Seasoned smokers, when you think back to the stains of the 70's and 80's

[thal]

What do you remember the most?

Unfortunately I've only met a few people who have good memories of those days. I've heard a little about Panama Red, and how the very best was completely brick red. I think that would have been amazing to see.

My older friends said they used to get Mexican brown weed. At first I thought they meant terrible stuff because any brown weed I've seen was the worst. Apparently this brown weed was really fantastic, a really nice sativa.

They also told me about a batch of Hawaiian Indica that they only saw one time. Supposedly grown in the bowl of a dormant volcano they said it was far and away the heaviest indica they'd seen.

What is it you remember of the strains before modern breeding techniques dominated?

 

[igrowone]

the best experiences i remember are the mexican weeds
the special ones were rare, but not necessarily expensive
this was the early 70's, but then, age may have been a factor

 

[yesum]

I am trying to forget the stains of that time(think skid marks). Sorry I could not resist. Most smoke of the 70's was Mexican and not the best quality. I did get several good bags of commercial Mex, not all was crap. There was primo Mex, Colombian, Afghan hash, Thai sticks, etc. The Colombian was the only one I had any contact with and not much at that. ACE Panama Red reminds me of the Colombian pot from then. Sadly, I missed out on Panama Red from that era. I managed to get a Thai stick and oz. of Colombian Gold ripped off before I could hardly sample it....

The 80's were not much different than now. Plenty of Cali grown hybrids as good as now. I had a bag of Hawaii pot back then that was super strong and super speedy. I got rid of that bag as it caused anxiety, or after several tokes, severe couchlock. No in between. It was psychedelic so I was sad to see it go in a way.

 

[smokefrogg]

mamma' would tell me stories of panama red that knocked her out to ZZZzzz.... land

she said the michoacan was like buttered theatre popcorn in taste

she said some of the herb would come across the border in cans, cans with stewed tomato labels where the weight on the label actually was the weight of what was inside, they'd open it up with a can opener and the aroma would waft out and fill the room

 

[THE TROOPER]

remember some stuff in the late 70's that came out of vermont from some hippies....that tasted hashy/incense like and was gold in color......man that smell and taste i'll never forget!
i use to put led zep's kashmir on and smoke one with a chic and that's all it took!

TT

 

[HighDesertJoe]

In my 70's the Mexican was excellent only problem was seeds and stems but the weed would F-U up.
Thai was the first exotic smoke I ever smoked it was a little pricey.
Colombian, Panama Red and Acapulco Gold where only names I'd heard till I got a coffee can full of seeds and grew some of the best looking and tasting pot I'm seen to date.

 

[igrowone]

i knew some of the old mexican fans would be roused on reminiscing
the mid 70's was the transition point, before that some outstanding mexican weed
but as soon as the columbian showed, the mexican seemed to do a nose dive and became the low priced bag weed

 

[resinryder]

Redbud was and is my all time favorite. Lots of Gold and black Colombian. With some Thai Stick thrown in now and then.

 

[bobcat1963]

I miss the availability of hash from back then.It was everywhere.

 

[RetroGrow]

