Will be arriving next Tuesday (yeah) and beginning to put together my menu. Not many recent smoking reports to use and unfortunately I will precede Uber but look forward to reading in advance of his upcoming mini-break to inform my return in March.

My usual haunts are Grey Area, Tweede Kamer, Greenhouse Centrum. My plan is to expand my repetorie and visit Katsu and Amensia this time.

As with fine wines, I am looking to match my gear with a particular menu. So, experienced herbmeliers, please offer your recommendations:

The first is a nice love-making sativa to share with my French mistress.

The second is a indica heavy strain to make the night spin.

The third is for inspiration during a planned night photography date with a cool Dutch girl I met off the net.

The fourth is a wild card recommendation for good philosophical discussions.

Thanks in advance for sugggestions...

Cheers.....

Ah, kudos to you on the invention of a heretoforth unrecognized profession, the **Herbmelier**. Positively brilliant! I'm sure many other members of this motley crew would agree with me, I'd be happy to trade off my current occupation for that particular appelation!

Furthermore, why-o why-o hasn't this been thought of before? Despite the current regulations on the institution of new coffeeshops in Amsterdam (as I've heard, anyways), won't you picture this? <<phosphorescent clouds of technicolored psychedelic smoke clear to reveal>> An upscale coffeeshop, roomy and bright, lots of slightly frosted windows partially obscuring the goings-on inside....only the most delectible, organic, locally-grown boutique herbs and hash being sold...in walks a particular character, approaches the bar and demands "I want the finest herb available to mankind, and I want it NOW!". The attractive budtendress calls for the **herbmelier** who, upon arrival, not only provides said customer with several recommendations based on his desired effects, but also is friendly and willing to share the volumes of sacred knowledge gained through his experience with growing and smoking of the herbs...

Okay, yes, t'is fantastic but it's by no means out of the question. I should certainly think there is room for at least ONE bright, roomy, well ventilated high-end coffeeshop in Amsterdam, offering the finest products to those with...shall we say, a more discerning palatte ;-)

WOW. Okay, what a trip. Anyways, yes a shame we won't be in town during the same stretch man! Would have liked to sample the wares with a kindred spirit. Indeed, there's been a lack of both trip and smoking-related reports of late, the latter coinciding with the absence of board stalwart Paniked....he was the true Carmen Sandiego of Amsterdam's herb scene. In which coffeeshop could you find him was the question!

As I haven't been in town for several months, I'm afraid I can't recommend any specific varietals, butI'll be sure to post my findings apres voyage of course...all in good time :-)

As for your coffeeshop picks, sure, it looks as though you're on-point. A first visit to Katsu is most definitely in order though. It's certainly a favorite of mine, and for good reason....after sampling some of their lekker lekkker lekkker varieties (***) let your glazed eyes search about for the 'SMILE' sticker I affixed to one of the wood ceiling supports near the wall across from the bar...Uberchef was here!

My personal choice venue is and has always been Cafe STIX. There are two locations, one on Utrechtsestraat and another, more recently added branch conveniently located just off the Nieumarkt. Have a visit to www.stix.nl (I believe) and have a gander...Although I prefer the new location if only for the additional roominess factor, I always make a stop through the old spot to bid a goede morgen to Rose, one of the owners.

Another favorite of mine is Abraxas--always a lovely set of gals serving up drinks from behind the bar, all set amidst a hobbit-hole like interior. Pleasant.

Of course, though it goes without saying, I'd caution you to watch out for trap doors at the Grey Area...they can be fatal.

And finally, have yourself a wonderful time...it sounds as if you have some great things planned for yourself, especially a prospective meet up involving two cameras and a Dutch girl...! I look forward to comparing notes on the flipside.

Peace~
~uberchef.

See I though katsu was a total let down. It's a bit of a walk, it closes early, and their Whitesnake they recommended sucked. They do have a great price on pressed kief - like 6 euros - which is a bargain, but their goods are just not that good - unless I hit a bad batch. It's strange because that's where the locals buy, and the locals would not put up with inferior product.

Ja, highly unusual to find a lackluster product within the confines of Katsu...bummer mate. I'd give it the benefit of the doubt and try it again on your next visit. I've never had anything less than stellar there, though I'd expect an herb named after a mediocre metal band like Whitesnake to be pretty mediocre ;-)

Happy smoking!~
~uber.

Awesome post uber!!!!

Agreed Uberchef, the man was very unfortunate to purchase anything less than finest quality from katsu. I have never had a poor quality weed out of there, on the contrary, I have enjoyed some of the finest weeds I have ever smoked there (and I can smoke a LOT of weed). If you have the tolerance I would recommend moving up to the **** and ***** offerings.

"The second is a indica heavy strain to make the night spin." - Blueberry Special or Super Northern Lights (Katsu)

"The fourth is a wild card recommendation for good philosophical discussions." - Haze#1 (katsu)

Just love that "herbmelier"!

i am surprised by the poster suggesting he felt 'let down' by katsu. whenever i have bought weed in there over the years it has been top notch, nice well cured buds. as for it being a bit of a walk - from where? thats kind of subjective.

out of interest the white snake is currently the top weed in hunters shop on warmoestraat also (though the dealer recommends the northern lights haze over its more expensive rival).

doog!

withnail

Just got back from a week in adam yesterday. (1st trip - wonderful!!!)

