Mediterrané

[Kimble]

Earlier this year, I wrote a very positive review of Mediterrané – and I meant every word. The place felt clean, the staff were great, and the selection was impressive. But a few things have changed since then, and I feel it’s only fair to give an update.

On one of my more recent visits, I picked up a jar of Live Rosin from Green Gold Farms. It wasn’t sealed, but looked fine – so I took it. That turned out to be a mistake. Even a tiny amount had a very intense, borderline hallucinogenic effect – extremely uncomfortable and unlike anything I’d experienced before. It reminded me of the synthetic-laced products people warned me about years ago. I reached out to the shop in writing – politely and with all details – but never received a reply. A few days later, I had a chat with one of the staff in person. He seemed attentive and promised to pass it on – but again, nothing happened. It’s not just about that single jar. Mistakes happen. But if issues go completely unacknowledged, that’s a real problem.

Then today, the video someone shared here finally explained what’s going on: Mediterrané seems to be under new ownership (A dream comes Drew ) – complete with a new logo (“Drew is Sharing”) and a rebrand in progress. Interestingly, when I was there just a few days ago, none of that was mentioned at all. That might explain a few things in hindsight, although I think better communication with regulars wouldn’t hurt. On the bright side, maybe this really is a fresh start. The current menu still includes top-tier options like TenCo and 710 Labs – and if quality and communication now get the same attention, I’d be happy to return.

Fingers crossed it’s the start of something better – I genuinely hope I won’t have to revise again.

[pixeljuice]

I was there a couple of days ago and their Dutch selection was just smalls and shake. Shockingly bad. Might swing by again in a bit and see if it’s any good.

Highly doubtful though, as all such hype places are.

Unless of course, you want Cali. In which case I’m sure it’ll be the same Tenco/Wiztrees stuff as everywhere else.

Having said that. The Staff were lovely, and overall it’s probably a decent shop.

Getting harder to compete these days. When everyone is selling the exact same Cali I guess. Good luck to them. It’s all very much not really for me.

[Kimble]

Interesting that the main criticism here is the Cali selection – for me, that’s actually been one of the main reasons to visit Mediterrané in the first place. Especially throughout last year, it was one of just a few shops (alongside Green Place) consistently offering top-tier US imports like TenCo and 710 Nomad – properly handled, properly stored, and worth the premium.

That said, I don’t think this is the place for another round of Cali-vs-Holland. I’ve formed my views on that based on a lot of side-by-side testing – but I’d rather not derail this thread with a bigger debate. Different preferences, different goals – and this thread isn’t about that.

What I do find intriguing is the new branding: “Drew is Sharing – by Mediterrané.”

Drew.jpg

I’ve seen enough collabs to wonder how much Drew is actually in this Drew. Is he hands-on? Is he curating? Or is it more of a Tyson-style licensing deal, where the face is new but everything behind the counter stays the same?

That said, Drew is known for highlighting high-end products in his videos, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Cali angle becomes even more central now. Which – if done right – could actually be a good thing for people who care about that level of quality. Time will tell.

[Kermit]

Saw that drew is sharing was up to something here, definitely wont be penciling it in any time soon though, not a fan of celeb or social media run/collab shops.

[Kimble]

Another update from the “Drew is Sharing” front – a German cannabis Instagrammer just posted a quick reel from the shop earlier today:


The place is clearly busy – which is great – but if you look closely, you’ll spot the same old menu in the background. I’ve been there twice over the past few weeks and compared the photos: so far, nothing’s really changed. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Feels a bit like soft PR for now – let’s see what actually changes in the coming weeks.

[dude65]

In this interview it sounds like his partners and he are actually taking over the shop.

https://youtu.be/lPR27ILD4hU?si=rMRp0y2HGKhKr0LG

The new menu apparently was still in the making. And yes, he is also chief curator.

[pixeljuice]

Many humble apologies for the Cali/Dutch thing. I don’t see it as a thing. I US weed. Yeah. Come on, the first time you had that Sour Diesel gas… SD in Dam was peerless back in the day… Both are as good as each other, there would not be one without the other, I’ve never seen a divide really, except in price.

Listen. I went solo to Dam, by car. Not been there for 9 years. You have to have a specific goal if you do it that way. And I’m a bit mental.

I also absolutely love East Coast weed like RYTHM and such… I was specifically looking for good Dutch this trip. I wanted to find a proper Sour Diesel or Durban (not Dutch, but the best ones I had back in the day, were). Nevilles. Maybe some real Cheese. Was not to be, sadly. And I put in some steps following leads. Believe you me. The Cheese in Amsterdam. Not Cheese. Some of it was very nice Skunk #1 possibly. Which I was also looking for.

Impossible task. I know. But I’m old and feeble and incapacitated by nostalgia.

Aaanyway. It is a very nice shop. The staff are great. Friendly, honest. I’d say. If it’s only shake. Take it off the menu… Saves embarrassment. But it was all smiles anyway. As it should be.

It’s Amsterdam. whatchagonnado? Mad shit happens.