Back in the late 60s and into the 70s, herb came in bales, that weighed anywhere between 20 -80 pounds. These were smuggled from Columbia, Jamaica, Central America & Mexico. Most bales were hard pressed, but they did have bales we called "soft packs".
"Soft packs" were always of better quality, because when you brick herb, it has no oxygen, which leads to anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that thrives in the absence of oxygen). These bacteria give off ammonia, which is a familiar odor to anyone who has smoked brick weed. Rarely would bricked bales be of decent quality, unless REALLY fresh, which was unusual. But the "soft packs", they were something else. Usually Columbian "gold", the bales would weigh anywhere from 20-40 pounds, and would command a higher price. They came in burlap sacks. This herb was of superior quality, and would be a proud addition to anyone's stash today. It was gold in color, sweet smelling, sticky, and loaded with crystals, and would command a price of $300+ a pound by the bale, as compared to between $220-$260 a pound for bricked. The high was "up" and "giggly". Smoke was "light" & "sweet". If only I had put some on ice. Imagine what a bale of that would be worth today! That was pretty much the best herb to be had at that time, and you pretty much had to be "connected" to get it. Of course, there has always been good herb from Jamaica. There was crap Jamaican too, just like today-old and dried out. But good Jamaican is good Jamaican, then and now. A heavier smoke than Columbian gold, but strong and excellent quality. The main thing was to get it "fresh" & colorful, which is the same thing you ask for today if you go there to visit. Always turn down the first offerings and ask for fresh, and something with "some color", and they will break out the "good stuff".
As I used to be "in the business" at the time, I had the opportunity to go into the jungle and see the fields where it was grown and meet the Rastas. They would live in the jungle watching over their crop. No electricity of course, and they would sleep under "lean to's" (SP?). They used machetes for obvious reasons (cutting the ganja), but they were also their weapons. No guns! These guys would smoke big spliffs continuously throughout the day, as it helps to keep you cool under the hot Jamaican sun. "Good" Jamaican is still some of the best herb going, though I've heard a lot of it's been "contaminated" with Dutch strains that have been introduced there in more recent years. No personal experience with that, though.
Less frequently, I would have access to good Mexican, Michoacan and Acapulco Gold. Don't remember much about Michoacan, but Acapulco Gold was around once in a while, and it was gold colored, very light, sweet smoke. Nice high, somewhat similar to Columbian Gold, but not as good quality, not as strong, but you certainly wouldn't "pass" on it.
The other imported herb I would see occasionally see was "Panama Red". As the name implies, it was reddish in color and had a very nice "equatorial", Sativa high. Lots of red hairs, and i remember we used to think the hairs got you high, so out of a pound, we would collect all the red hairs that fell to the bottom of the bag and roll joints out of it and smoke it. It was then that I learned that the hairs don't get you high
Into the later 70s, the best herb I came across was "Road Kill Skunk" from Alabama. Outdoor grown, it was superior quality, and more analogous to today's herb. That was strictly "limited edition", basically dealer's stash. It would fetch $225 per ounce, which was an outrageous price in those days.
That's pretty much it, except for plenty of adventures along the way.
Into the 80s, skunk became more prevalent, which led to most of the strains we know today, thanks to Sam.

 

[Hemphrey Bogart]

I miss the golden sativa we used to get. We only had it for a short while by the time I started smoking (1979), but it was the best weed ever. Looked like crap, but got you higher than shit. Giggly, perma-grin type stuff. Can't remember the taste, but the high was unforgettable. Chocolate thai was also very good, but very hard to find. Very spicy, smooth smoke. The buds were as brown as dirt and as hard as rocks. The high was sorta couch lock though, from what I can remember.

Then, there was the lime green, fluffy skunk bud we used to get in the mid-late 80s, early 90s. When we first started to see it, we used to just call it KGB (killer green bud), but it was straight road kill skunk we were getting direct from Mendocino/Humboldt. Then folks started making NL crosses with it and it was all over after that. Started to see more purples and the like around that time. Great stuff.

No bag could contain the smell of the KGB. Just holding it was extremely risky at the time because it would stink up the whole place. That was some good stuff, but not as good as the gold we used to get. I still miss that gold herb and can still picture it in my mind's eye. We used to roll the pinner-est of joints and it would get all three of us high off our asses. To this day, it was probably the best stuff I've ever smoked.

I saw very little of the mexican schwag that was going around at the time. Just when things got dry right before harvest I would see that mexi stuff, or the even worse lumbo buds. That lumbo was considered ok pot at the time and thankfully, went away around the mid to late 80's. Sometimes you got a good batch, but most times you just got a headache.

By that time, we started to see more and more skunk/nl hybrids anyway and growing indoors was really starting to take off.

HB.

 

[Weed-Luver]

remember some stuff in the late 70's that came out of vermont from some hippies....that tasted hashy/incense like and was gold in color......man that smell and taste i'll never forget!
i use to put led zep's kashmir on and smoke one with a chic and that's all it took!

TT

right on dude..in the late 70's early 80's that shit was all around ct..we used to call it honey bud..zep's kashmir and the gold bud..honey bud..lmao..can't believe somebody else remembers that shit...

