Colombian Gold from 1972-78...? How was it "made"?

[huligun]

You know I just realized I smoked some very good golden weed in Hawaii in the mid eighties. I got it on the island Oahu from a native and when I asked what it was he just laughed and said Kona Gold. Looking back I bet it was Colombian that was just grown on the island and handled better. It was golden yet looking a lot like what we are smoking today in regard to freshness, bud density, flavor and frost.

 

[yesum]

A pack of the USC Colombian Gold 1972 is on the way to me. hehe I will not chop early like they did in 79, so I have that going for me.

 

[corky1968]

Go all the way.

Get ready for a Jungle plant.

 

[geneva_sativa]

According to a prominent importer, the quality of the gold in '72 was significantly nicer than the '79

 

[huligun]

According to a prominent importer, the quality of the gold in '72 was significantly nicer than the '79

That actually is a fact. The bud quality degraded in the last few years. In the beginning it was much better. But the green was better than the gold (or red haired green, whatever)

 

[troutman]

You can have Gold if you have the right genetics with live plants and have proper growing techniques.

BTW: No girdling was involved.

I have to go harvest these buds soon from a Colombian Gold hybrid I made earlier this year.

The plants are still alive now surprisingly. I took this pic a few days ago at night.

Is this gold enough for you all?

 

[Lesnah]

It is for me

 

[stellarjay]

Very nice troutman. Very nice indeed! your pic as well as another post earlier in this thread reminds me of the only lumbo i ever got to sample. circa 1981. The buds were little round jewels about half the size of a golf ball. Full of seeds. Large seeds. The color of the buds was exactly the color of your pic and about 75% golden color with the other 25% a light green color which swirled around and through the buds like rippled ice cream. Very strong smoke. I remember wanting more when it was gone. And it was gone quickly! lol.

 

[wolfhoundaddy]

I remember saying, "i'll never pay 35 bucks for a bag of weed!".

 

[Bud_Man10]

I remember saying, "i'll never pay 35 bucks for a bag of weed!".

Haha! Thought the same thing...however it was $55 for me back around '75...some of my favourite smoke of all time!

Peace
BM

 

[yesum]

I now think they did let the plants die in the field and most likely cut the stem to speed that up. Combined with genetics that tend to the gold side.

That Colombian Gold '72 I grew is great, better than the '79 I got from Colombia. Not often you can beat the origin by growing in a closet. If they grew the same seeds I did in the mountains of Colombian and harvested and cured it right, I am sure they would win for final effects of the smoke.

 

[troutman]

My plants were left alone for the last 2 months to their own devices.

They received only organic fertilizers and even then not much.

I'm sure low soil nitrogen along with growing outdoors are big factors is getting the Gold.

 

[zachrockbadenof]

I remember saying, "i'll never pay 35 bucks for a bag of weed!".

i remember paying 35buck for an oz of jamacian back in 71/72- my buddies thought i was nuts- at the time we were getting lbs of CRAP from alaska for 90bucks...

 

[JLagrow]

Hi, I too was around during the 70s and most of what I got in TX at the time was bricked Mex and it was shit, full of seeds and stems but very little buzz ($10 a "Lid"). It was really bad, forcing you to burn many fat joints just to get a passenger buzz from it. Sometimes we would get good Mex for $15 or $20 a lid but not often. Then came Colombian and it was 100% better, it was bricked but very strong and had a better look, smell and taste the the Mex. Now I live in Colombia and grow my own Gold as well as imports. I deon't know about what growers here might do to the plants to turn the bud gold but I do know that when I cure my domestic (Colombian) most turns a beautiful shade of gold without doing anything to the growing plant.All the bud that we use to get imported from Colombia is still being grown here and can be found. Yes there is alot of mixed "hybreds (and they are good) but the real deal is still here just not exported.
Peace from Colombia

Hola aused? ¿Como esta usted?
Thank you for the article. There is no strain in the world that is more revered or cherished than my very favorite Colombian strains (Gold, Punta Roja, y Limon from Cali)n and even many of the tan & brown 'Mersh" strains...
I am old school, and had the honor of growing up in the State of Maine, where much of the very best Colombian was brought in by the fishing fleets from ships offshore, and where it was warehouse along the coast.
Yes...you are very correct, the Super Sativa genetics were very much responsible for the delicious taste (oranges, hash, pine, and freshly baked brownies, with the sweet taste of coconut throughout).
I can recall early High Times Magazine articles, that described, documented, and photographed all of these wonderful strains, as well as the curing process that helped lead to the golden/orange and red colors, as well as, the phenomenal flavors and highs these strains produced. Nothing in the U.S. (grown here), can reproduce what you still have in your beautiful country.
The plants, (some reaching 20+ feet tall) were grown for as much as 10-months (1 crop per year), and the curing process was simple. The buds were stripped of their leaves, and the buds were laid (outside), during the dry season, after harvest, in piles about 1-foot deep during the hottest part of the day. They were then piled into huge piles (4-5 ft. deep) as the sun set, and so they retained the heat of the day. This created a fermentation process that further enhanced the flavor and which also killed the chlorophyll, (which makes weed harsh). This process was repeated over the course of a few days, turning the piles as they dried and cured, prior to pressing into bails, ahead of their journey across the sea.
The drying method does result in a diminished THC level, however, the buds are less fragile than all of this chlorophyll laiden bs that has overtaken the markets in America as of present. The younger generation of growers, have nothing to compare their sea of green to, so they just don't know how much better the weed was. They are obsessed with having the highest THC levels, and as a result, they pick EVERYTHING, premature and they do not cure it properly. Everything that's picked and hung to dry, is very fragile and loses their precious THC content by simply handling the buds..resulting in a continuously depreciating quality. Whereas, the roughly handled and sun-dried Colombian, locked-in the flavors, as well as, the THC levels. Also, the Colombian cures added a slightly fermented flavor that gave the weed a wonderful & smooth (EXOTIC) aroma and flavor.
I would move to Colombia in a heartbeat to chill on the beach and to once again be blessed with such beautiful and fantastic weed.
Hope I was able to help some of you cool ass mofos in your questions/answers... That's the deal my friends... Colombian Rules!!! ??

 

[wolfhoundaddy]

Nice write up. I've never heard the cure like that. I have left scroungy pop corn bud on plants for over a year in the desert sw. You would think they would be dust but they stay in amazing shape over time. I too 'grew up' on comersh lumbo. Great memories!