Sativa is just up the way. Their local Ice Cream Cake is stupid.

7th Heaven’s L’Orange. A very nice Tangie/hazey type thing.

It’s not a walk in the park part-owning a coffeeshop in Amsterdam…

Way easier in Thailand.

You put your face on something… It’ll be forever associated with you. If it does great, great. If it crashes and burns?

What a risk… not one to be taken lightly, without decent legal representation. Which I genuinely hope Drew has.

[Kimble]

Thanks for all the input over the past few days – nice to see the thread & forum come alive again.

Just a quick note on the whole "shake" discussion: I never buy by the gram. I always ask to see the actual buds, pick the nicest ones, and then pay for whatever weight they come to – whether it’s 3g or 5g doesn’t matter, as long as the quality is there. And honestly, that kind of request seems to change the whole vibe. Staff usually respond well when they see you’re after proper quality and not just grabbing a quick tourist baggie.

As for the Cali vs Holland debate – I’ll keep it short. Cali doesn’t equal quality, just like “France” doesn’t automatically mean a good wine. It’s always the grower that makes the difference. That said, I’ve recently had some outstanding stuff from TenCo and 710 Nomad – easily in the 8.5 to 9.5 range. And I have yet to come across a Dutch-grown strain that hit those same marks. Open to recommendations, of course – but maybe let’s save that discussion for another thread. And yeah, if you just burn it in a joint, those differences won’t really come through. With the right setup (ball vape, terp taster, proper glass), you’ll notice the details.

Now, regarding "Drew is Sharing," it appears more like a rebranding of Mediterrané than an entirely new establishment. The new logo, some Instagram reels, and a familiar menu behind the counter suggest continuity rather than a complete overhaul. Given Amsterdam's stringent regulations, it's highly unlikely that Drew has obtained his own license. The city has a policy of not issuing new coffeeshop licenses, allowing only the transfer of existing ones under strict conditions, including residency requirements and background checks. Therefore, it's plausible that this is a brand collaboration: Drew lends his name and social media presence, while the original operators and their license remain in place. If the "Mediterrané" name were to be removed, it's conceivable that authorities would intervene promptly.

I'll be back in Amsterdam later this month and plan to check in again. Maybe by then we'll see some real changes beyond the logo and the PR clips.

NomadPearls.jpg

Until then, I'll just keep collecting glass pearls – who knows, maybe I'll pull a Hawaii one soon.

[Tokeing tom]

The power of advertising huh...and remember these add are not aimed at us old veteran's!!!

[GanjaGod]

Wow this thread exploded. @kimble, the post you made that I criticized looked like an advertisement since it did not connect to the reality. This place is a sellout, trying to push cali for crazy prices, as I said before. This doesn't add or do anything to & for the city and/or locals which is such a pity

Went here to check it,

The menu is chaotic, there is so much on there. Pricing is ridicilous for some items, and most is priced like in any other shop.
The budtender didnt allow me to buy 2,5 gr, I had to choose 2 or 3 gram... fucking weird.

[kalima]

Wow this thread exploded. @kimble, the post you made that I criticized looked like an advertisement since it did not connect to the reality. This place is a sellout, trying to push cali for crazy prices, as I said before. This doesn't add or do anything to & for the city and/or locals which is such a pity

Went here to check it,

The menu is chaotic, there is so much on there. Pricing is ridicilous for some items, and most is priced like in any other shop.
The budtender didnt allow me to buy 2,5 gr, I had to choose 2 or 3 gram... fucking weird.

I did see a short video of Drew being interviewed and he said that they would still cater for locals and so will have good quality dutch weed and some good old fashion standard strains that the locals enjoy. But for shops in the Dam, i guess you need to attract customers and I guess move with the times. everyone wants the latest strains, how many people head to Amsterdam to smoke amnesia or white widow, so I guess the owners are in a bind as to what to do
I see a similar thing with the hash market, as there has been a move to triple filter, static, frozen it means that "commercial" has become a lower quality , it is mainly just plant matter ... obvious for the farmers they make more money for less product and less quantity to move, but for the consumer who doesn't want to spend £10-12 a gram (in uk) I appreciate this is no consolation
I appreciate that prices are getting crazy, although I don't think their prices will be any worse than others, but it is the way that coffeeshops seem to be going

[pixeljuice]

Just a quick note on the whole "shake" discussion: I never buy by the gram. I always ask to see the actual buds, pick the nicest ones, and then pay for whatever weight they come to.

As for the Cali vs Holland debate – I’ll keep it short. Cali doesn’t equal quality, just like “France” doesn’t automatically mean a good wine. It’s always the grower that makes the difference.

I tend to do the same. I’ll have that bud please!!

