Calling All Pot Sommeliers

[the Rock]

Yeah but the TRUE master's IMHO DONT even know what a computer looks like, let along go advertising on the net or ICMAG .......lol

The "True Master" stay hidden, that's why there masters

Just seems like another system to lable us and put us in little boxes......

1. Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

2. And the people in the houses
All go to the university,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

3. And they all play on the golf-course,
And drink their Martini dry,
And they all have pretty children,
And the children go to school.
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
And they all get put in boxes
And they all come out the same.

4. And the boys go into business,
And marry, and raise a family,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

agreed most of the masters i know would want no part of this and like organic said dont even own computers,i am thankful i am friends with a couple of these primative petes and most of the strains they grow are not or never will be listed in strain guides(local knowledge and breeding)

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

^thats a shame that they want to strain hoard. It is a very narrow and selfish line of thinkning. the spreading and diversity of genetics is what keep a plant alive. Monocultures lead to loss of strains.

It is not about being in a box. it is about never getting trapped in a box. The french learned their lesson the hard way then their wine got a virus. Same thing happened to the irish with the potato; and it is happening in american culture widley as well. The diseases that are effecting the plant are evolving and the plants are not. At the same time we are losing plants that have the genetic trait to defend them selves.

watch this on the pbs web sire for free right now. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=142940&highlight=botany+desire
here is the link right to it. http://video.pbs.org/video/1283872815/

I also learned apples and pot almost had the same fate.


The organization of a system provides a source of information for other people to help them grow there passion for the plant.

 

[mriko]

And in all fairness you must be out of your freaking head if you think that hippy nonsense you just spewed out will ever become reality.

Not that much actually. My boss & a whole bunch of researchers who have been involved in the geopolitics of drugs for way longer than I are working on some project that is similar to mine in many points.

Nepal will get fucked either way because they are stupid! Look at their politics..Half the nation can't read..The country is a JOKE!

What a statement ! good... Hadn't we prevented them to legally export their national resource, the picture sure would be different.

Hey every western country has gotten by just fine without legal cannabis right ?

Daaah, I indeed had forgotten that Western countries had a centuries-old tradition of making ganja & charas.
We haven't lost any source of revenue when the psychoactive cannabis was globally banned as far as I know. And for the nations who expanded the ban to industrial cannabis, they had lots & lots of other possiblities to compensate the economic loss, not Nepal.

Only they need special consideration ? We need them for what exactly ?

They need first consideration. Do you need special consideration ? tell me why please.

Frankly i believe giving them special priviledges in the cannabis market could spark a total civil war massacre.

Please explain.

When it comes to money you can never have enough can you ?

huh? What do you mean ? What I wrote above is not about myself. Where have you read that ??

BTW correct me if im wrong but did the nepalese not themselves ban cannabis in the first place ?

Well, I correct you because you're worng indeed. Cannabis ban was forced upon Nepal, as it was done on India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Morocco & the vast majority of psychoactive cannabis-producing countries.

its nice talking to a french person about this, you seems to grasp the idea a little better than most. I guess because wine is such an imprtant part of french culture.

I agree with you. I dont think you are spewing hippy shit. I think it is good logic that you speak. Nepal's poeple tend to be pretty peaceful. Even during the civil war they didnt target tourist. Their tourism industry is re-exploding right now, and it is already producing more hash again. The clasification/ rating system would really be a big help to them and tourist right now as we speak. People could start eating again in the green mountains just based on pot export and tourism alone. Tourist like that sort of thing, so they know they are getting the real deal good temple balls that bubble when burnt, they dont wanna travel half way across the globe to get soap bar hash.

Thanks HashZep ! It's nice to find some open-mindedness about what I write ! Indeed, the French attachment to the Terroir & cultural values of many activities seems to have some influence on my speech eheh. BE it charas or wine, and many other things, those are part of the umanity's cultural heritage, part of human identity acquired from age-old knowledges and should be preserved.
There are vineyard areas in France or Swizerland that are listed at UNESCO world heritage, why not cannabis producing areas. Malana valley for instance would be a perfect candidate.