 

[prune]

Back in the late 60s and into the 70s, herb came in bales, that weighed anywhere between 20 -80 pounds. These were smuggled from Columbia, Jamaica, Central America & Mexico. Most bales were hard pressed, but they did have bales we called "soft packs".
"Soft packs" were always of better quality, because when you brick herb, it has no oxygen, which leads to anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that thrives in the absence of oxygen). These bacteria give off ammonia, which is a familiar odor to anyone who has smoked brick weed. Rarely would bricked bales be of decent quality, unless REALLY fresh, which was unusual. But the "soft packs", they were something else. Usually Columbian "gold", the bales would weigh anywhere from 20-40 pounds, and would command a higher price. They came in burlap sacks. This herb was of superior quality, and would be a proud addition to anyone's stash today. It was gold in color, sweet smelling, sticky, and loaded with crystals, and would command a price of $300+ a pound by the bale, as compared to between $220-$260 a pound for bricked. The high was "up" and "giggly". Smoke was "light" & "sweet". If only I had put some on ice. Imagine what a bale of that would be worth today! That was pretty much the best herb to be had at that time, and you pretty much had to be "connected" to get it. Of course, there has always been good herb from Jamaica. There was crap Jamaican too, just like today-old and dried out. But good Jamaican is good Jamaican, then and now. A heavier smoke than Columbian gold, but strong and excellent quality. The main thing was to get it "fresh" & colorful, which is the same thing you ask for today if you go there to visit. Always turn down the first offerings and ask for fresh, and something with "some color", and they will break out the "good stuff".
As I used to be "in the business" at the time, I had the opportunity to go into the jungle and see the fields where it was grown and meet the Rastas. They would live in the jungle watching over their crop. No electricity of course, and they would sleep under "lean to's" (SP?). They used machetes for obvious reasons (cutting the ganja), but they were also their weapons. No guns! These guys would smoke big spliffs continuously throughout the day, as it helps to keep you cool under the hot Jamaican sun. "Good" Jamaican is still some of the best herb going, though I've heard a lot of it's been "contaminated" with Dutch strains that have been introduced there in more recent years. No personal experience with that, though.
Less frequently, I would have access to good Mexican, Michoacan and Acapulco Gold. Don't remember much about Michoacan, but Acapulco Gold was around once in a while, and it was gold colored, very light, sweet smoke. Nice high, somewhat similar to Columbian Gold, but not as good quality, not as strong, but you certainly wouldn't "pass" on it.
The other imported herb I would see occasionally see was "Panama Red". As the name implies, it was reddish in color and had a very nice "equatorial", Sativa high. Lots of red hairs, and i remember we used to think the hairs got you high, so out of a pound, we would collect all the red hairs that fell to the bottom of the bag and roll joints out of it and smoke it. It was then that I learned that the hairs don't get you high
Into the later 70s, the best herb I came across was "Road Kill Skunk" from Alabama. Outdoor grown, it was superior quality, and more analogous to today's herb. That was strictly "limited edition", basically dealer's stash. It would fetch $225 per ounce, which was an outrageous price in those days.
That's pretty much it, except for plenty of adventures along the way.
Into the 80s, skunk became more prevalent, which led to most of the strains we know today, thanks to Sam.

My experiences seem to have followed a close path to yours (sans the jungle visits!), up to and including the sad lack of Michoacan (sp).

We had the (mostly stem and seed) mexican brick in the late 60's, followed by the Columbian loose bud in 70-71 (at a near doubling of price! There was a fair amount of variety from Columbia, we got gold, brown, and reds - and they were all good...

Those were the beginnings of the connoisseur market in the NE, and soon there was a flood of premium goods available - Panamanian's, Jamaicans, Mexicans, Africans - life was a big old candy jar back then, and things were just getting started.

Hash just became more and more prevalent then on the EC, direct from the boat - Lebanese Blond and Red, Afghani black surfboard, Nepalize Temple Hash, were all name brand and delicious, but there were many other un-branded wonders to choose from that were just as good, even if their lineage was musty with BS. (and the red honey oil was just plain nirvana...)

And then, just when we thought the world was our oyster, suddenly the Thai started falling out of the returning GI's duffle bags from 'Nam, and a whole 'nother layer of high was introduced to the toking intelligentsia. I do believe it was that sinsemilla thai stick that inspired all that has transpired since then in our little world.

