Issues Concerning Cannabis Quality:
Seeded v. Seedless Herb, Hash, Bland Potency,
Character, etc.
I do tend to favor the experience provided by seeded vs. seedless herb, this includes the hash made from either. There are a number of reasons for this—I’ve had experience with both having raised a fair amount of seeds and sinsemilla, and the best herb I’ve ever experienced was seeded (and hermaphroditic). We must differentiate between ‘herb’ and ‘hash’.
First, the hash: I am not certain about the Afghani or the Nepalese, but I recall that Moroccan and Lebanese hashes were both made from seeded herb. I imagine that most commercial hash is produced from outdoor-grown or wild plants that would have at least a few seeds. But the best domestic hash I’ve yet to try definitely came from seeded herb.
Some of the best domestic hash I’ve experienced came from Switzerland where the Spice of Life crew did an R & D project with a few of my strains. The photo on the cover of my book is actually ‘Blue Satellite’ (not Blueberry as cited) and much of that hash came from that plant (seeded) and her siblings. Ice water extraction and the wastewater was amethyst purple colored with many (large) gland-heads found in the 160-micron bag, and there was a good amount from the 75- and 45-micron bags as well. The ‘ball’ was a marbled mix of blue/grey and gold/brown and was impossibly tacky at room temperature. The hash needed to be flattened between cellophane and placed in the freezer for a bit to be manageable. The experience was surreally pleasant under any conditions, very clear-headed and focused, yet with a well balanced, uninhibited detach—flavor of subtle sweet/savory/musky in a full-melt, clear-dome putty that left yellow oil found where the bubbles formed the day prior. Truly a master-crafted product!
From rubbings (finger and scissor) to ice water or dry sieve extraction, the concentrate from the seeded herb provided an experience superior to the hash from the seedless varieties. The difference is subtle and perhaps requires an acquired taste, but I do tend to appreciate the product from the seeded vs. seedless herb. Ways to describe it are; ‘broader’, ‘more complex’, usually more ‘calming’. Another aspect would be that seeded product causes a more ‘even’ experience, while the seedless seems to have more ‘peaks and valleys’ to its spectrum of effect. (Incidentally, the issue of ‘spectrum of effect’ is an important means by which to judge herb and hash—more on that another time.) Therefore, the experience from the hash made from seedless herb tends to be a little ‘narrower’, ‘less complex’, and usually a little more ‘up’ (depending on strain), and the experience from the seeded product tends to be ‘broader’, more evenly spread, more ‘mellow’ and complex. Again, please realize that these differences are subtle, yet in my experience valid.
As for herb: The best herbs I’ve experienced to date were highland tropical’s: Oaxaca, Colombia, Panama, Thailand—these (among others) are the places that the best herb comes from and all were seeded and hermaphroditic. I doubt that we’ll ever fully replicate the highland tropical environment, but I have hope that we will someday return to these areas and rediscover/reproduce some of these great old landraces. When we do, I’m willing to bet they will be at least somewhat seeded and hermaphroditic. One thing is for certain, the best of these landrace sativa possessed true ‘character’.
Another interesting note is that the herb I describe as ‘The Best’ tested at approx. 7% THC! Some of the Maui Sativa appeared to have reached 10%. Obviously, something(s) other than THC is (are) playing an important role in the finished product and its overall character. Which brings us to the issue of ‘bland potency’.
‘Bland potency’ is the term I apply to the effects of much of the currently commercial available ‘dank’ (bud). Overpowering, ‘stupefying’, cloudy, suppressive, ‘clenchy’ symptoms that do not lend to a very enjoyable experience, is my opinion of much of this said ‘dank’. I understand and respect the specific medical needs for such a powerful distraction. Managing strong pain meds is a good example of such need. However, the subtler character possible from high quality herb is all-too-often overlooked due to bland potency’s overbearing presence.
It’s easy to understand how this situation came to be when considering that the primary reward to the novice grower is potency. Coupled with the fact that potency is relatively easy to replicate and bolster (as is yield), the problem tends to expand as more and more enter the industry.
Another related factor is the issue of ‘bag appeal’. Bag appeal is a holdover term from the old (and current) street-dealer days. The ‘nugs’ need to look ‘dank’ especially in a shady/hastened situation.
I take a lot (most) of what he says with a grain of salt but he does have a lot of experience that can’t be entirely discounted. I am very skeptical of his approach of introducing a highly variable and always unique psychedelic experience to the mix when judging phenos. I feel like anyone who has sufficient experience with psychedelics would see some glaring issues with that when thought about for a while.
Nothing like procrastination & indecisiveness to force your hand and make decisions for you aha
I took clones of the two F2 girls I got and getting STS ready to do the thing before I shut down for the summer. I’ll come back and find a male over the fall/winter.
from the bubba