Antother reson, it is nice talking to a french person about this you seem to grasp the "big picture" subject fully. Americans just dont get it. I think it is because the french way of thinking is all about personal freedom to enjoy your life, where in america is about freedom for greed, and whats mine is mine. There are pro's and con's to both. I am an american, but have spent a summer in france. I really love the overall french philosiphy. Some parisians men can be rude, but the french woman were always very nice.... and beautiful.......ahhhh what a great summer.

Well, I don't know if it's about being French, but my few years working at the Geopolitical Drug Watch has indeed given to me a global view of the matter, and I'm glad of it as it's way more interesting with so many more possibilities.
About the "personnal freedom to enjoy [our] life", well, that's maybe the problem in France when it comes to cannabis. The legalization scene is moribond. There's one guy I know well who's more or less in charge of it and he doesn't manage to bring many people to the cause alas. Two main reason, some are scared to show up, and others are just happy the way it is as long as they have what they need. Quite difficult here to move the asses. And to make things worst, it is forbidden by law to show a positive image of cannabis. If you claim publicly "hey, smoking weed helps for Tourette syndrome, Alzheimer and might even have a protective effect againts lung cancer!" My, they'll fall on you harshly. "Personnal freedom" is the problem here, makes the people lazy & not willing to move their ass for other people's freedom. Actually, most of the time they don't even move anymore their ass for their own freedom, only when money is at stake. Sad...

Irie !

 

[OrganicMeds]

@ Hash Zeppelin

Mate it all sounds very noble in theory but look at it this way......

You say that you have tried many $1000+ wines, Not because you can afford them but because you are in a position lucky enough to allow it!

If we have this system like the wine industry wont the same thing happen to good cannabis?

ie, Let's just say that the "Master's" declared "Borneo Lowlands Sativa" as the best of the best. Now that strain is going to sell for STUPID prices because it is the best & only the rich will ever be able to afford it just like GREAT wines today! That's the last thing I EVER want to see happen to cannabis! Seeds of "Borneo Lowlands Sativa" would become objects to the rich only, clones would be locked up in bank vaults & the Borneo tribes & farmers would be slaved by the rich until this strain was mis-managed & lost forever! There's no way that all this money would go to the Borneo Tribes & farmers I am sure of that!

 

[mriko]

You say that you have tried many $1000+ wines, Not because you can afford them but because you are in a position lucky enough to allow it!

If we have this system like the wine industry wont the same thing happen to good cannabis?

OrganicMeds, it is actually already happening. In A'dam there are coffeeshops selling Ice-stuff for 40€ to 60€ per gram under the sole pretext of purity & potency (which doesn't necessarily means quality). This is insane really.

ie, Let's just say that the "Master's" declared "Borneo Lowlands Sativa" as the best of the best. Now that strain is going to sell for STUPID prices because it is the best & only the rich will ever be able to afford it just like GREAT wines today!

In a legal & global scene, prices would be driven by quality & availability. High quality materials, produced in small quantity are expensive, be it wine, hash, caviar, whiskey or even ham. If the best of the best comes from a handfull of families, growing in a small particular valley, then it will be expensive yes, because a rare product.

That's the last thing I EVER want to see happen to cannabis! Seeds of "Borneo Lowlands Sativa" would become objects to the rich only, clones would be locked up in bank vaults & the Borneo tribes & farmers would be slaved by the rich until this strain was mis-managed & lost forever! There's no way that all this money would go to the Borneo Tribes & farmers I am sure of that!

If legalization is turned into a free trade straight from the start, that could happen indeed. This is why it needs regulations during the first years, so as to let the third-wrold producers and their products to establish themselves.

Irie !

 

[OrganicMeds]

@ mriko

Hey mate I agree with all that you are saying & I agree with some kind of regulation also but ........ I do NOT agree with Hash Zeppelin's "Pot Sommeliers" system as all it will do is allow a small group of people to set the prices for all

Let the market judge the price not a panel of Pot Sommeliers......... is all I say!

Were I am Ounce's vary between $200 & $450. If the so called Pot Sommeliers said that John Doe's "Borneo Lowlands Sativa" is the best and is worth $3000 an ounce, I would have to pay those prices even though John Doe is still making his surfing trips to Borneo and buying pounds for $100 like he has been doing the last 30+ years!!!!! It only helps John Doe & the rich who want to keep all the good Cannabis out of the hands of the everyday person.