 

[thal]

Thanks for all the responses. I apologize for being away so long. It's memories like this that make me want to somehow find these strains of old, strains that have more character than bag appeal or short flowering time.

 

[huligun]

The mainstay of the early 70s was Mexican brick. Just like today, it was a crap shoot whether it was any good or not. For the most part brick is either fresh or old, but that never described how good it was going to be. Maybe the bad stuff was kept around longer, so there is a bit of an explanation. You just never knew if what you were buying was the fire or crap until you smoked it. There was some cheap Mexican that would blow your socks off.

Thai Sticks, Jamaicans, and the more memorable Mexicans would show from time to time, but the mainstay of of mid to later 70s was Colombian. Sometimes you could get some northern California weed that would blow your mind where I lived, but I was not connected with any of them. That was an extremely rare treat, sinsemilllia. Fresh, outdoor, Northern California, Sinsemillia was the best weed you could get for effect, smell and taste. It was always good. Only seen Panama Red one time and some sort of Hawaiian. Both were trippy, but the Hawaiian was insane and come on in waves. It was the most potent and psychedelic weed I ever smoked. I had the funnest time with the Hawaiian and if I could ever find that and grow it out again I wouldn't even look at anything else on the market before or since. One bong sent me on a trip that was akin to taking acid. It was $200 per ounce when that was what we were paying for pounds of Mexican. Thai was strong and fun, but no where as trippy. Michoacan was strong and induced paranoia for me. Colombian gold was strong and okay. I had some other Colombian I liked better. It was not as bricked as the Gold, if at all.

In San Diego California in the early 80s you could get just about anything for any price. Getting weed there was usually a surprise. I smoked some fantastic outdoor sinsemilla, Colombian Gold, various Mexicans, and Thais (not on the stick). But one day in about 1980 the Skunks or Hash Plant buds broke out. That completely displaced all the imported brick and put the outdoor California sinsemillia down a notch. It was not more potent, it was just widely available, very strong smelling and generally potent weed. I think the smell was so strong that people actually believed the weed was stronger. It put the Mexicans and Colombians out of business.

Looking back it was always a fun trip, getting weed and getting high with my friends. Those days were great and there is no getting them back. We were young and invincible. A party in those days was a lot more fun. None of my friends grew so the only paranoia threat we had was a small possession charge.

 

[sso]

comes to mind that the first times are always the best.

havent smoked anything "special" in awhile, yet i know that im smoking stuff that would have had me socks knocked off and me giggling with excitement for the next toke

..even the stuff i reach for last

that being said, having smoked a pure landrace sativa, its an experience quite unlike the hybrids and indicas of today. (everything on the "market")

and well worth trying (as you know, its all still around, some of it even available to buy (might have to travel for a few))

stuff i tried (vietnamese stuff) wasnt very potent, but after a few tokes you were seeing colors and flying high (very creative stuff (for me(after i handled the racy paranoia (took awhile ))

 

[sso]

still havent seen a true sativa grow indoors online.

not that i recall.

apart from my own closet (turned out to be a male lol, looked totally different from what ive grown but didnt stretch as much as i feared (though i gave it a shitload of mh and hps))

 

[jessethestoner]

check out the ultimate sativa thread

 

[Headbandf1]

This is my opinion, in the 70's there were very few grower of any quantity in america. The 70's was mostly about the smugglers, and for info on that you could watch Mr Nice, Blow,even the cheech and chong movies show some of the state of the art stuff and Info of their day.

Another great movie to see how primitive everyone's knowledge was Torrent.............. Acapulco Gold 1973 here are some excerpts on youtube ............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zs0e6Y1gpA

Mid 80's came decent to excellent hydro and more available. in the 80 knew maybe 20 guys that you could go to in the 70's only maybe 2 guys that were reliable.

 

[Useful Idiot]

Skunk #1. early 80s. Sam is a legend in my mind and many others. It's funny how he started as a Jr. grower in the 60s and look what he ended up doing for US. Much respect for him as we all know what skunk #1 did for our little hobby. To Sam for all he did for us . Idiot out