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How To Judge Cannabis courtesy of High Times magazine
Selecting the "best" cannabis in Amsterdam is a difficult proposition, especially in the limited time available to Cannabis Cup® judges.
The first wave of serious judges arrives around two weeks before the event officially begins, armed with a copy of last year's guide and the most recent May issue of HIGH TIMES. After establishing the previous year's winners as a baseline, they may judge up to four or five varieties a day, keeping meticulous notes on appearance, smell, taste and effect. Some establish a floating baseline with a few favorites, against which all newcomers are compared. Others give each entry equal opportunity.
Effect is the most difficult criterion to judge, especially in a short competition. Don't start testing before breakfast. Space your samplings with frequent breaks, vigorous exercise, plenty of liquids, and most important, good, healthy food. Start with sativa varieties and end the day with hashish and indicas. Don't muddy your mental palate by mixing in lots of other substances like alcohol, tobacco or caffeine. Steer especially clear of hard drugs. (Report hard-drug dealing to HIGH TIMES staff, as it is strictly forbidden at the Pax Party House, the Melkweg or in participating coffeeshops.) All officially entered strains are put on display in the Judges' Lounge. The 4:20 Councils establish the course on which a friendly but foggy competition is played out. Sometimes the winner announces herself in a flash in the display case; other years, a dark-horse candidate surges to victory. Council typically begins with a brief ceremony. Then our Dutch hosts are invited to come forward and share tales of their long-standing favorite varieties, as well as their opinions on the official entries. They are followed by Drug War refugees living in Holland, and then the microphone is open to all. There is a huge variety of hashish in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, most Americans don't have experience evaluating hash. There are two Cups for hash this year, one for Nederhash and another for hashish imported from outside Holland (blond or black). Pollen or polm is sieved hashish, usually from Morocco. There are many types of black hash and countless grades of Moroccan. There is hand-rubbed charas from India and Nepal. All these types will compete for the Hashish Cup. Dutch-made hash is called Nederhash when pressed into pieces and is sold unpressed in a few places as trichomes.
APPEARANCE
Is there a thick coating of shining, white or light-golden crystals? Under a jeweler's loupe or magnifying glass, are there stalked glands topped with fat, round balls of resin? Lots of leaf or just a little? Signs that there was a lot of leaf but it was trimmed off? If so, was the job well done or are there a lot of stems lingering? Are the buds tight or wispy? Big bracts? Lots of red hairs? They are not psychoactive. SMELL Green, cured or chemical? Musty or moldy? If so, that's very bad. Acrid and skunk-like? Piney? Something else? TASTE Does the "dry toke" have memorable flavors? If so, describe them. Spicy, sweet, industrial, radioactive? Does it break up and roll easily, without being overly dry and dusty, and does it burn without constant relighting? Is it harsh on the throat? Is it flavorful and inviting, or does it leave a bad aftertaste? Do you want to finish the joint, or move on after a few tokes? HASHISH TIPS What color is it after a piece is pressed in your hand? Higher-quality resin powders turn darker much faster than lower-quality powders. Hashish should be hard at room temperature and become pliable after hand-warming. Hold the piece in your hand for a few minutes. The higher the percentage of resin, the faster it will soften enough to be kneaded. How fast does it burn? The rate at which a piece burns is determined by its density, which is determined by the ratio of resin to plant matter. Fluffy or spongy hash is predominantly plant matter. Denser, purer hashish burns slowly and completely. What does the hashish taste like? If a small piece of high-quality hash is put in the mouth and chewed, it often produces a peppery sensation. If hashish tastes like vegetable matter or contains gritty/sandy dirt, it is contaminated. How does the smoke smell and taste? When pure cannabis resin burns it produces a pungent, spicy aroma, like fine-quality incense. Good hashish always smells rich and sweet. What color is the smoke? When high-quality hashish burns it gives off milky-white to slightly blue-gray smoke. If the embers give off brown smoke it is a sign of contaminants. If the smoke from the embers is very dark brown or black, the hash is highly adulterated with substances which might be hazardous to your health, and the hash is likely of exceptionally low quality. Hash tips adapted from Hashish by Robert C. Clarke (Red Eye Press, 1996). |
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