 

[rambone]

I'll determine who the master breeders are, just send your samples to me (7g/each) for judging.

 

[9Lives]

You guys are getting way ahead of youselves.

-Let's not talk legalization issues here
-LOL forget about any of those ''sommeliers'' setting prices

What we need is a standardized grading system that's all..

It will take a decade before any of this might fruit into somekind of an association with any respect from the public..

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

Wow, I'm glad to have you guys here thinking on this with me. I really woould never want the price of pot or hash to go up to that point, but I dont think it will. The thing that drives the price up that high is something called VINTAGE. The older these expensive wines get, the better they get. Also the more rare they become.

after a certain time for pot though age is bad. But 100% air sealed pot can be stored for a long while. Think if we had some of the original maui wowie, or haze from the 60's sitting around perfectly cured and preserved. Would that be worth more to a collector. I think it would. Wouldnt it be nice to have some early 90's kali mist stored away that you could break out for a special afternoon.

The other thing that drives the prices up is middle men. we would have to regulate the ammount of middle men. The master somm I work with says we mark our wine up a rediculous ammount.

Rambone. that is hilarious.

(side note)
A Mriko, thanks for clearing up the french government point of view on pot for me.
I still think the french have the freedom to enjoy life a little more. Yall work like 30 to 35 hours a week. we work like 40-50. I know peopel that work 90 hours a week. you all take like a month off in the summer usually. I know people who havent gone on holiday in years. I am lucky if I get to travel 10 days out of the year. Americans have the freedom to work our selves into an early grave reaching for that american dream that only 5% of us will ever obtain.

 

[draco]

"after a certain time for pot though age is bad. But 100% air sealed pot can be stored for a long while. Think if we had some of the original maui wowie, or haze from the 60's sitting around perfectly cured and preserved. Would that be worth more to a collector. I think it would. Wouldnt it be nice to have some early 90's kali mist stored away that you could break out for a special afternoon."

Just another little niche market waiting to happen... some of the most coveted cigars are pre-castro havanas. Preserving techniques might well prove to be very lucrative to the specialty market. Maybe buy some wicked landrace and put it down for ten years? twenty years?

apologies for the digression but this topic is stimulating

 

[Miss Blunted]

Okay.. the noob wine thing stung. I'm a Columbia kind of guy.. I love Sonoma.. I hurt right now.

I'm over it.

I really like French wines but Italian wines are now my interest. I still have some good left bank bottles in my reserve however...

You must get out and stretch your legs. Live a little or a LOT. There's too much out there to get in a lifetime but I beg you to try

PS I've been called a wine dork food critic pot snob and any varitation thereof. It makes me remember what I've invested and what I love... why not enjoy the fucking ride? Don't feel too bad when you are called names... after all you were calling something else some type of name when it happened

We just became better friends over our snobbery and vino interests Miss B. Looooooves Sonoma, Monterey, France....let's go to Italy. I need to be indulged Mr. Mustard

I found wine about 2 years ago....I can't even describe what tasting different wines does for me. I don't have a lot of hobbies, but wine is becoming a bigger one for me. I have officially asked PTB to take me to Napa sometime in the next couple of years (he rolled his eyes )

I'm a pot snob myself...damn proud of that, it's a priviledge and a very well earned one.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

I have been wanting to do this with weed since I started with wine tasting years ago. I only told about 4 people about it before this.

 

[Danknuggler]

Great idea.Maybe I can coin the name "Cannalier"?

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

I kinda like the term cannaculturalist. I also wouldnt mind being called a hashotoligist. lol

 

[9Lives]

Pretty sure ''cannalier'' allready means something completley different..

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

Ok right now I am trying to come up with a list of regions. everybody start naming world wide regions where you can grow great pot, and/ or has unique landraces that dont grow well in other places. Also Hash regions will be needed as well

so far I have......
Mendicino, trinity, humboldt
hawaii
kentucky
ohio
oregon east and then west of cascades
washington state
South texas hill country.

Nepal, Annapurna
green mountains

Blue mountains Jamaica

mexican highlands

morrocco rif mountains

thailand, coastal islands

Austalia (need help on these.)

