Cali Weed: Marketing strategy, imported buds or US strains?

[Line1927]

Hi guys!

I'm finding very different opinions about this bloody Cali Weed, someone say that is only a marketing strategy and is super fake, as this containers and stamps https://www.ebay.com/itm/x30-or-x60-Met ... rk:12:pf:0
Others say that are Californian strains which were grow in Spain or more likely in the Netherlands. I think is very difficult that those buds were really grow in the U.S.
What do you guys think about it? Any Budtender who knows the real truth?

[KeyMonCha]

Yes!

[Line1927]

Yes!

[CopenhagenCouple]

Yes!

Our good man KMC probably means "Yes, to all of the above"... The consensus (at least among a good part of the regulars) is that there are some "legit" (don't get started on the definition of legit, yahearme OHMF and Nugs?!) cali strains on offer at some (but deffo not all) shops, some spanish or dutch grown products (from "cali strains") being marketed as cali import and some where it is most probably "generic dutch weed" being sold as import. Fuck knows what the ratio is of "legit" to "fake" products (and all the possible "variations in between"), but from what we've seen ourselves (and knowing how much of the CS scene operates nowadays), we would bet that the percentage of actual cali import is very low.

Trustworthy sources maintain that The Plug has proper cali import and that should also go for Easy Times (haven't bought any Cali in shops ourselves, but sampled quite a lot others bought last trip and the Skittlez from Easy Times was bang on and one of the best smokes of the trip, fuck the price the dude payed though). Have no intel on other shops, but suspect that there are very few that do indeed have proper cali import, and fewer still where you'd be anything but a smuck buying from (given the prices they charge)...

What people happen to find canal side is a different matter all together.

CC

[Nuggz]

If you're relegated to overpriced coffeeshop extortionists for your Cali wares, my recommendations to ensure the highest odds of something "worth" the money (hahaha) would be either Green Place or The Plug, most other places you're going to be paying the same price for something substantially worse...

[cantona7]

some fake,some real. jungle boys is usually easy to tell if fake or real as the real shit has a barcode etc. even if real..all over priced to hell. even at TLC collective that JB stuff is like $26 a g. can get better stuff at rec shops in washington state and oregon for less than half that.

[DjShaggy]

Round and round and round we go

[macky]

Stick to balloon for Cali strains (who cares where there grown) for 15euro,s best flushed weed in the Dam...Ah! Maybe

Round and round and round we go

[DjShaggy]

I’m fairly new to the balloon, have only had 1 thing from there that was no good, everything else has been very good.

Worth the walk for sure.

[Johnny J]

IMHO . . . .

Authentic “Cali” bud found in Coffeeshops in the Netherlands would be bud grown from seeds from breeders in California (and by extension the other United States), but grown in the Netherlands or nearby countries. It would be ridiculous to grow it in California and send it to the Netherlands, and much too expensive.

My advice is to enjoy Cali bud strains for what make them unique, and Netherlands bud strains for what make them unique, rather than dwell on where they were actually grown.

[Nuggz]

IMHO . . . .

Authentic “Cali” bud found in Coffeeshops in the Netherlands would be bud grown from seeds from breeders in California (and by extension the other United States), but grown in the Netherlands or nearby countries. It would be ridiculous to grow it in California and send it to the Netherlands, and much too expensive.

My advice is to enjoy Cali bud strains for what make them unique, and Netherlands bud strains for what make them unique, rather than dwell on where they were actually grown.

a lot of it is that, however people are pretty effective at shipping out and receiving these packs undetected and unabated. Also keep in mind, even a lot of the decent California/USA-grown buds that isn't intended for the shops, costs substantially less than bud of similar quality here, thus even with some markup and shipping costs for the EU-based importers it's not-so-costly option, with huge profit-margin potential. But be rest assured some of it actually comes from California, I know this from first-hand experience.

[OneHighMofo]

IMHO . . . .

Authentic “Cali” bud found in Coffeeshops in the Netherlands would be bud grown from seeds from breeders in California (and by extension the other United States), but grown in the Netherlands or nearby countries. It would be ridiculous to grow it in California and send it to the Netherlands, and much too expensive.

My advice is to enjoy Cali bud strains for what make them unique, and Netherlands bud strains for what make them unique, rather than dwell on where they were actually grown.

99% of the imported flower I've seen labelled as Californian has to be imported in my estimation. I can tell just by looking at it that it's been tightly vacuum packed. It's obvious by the lack of defintion in the flower structure and non-protruding pistils. Cannabis flowers do not look that way unless they're vac packed or grown with horrific plant growth regulators.

Unless it comes in a tin, it almost always looks that way. Certainly the stuff DLN is getting (or the pictures I've seen at least) tends to have that look and most of what I've seen in the UK looks that way too. I'm hoping that it's been beaten up by vac-packing, as the alternative isn't worth considering.

[Nuggz]

Can confirm, 'tis certainly vacuum packed, as alternatives barring that, present a low success barometer for arrival.

Can't comment on the PGR part. Nonetheless, "abused" in transit or not, it arrives in a better state (and overall quality) than most (re: vast-fucking-majority) of the local wares, well the bud to which I refer in any matter does.

Certainly bud that's been pampered like the sphincter of a Royal Family member is ideal; but hey the world we live in, eh?!

EDIT: Dutch stuff has seemingly been on the up and up as of late though, in simultaneity with dropping prices on North American import, overall winds of change for the better seem to be howling...

[Not_the_monk]

Of course, vac-packing doesn't necessarily indicate it has been imported from CA specifically, would it not be reasonable to assume anything coming say from Spain would also be packed that way for transport?

I don't doubt there is legit Cali import on the Dutch market, but I'm also quite sure a lot of less scrupulous outfits are labelling all sorts as "Cali" to enable extreme profiteering. The very concept that by default weed grown in the US is somehow worth two-three times what it is elsewhere is clearly nuts, but I suppose as there just as clearly is a market for it then the logistical hassle and expense of importation would be logically worth dealing with.

[Nuggz]

Of course, vac-packing doesn't necessarily indicate it has been imported from CA specifically, would it not be reasonable to assume anything coming say from Spain would also be packed that way for transport?

I don't doubt there is legit Cali import on the Dutch market, but I'm also quite sure a lot of less scrupulous outfits are labelling all sorts as "Cali" to enable extreme profiteering. The very concept that by default weed grown in the US is somehow worth two-three times what it is elsewhere is clearly nuts, but I suppose as there just as clearly is a market for it then the logistical hassle and expense of importation would be logically worth dealing with.

Despite some of my snippets at a (micro) glance suggesting otherwise, I couldn't agree more and pretty much second every point you make here!