i was at the green place last week,as i had heard good things about it,but alas i looked at some chocoloupe only for it to have been shaken;
very small buds.
looked very well manicured,probably too well.
loads of crystals inside.
disappointed,never mind may have been a 'bad batch'.
what made me laugh was looking at the 5g/35 euro deals here.
the bud tender would show me the varieties with his 2g bags and then when it came to a decision, the 5g bag was given and the buds inside were totally different in looks and smell,in fact all of the different 5g bags(4 in total), never on the counter at the same time,had the same bud and smell.
again disappointed especially with the kudos the place has had recently.
would probably visit again to see if there has been any changes...
toki
grey area is notorious for bad batches....was told i got a bad batch of chocolope there...heheheh,,,the second bag was just as bad...why would you even sell a bad batch.,,,,,my head exploded and i left
ok, i was there last week 22 - 26 feb and after going to 420 made a bee line straight for the green place.
yes the do weigh the more expensive weed out in front of you eg purple kush,chocolope,blueberry cheese etc but not the cheaper range ie the 35 euro for 5g option.
it's K2,jack herer,white widow and ak-47 these were pre weighed and given to me like this so i could see what they were like before parting with the hard earned.
apologies for not making this point clear.
and unfortunately when i looked at the chocolope it was made of very small buds which looked extremely well manicured, hardly any crystal but lots inside.
i did have high hopes for the green place and i really have no reason to be untruthful this is what a friend of mine and i experienced with these varieties of weeds there ,i didnt get to see the other varieties.
i will go there when i visit the dam again,as i have seen pictures of buds purchased from the green place and they looked yum.
I got AK47 and that was also weighed in front of me
I actually spent most my last trip in there and never had any pre-weighed at all or saw any1 buy them. I smoked large amounts and bought large amounts so i dont know what they was doing with you.
I will be sure to check and ask next time i visit @ 420 but tbh they must of seen you comming
you are 100% sure it was this shop yeh
Kermit wrote:I got AK47 and that was also weighed in front of me
I actually spent most my last trip in there and never had any pre-weighed at all or saw any1 buy them. I smoked large amounts and bought large amounts so i dont know what they was doing with you.
I will be sure to check and ask next time i visit @ 420 but tbh they must of seen you comming
you are 100% sure it was this shop yeh
Im thinking it must be another shope man, im pretty sure i bought weed from the lower end of the menu, it was some type of kush. This was last year around end of april to may. Im sure it was on the 5g deal as well, but i only bought 3. They let me pick the bud out of the tub after showing me some other strains in tubs, cant remember what they were. It cant be Greenhouse 'cos they weigh up in front of you. I cant think of any shop it could of been with a similar name.
