djzed Member

Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 107

My Opinion of Most of Today's Herb. My Opinion of most of today’s herb:



For the record: IMNSHO most of the herb available today I find to be sub-par. None of the varieties circulating today are part of my repertoire for a reason. None of it occupies my personal stash for the same reasons.



Some of the hashish I am encountering is gaining in purity (mainly due to technique and process such as vacuum distilled, pharmaceutically pure ether extracts or gas/columnar extractions, etc.) but still lacking in quality and overall desirability. Hopefully soon someone will have enough quality varieties going to produce some good herb, resins and oil. My personal stash is 100% of my own making.



The main problem I encounter with current day herb is that of bland potency, usually resulting in some form of discomfort or anxiety inducing effect. The second most common problem I encounter with today’s herb is tolerance burnout. The next most common problems I find is short duration of high and a very low ceiling to the high—meaning that the ‘high’ is short lived and that the more of it consumed does not broaden the experience. Another problem I encounter has to do with duration of shelf life, though this may be as much due to curing technique as genetics. I recently sampled a variety called “Grunk” (for Grape/Skunk I’m assuming) that looked and tasted great, it had a strong punch that was acceptable, but the duration of the high was miniscule. Also, the tolerance burnout of the Grunk was quickly achieved negating whatever desirability it possessed.



I am sorry to seem like such a pot snob, but I feel compelled to be honest about the subject. I have had discussions with some commercial producers who insist upon growing plants that produce the greatest bulk of highly potent but not very desirable product from an always limited space They ask my opinion and I suggested F-13 (and today would recommend either F-13, Vanilluna or flo) to which they scoff; “I get 15% more production with my ‘brand-x super bud’.” I try to argue that 15% more mediocre herb is just that: 15% more mediocre herb. It is hopefully merely a matter of time before demand inspires an increase in commercial quality of herb, and truly sincere entrepreneurs rise to the occasion to once again produce, import and distribute a truly quality product.



A relevant story here is the one about the time we (Americans) came the closest to legalizing herb. This was in 1978 when 11 states decriminalized possession laws. In my opinion, much of that progress is directly related to the fact that there was so much really good herb commercially available then. 1978 was the time that the highland sativa (Oaxaca, Thai, Colombia, etc.) occupied a large niche in the commercial market. This fact was due to the efforts and cooperation of producers/importers and distributors who made a concerted effort to satisfy the quality demands of a public that had the opportunities to experience so much high quality offerings, a public with the ability to exercised that choice. The hashish of the era was also some of the best—also due to production/importation/distribution choices made toward quality.



Ideally, a 15% reduction of production in lieu of increased quality and desirability would increase the value (and demand) of the overall product by more than 15%. Again, hopefully, this will merely be a matter of time as more sincere efforts are focused on quality production.



A good example of what I am referring to would be the wine industry and the production/distribution and sales of ‘fortified’ wines. Sure, some people may appreciate the bland potency and economy of ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) added to their wine, but there really is no acceptable quality substitute for a fine Merlot, Pinot or Chardonnay. Some argue that the medical community often demands certain extreme potencies for reduction of specific pains and ailments. My response is that given the choice, most people will choose desirable quality over bland potency every time. __________________

1. Do as you will.

1.a) Do no harm.