I never grew any landrace south east asians indoors but I have had the pleasure of smoking a lot of really good ones in this region. It’s hard to tell where they came from if I didn’t know the guy growing them (commercial offerings). That is why I call them south east asians as many people, if you put the “thai” tag to some of the commercial offerings, would come out and say “all the weed is grown in Laos anyways” though they might know as much as me where the weed actually came from. A few times I know I got weed from Cambodia, or at least I had a good source that I knew that told me so and it was a bit different from the normal commercial offering. So it’s hard for me to say one particular region or country where the “best” comes from. Usually to me if it’s good it’s good if it’s not I try to find something else. Almost all weed that obviously came from somewhere in the south east asia region have similarities though there are some variations.
Usually the weed I smoke have been grown in south east asia under the sun which also makes it quite special in my opinion. Same as if people get true Afghani plants and grow them and make hash, it’s not the same as the hundreds of years of hash making tradition in that specific region. I like to try the varieties grown in location if that makes sense. The environment and the special circumstances makes for special weed. It’s the same with tropical south east asian types in my mind. They just have something special to them and when they are really good, they are spectacular. I like the effects too so I am biased. I like to get high rather than stoned though I won’t discriminate too much against stoney stuff.
That being said I have seen two main types if I had to put some sort of general category on the weed. There are green types and brown types. To me the green types are much more common when dealing with commercial batches. The green (when it’s good) is often more obviously potent or “stronger” than the brown though they have slightly different character. It’s a bit like red and white wine I suppose, I am really a beer person though so this comment might set some wine people off. They will both get you high but in slightly different ways. That being said, there’s variations within the two main types but I had really good examples of both.
The green type is more of the typical “trip” weed I read people tell stories about. It usually comes on quicker though there are some that seem to have a delayed and gradual building up of effects. Some make you real calm and happy where some might make you a bit tense like looking over your shoulder. Some are more obvious in their effects where some are a bit subtle and just enhances light, color and mood. Some of the strongest (which is really a highly subjective measurement) have been green types. The really good ones are very long lasting and they can cause me to eat a lot of food and ice cream. If they have been grown and taken care of (usually non commercial ones) they might even have a nice smell and some flavor. The pressed bricks, even when they have a good effect rarely retains smell and flavor well over time.
The brown type, when really good, is a bit different. It’s just something to the quality of the high that feels more like a dream. It’s usually warmer and kinder to the mind some to the point I think I didn’t get high enough and I smoke too much. I have seen some that looked almost like broken up coco beans or chocolate though I never had ones that tasted like chocolate or coco.
I have had some really good examples of both the above as I said and when they are really good both are highly enjoyable to me. The best brown is like a dream and it comes on slow, very smooth and keeps me smiling and swimming (if on the beach) for quite some time and then it very gradually subsides back into normality. Where some of the strongest greens can have a bit more of a crash effect if I don’t smoke more after a few hours but not all of them.
All in all the private things I have had the pleasure of smoking have always been the best even some that were maybe not as strong as some commercial they had more of a personality or character to them which I enjoy more and more the older I get. It’s not just about getting high, it’s about what kind of high as well. I remember a friend where I live now that gave me a branch that he cut off a growing plant (so it wasn’t dry but totally fresh) and I smelt it and it was just intensely like lemons or lemon grass. I have had very sweet smelling ones and some that turned brown when drying and the resin was actually amber with a kind of plum and dried fruit flavors to it which was really nice. That sort of thing you very rarely see when smoking commercial weed.
I had some really nice commercial weed from a guy where I used to live for a few years working. I would go to his place at least once a week and get a nice slice of the weed he sold and it was always very fresh and savory. I think it was treated differently than most pressed (though it too was pressed) weed and it jus retained flavors and color in a different way. It was really nice smoke and and it was always good where some places might have good weed one week and the next it’s just dry bricks with seeds. I remember that when smoking that good one I would roll a thin joint and have a coffee in the morning and that little thin joint would burn forever. It had this nice, incense essence to the smoke and at times it reminded me of some of the haze types I smoked as a kid. Not really fruity but a nasty kind of incense quality to the smoke. It would linger if smoked out the window in the room to the point my wife would complain hours later asking me if I smoked indoors (which she hates).
I could go on and on about these types and the different funny experiences I’ve had over the years. Sure I had some really disappointing experiences during this time as well. Usually though the scenery here would often make for a good mood which I always felt added something to the smoking experience. I have gone to the jungle or mountains and come across some old guy who loves to smoke bamboo bongs and when I came he didn’t have much dried but he went out and nipped a few flowers off a growing plant and with a special kind of technique quick dried them and we smoked some within 30 minutes that blew my mind. That I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t experienced it myself. Micro waved weed back home was never a favorite though I have had those experiences too. Of course properly dried weed is always better but sometimes you’re just out in nature and meeting new interesting people who share your love for this herb and you have a real nice experience even with some half wet weed. Going on a long-tail boat to a far off beach or talking long walks in the jungle through caves and to waterfalls really enhances the experience of getting high in my mind.