Absolutely right, re Cali/Dutch/UK. I only vape, I might have the occasional joint with friends, but generally I’m looking for the right terps for me. There is an awful lot of Lemon Cherry Gelato in Amsterdam. The slightly sad thing for me this trip is that everyone has the same Cali stuff. Really no interesting flower on the Cali side I fancied at all. Very, very Skittles/Gelato based. And sure. It’s good, tastes great. Just want something a bit more interesting that you can’t pretty much, with a bit of research, get at home. So many good genetics in the US. Best bit I think I’ve ever had was a RYTHM White Durban in Vermont. Not candy, not Skittles, dank, savoury, earthy, burning-plastic, huff on a petrol nozzle. Proper uplifting, do anything kinda weed.

Everyone stocks pretty much the same two brands in Amsterdam. Using the wine analogy, it’s like an off-license only stocking wine from 2 vinyards. You argue? Ask for some different kind of wine, and they get all arsey with you, if they weren’t already arsey.

Budtenders in the Netherlands. It’s a whole other topic.

The only Tenco I’ve actually enjoyed is their Cheesebanger ( The Zushis do Skittles different and they are fun too, granted) For me, that Cheesebanger is one of the highlights of my year. No idea if it’s even Cheese. It’s a good Skunk cross Headbanger apparently, no idea. It’s very nice, savoury, gassy. Whatever it is. I had that already at home, and a couple of the Wiztrees bits, which if I’m honest I’m a bit meh about. Kinda don’t see what the fuss is about with their stuff.

The only conclusion I can come to is that good UK grown is in many cases better than or on a par with Dutch, although if you hunt it out, the freshness of the Dutch is impressive. A lot of the Cali is dry and pretty old. Shame it’s sealed in a jar.

It’s much like buying a top-flight US IPA, like Treehouse, or Monkish, and getting it shipped to the UK. 60 days after it’s been canned, the terpines in the hops start to fade. Cannabis and hops are closely related. Same thing happens with both plants.

That’s why Rosin is exciting to me. Literally trapping those terps. But even then, shipping jars from the States. You are going to lose freshness. Not in the same way. Hash matures. Changes over time.

Flower just dies. Becomes cardboard.

If you are getting a 6 month old Wizard Trees jar. You are not getting it at it’s best. But you pay more in Dam for it than a really great Dutch, which was harvested 30 days ago.

I know what I’m looking for.

I think Rosin is starting to change the game. Very interesting what’s going on there. A little to rich for my blood, both in price and how stoned I want to be.

Had a very bad experience with a hot dab about 10 years ago and since then I’ve been very wary.

[pixeljuice]

In terms of Drew and his coffeeshop.

It’s not really his coffeeshop. He’s curating the menu, getting some buzz going about it. Helping them with some marketing. Which is all totally fair enough. He has no license. They would never give him a license, and it seems like a decent enough team up for these younger people who are starting to take over from their parents. This is actually pretty exciting. It’s going to be interesting seeing how Amsterdam changes over the next 5 years. It’s certainly changed since the last time I was there. Not one place had a good Durban, and they all looked at me as if I was insane for asking for it.

As others have rightly said. There aren’t really any loopholes in Amsterdam about what you can do to advertise your coffeeshop.

You can’t do it. Full stop.

This is where I think they might well come a cropper. Maybe they already know this, and just want to shake up the regulations a bit. God knows they need it.

[Kimble]

Just to add to the ongoing observations: over the past days, Drew has been posting nearly daily updates on Instagram showing fresh stock at Mediterrané. The jars in those clips look well-presented, and the variety appears to be improving. Certainly a broader range than what I saw in early May. Seems like something is moving in the right direction, at least in terms of product availability. Let’s see if that also translates into more consistency and transparency over time.

And since we’re already talking about Cali drops and what’s real or hype – I recently put together a separate thread on the broader question: "Is California weed just hype or actually better?" Spoiler: my answer is no, it’s not just hype – but there’s a system behind it that makes all the difference. I tried to keep it from becoming a one-sided take and focused instead on the bigger picture from a consumer point of view.

For anyone curious or interested in discussing further: Cali & Co – What’s Behind the Hype?

[Marok21]

I wanted to take a look after I saw a interview of Drew about "his" coffeeshop so I visited the shop one month ago. I am mostly looking for hash and their menu is quite impressive, too

Originally I was looking for frozen hash but the seller recommended Punch Pie (13€/g) hash from Concrete Farms
and indeed it smelled very intense so I give it a go.

The hash was pretty darkish from the outside and brighter inside. Creamy type of hash that bubble well when touched by the flame. Smell was like said before pretty intense sweet candy like. I never smelled that kind of smell from hash before but it smelled naturaly to me at first. Good taste when smoked. Effect wasn´t bad while also nothing special pretty indica like.

Overall not bad but I can´t judge the shop from that one visit but I think it´s definitely an improvement. There is much more choice and the quality will be better than before, too I think. Prices are ok as well. They have a lot of cheaper options on the menu, too. It seems that they have stuff from "Dream Bros" on the menu and maybe from "Dutch Cali Grower" which have a good name as local suppliers.

I like that you can see on the menu from which producer probably the product comes from. It would nice to see a Anonymous Farms and Dry Teck section in the future *fingers crossed"

I will definitely visit the shop more often now than before