I want to learn all about the geography of all these areas.

I'm sure there is more I have missed.

 

[707Corridor]

What would you think about having Tier's/Grades according to how good the climate is?? Example:
"Humboldt is a Top Tier area"
"Death Valley not so top tier"

I guess we all are going to have to research all these areas but I imagine our international members will hopefully help out. Maybe you or someone can post something in the international threads?

More CA Regions:
Santa Cruz
Sonoma County
Monterey County

Mexican Regions:
Oaxaca
Michoacan
Guerro

South America:
Colombia
Panama

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

^I think its a great idea. also indoor should be considered a teir as well

we could discover new places great for growing pot this way

 

[mriko]

Let the market judge the price not a panel of Pot Sommeliers......... is all I say!

Definitely. I see no reason why a group of so-called "experts" would decide the price of this or that material. It's up to the market indeed, quality, offer & demand.

It will take a decade before any of this might fruit into somekind of an association with any respect from the public..

No, at the speed today's information travels, it can be done in a much shorter time than that.

The other thing that drives the prices up is middle men. we would have to regulate the ammount of middle men.

Middle men, and other expenses such as bribing officials for instance, or transport.
With my system, the "CIA" buys directly from growers, and sells directly to user countries retailers.

I still think the french have the freedom to enjoy life a little more. Yall work like 30 to 35 hours a week. we work like 40-50. I know peopel that work 90 hours a week. you all take like a month off in the summer usually. I know people who havent gone on holiday in years. I am lucky if I get to travel 10 days out of the year. Americans have the freedom to work our selves into an early grave reaching for that american dream that only 5% of us will ever obtain.

Alas, since Sarkozy has been elected things have drastically changed. People have the right to shut up & do their work in first instance. Not everyone works 35 hours a week. Lots work more than that, sometimes having two jobs to make ends meet (and I'm not even talking people who live under a bridge, or in a tent in the forest despite having a job). During these two last years, my daily working hours where from 12 to 15 hours a day, no week end, no holyday with all the little money i made to be gulped by the government. Lots of people in my situation. Sarkozy and his government are a huge threat to "French-style freedom", even a threat to France itself. Little by little they are destroying what makes France so special. Well I'm going out of topic here...

Preserving techniques might well prove to be very lucrative to the specialty market. Maybe buy some wicked landrace and put it down for ten years? twenty years?

Wicked landrace from a special year. As with any other kind of agriculture, there are bad years & good years. That would be the main factor to decide what is worth to be kept I think, along with the product proper qualities of course.

I also wouldnt mind being called a hashotoligist.

Sounds weird no ? what about hashishologist ?

Pretty sure ''cannalier'' allready means something completley different..

Never heard that word, but "cannelier", in French, is the cinnamon tree.

Ok right now I am trying to come up with a list of regions. everybody start naming world wide regions where you can grow great pot, and/ or has unique landraces that dont grow well in other places. Also Hash regions will be needed as well

More than region names, it is locality names that are need, so as to establish a valuable & usefull classification. Take Himachal Pradesh in India for instance. Kullu valley, Malana valley & Parvati valley are a few kilometers from each others, all internconnected by passes. Despite their closeness, all three produce different, distinguishable kind of charas. And there are many more but lesser known valleys producing quality product. So it must be as precise as that. Name of valley, oasis, plateau, forest, village.

Irie !

 

[PazVerdeRadical]

More than region names, it is locality names that are need, so as to establish a valuable & usefull classification. Take Himachal Pradesh in India for instance. Kullu valley, Malana valley & Parvati valley are a few kilometers from each others, all internconnected by passes. Despite their closeness, all three produce different, distinguishable kind of charas. And there are many more but lesser known valleys producing quality product. So it must be as precise as that. Name of valley, oasis, plateau, forest, village.

Irie !

true that.

because if we just say Colombia for example, there are vastly differing qualities of herbs being grown outdoors there, and a huge range of varying micro-climates, that range from flat-lowlands that are hot, to highlands of the tropical andes which are very cool and fresh.

quality of water differ too, as well as fluctuations in humidity and temperature during the day and night, all of these vary a lot from region to region in Colombia. the quality of the soil changes a lot too.