Amnesia was our favourite coffeeshop (wife & I) - we hung out there on 2 afternoons - all the gear i sampled was very nice (Amnesia Haze was one of my favourites of trip, Kushage was also very nice - some Brits were there at the time and they were raving about the NYCD - but it didn't impress me much...)

Grey Area was great as well....purchased 6 or 7 different varieties there, and all of them were covered in crystals. Shark's Breath was a favourite there - very sticky!! Also, really good prices on everything here.

Also really liked the AK47 from Abraxas for a nice Indica high...my wife had to stop after a couple of bowls, and was good for the rest of the morning....

Grasshopper had some nice NL cross of some kind....wasn't impressed by the Ultra Haze#2 - but i think it was the end of the bag....

Stix was nice too...tried there Gunpowder (which i've heard is on par with the Grey Mist crystals) which was very nice - and the novelty factor for smoking this is cool....

Dolphins version of White Widow (White Dolphin) was alright too....

Only coffeeshop i didn't really like much was Bluebird...gear was so-so, dealer was not so friendly, and too many hippies hanging out....

Was also really hoping to make it to Katsu because i've read so many great things about it (really wanted to sample the Killer Green and Ice-o)...but we spend half an hour trying to find it after visiting the Riiksmuseum and gave up...next time i guess.

Next time, if i had to choose just 2 coffeeshops, I would choose Grey Area and Amnesia (right around the corner from each other...) That being said, there are several other CS's i wish i could have checked out...i'm sure i would have found some more tasty treats.

I will be arriving in 'Dam early wednesday morning. This is my first trip. If you don't mind a tag along, I wouldn't mind meeting up with seasoned veteran of the local offerings. I would prefr to spend more time smoking and less time looking for good smoke. I am staying at the Greenhouse effect, let me know if you if you need a lighting man for your photography session.

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Just back from this adventure. Thanks to all for their input, especially Freakpa for the heads up on the Hawaiian Snow (see other thread). Nolan, I never got into the Pjip and Katsu, but its on the agenda for two weeks from now.

Herbmeliers, here are the findings from my quest:

Menu #1 (weekend girlfriend): Recon from the Grey Area (€7.50/gm). Long up-lifting experience.

Menu #2 (night spinning): Hawaiian Snow from Greenhouse Centrum (€10/gm). Amazing stuff hits like a ton of bricks and keeps you that way. Probably not the greatest idea to make it the first-off-the-plane selection like I did. I got caught-up in the hype over the availabilty of this strain when I was actaully in town, oh well. Highlight variety of the trip.

Menu #3 (night photography): NYC Diesel from Amensia (€9/gm). Old flavorful favorite with a nice bouquet. Too bad I never saw the full moon.

Menu #4 (wild card philosophy): Cannelope Haze from the Grey Area (€7.5/gm). Perfect companion to The Fall (thanks Uber!). Great daytime burn.

10 days, 6 grams total of four winner varieties, and a very good trip. Too bad I had to work also. Glad to return soon. Please keep the smoking reprots coming! Cheers....

Thanks for that nice update.

I'll add a couple of nice weeds I've come across lately:

de Kuil, aka 420 Cafe: Neville's Haze, an old standby but for a reason. At 11e per gram, it's expensive, but ask the weedtender to put a pinch in the Volcano and enjoy your plastic bag for the next 10-15 minutes. I did this one recent evening and I swear my feet were not touching the ground when I walked out the door. For advanced smokers only, please!

The newest Barney's: not far from Rembrandtplein, this is the place to go right now if you enjoy the Barney's product but are put off by the overcrowdedness and mercenary attitude at the original shop. I picked up the Laughing Buddha and paid 30 e for 3 grams. Again, expensive, but a nice strong stoney herb. The weedtender claimed it had been tested for THC at a level over 19. This small shop (no food) has yet to be crowded when I've been there, which is a strong selling point with me because I like to spread out when I'm tasting the wares. Also picked up a gram of Buddha's Sister and Love Potion. I enjoy the herb from Barney's but it is overpriced.

Nes Cafe: This has to be one of the better shops in town for weed. Always a nice selection and Simon behind the bar goes out of his way to make a fella feel at home. My only complaint is my favorite: too crowded. But if you can get a seat, order up a pint of cold lager and twist one up.
I went there last to get the Cherry Bomb, which was recently touted by the reviewer at the Smoker's Guide (for you folks new to the board, here's the link: http://www.smokersguide.com/sg/index.html). I know, I know, the guy's the Will Rogers of weed reviewers: he never met a weed or hash that he doesn't like, but maybe that's because he only posts reviews on the good stuff? Any way, I recommend this site to anyone who is new to the Amsterdam coffeeshop scene and wants to spread their wings. Check out his recent reviews and if you find something of interest, go seek it out. If you don't know where the shop is, check out this site: http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/ and go find it. Remember, it's the journey, not the destination, that provides all the fun.

If you are new to the smoking scene in Amsterdam and if you have a long weekend in town and want to smoke outstanding weed, just seek out the Nes Cafe, Barney's, the Grey Area, Dampkring (or its "buy and go" satellite, de Tweede Kamer), and throw in Katsu to test your navigation skills (and to see a great, but uncommercialized coffeeshop) then you've got a great weekend of weed hopping before you. Of course, I don't claim these are the top five shops, but if you are new and don't want to make any mistakes, you can't go wrong by following these recommendations.

Happy smoking!