While the hype is always chasing the next big strain, newer doesn’t always mean better. It’s something that many younger cannabis growers who have only ever known a ‘developed’ cannabis industry, complete with its myriad of solutions – from plant care to growing technology to a conveyor belt of new strains – are starting to realize. The thing is, classic cannabis strains are called ‘classic’ for good reason. They had what it took to stand out in the crowd when they were first released and they have stood the test of time ever since!
Paradise Seeds has been around since the mid-nineties and is one of the most decorated seed companies in Europe with many cannabis cups and awards accumulated over the years. Paradise’s strain library contains over 40 strains and features sativa, indica, hybrid, autoflower and CBD Rich/High varieties. Popular strains include Nebula, Delahaze, Wappa, El Dorado Gold, L.A. Amnesia and Auto Kong ll (from Paradise’s hugely successful collaboration with Tommy Chong) and CBDRelax and CBDream from the company’s new CBD range.
Dutch Dragon – Photo by cbi
The company was set up by cannabis breeder, Luc Krol, who is still very much involved with the breeding process at Paradise. He began growing in the 1980s and honed his skills in Amsterdam in the early 1990s after moving to the Dutch capital where he was involved in the vibrant ‘squat scene’ which thrived amongst the many vacant old buildings in the city.
At that time, Amsterdam was a hub for the international cannabis community, a happy stopover for Europeans and North Americans traveling to exotic parts of the world. In the city’s coffee shops travelers exchanged seeds picked up from popular landrace destinations, such as India, Thailand, Africa, and South America.
Ed Rosenthal And Luc Krol Go Way Back!
An avid seed collector, Luc soon began experimenting with growing and then breeding, taking advantage of whole floor spaces and rooftops of squatted buildings. Luc remembers these days fondly. “I bought Ed Rosenthal’s first book that he wrote together with Mel Franks, the Marijuana Growers Insider’s Guide. He inspired me to continue growing cannabis and I learned a lot from his book and later other books on growing.
A few years later, I met Ed at the High Times Cup – I think it was in 1997 or 1998 – and we have seen each other on many occasions since. We smoked a nice pure joint together of one of the varieties I was working on (I think it was Nebula, which went on to win many awards) and we naturally had a good time. He was really encouraging of my work, which meant a lot to me so early on in my breeding career. This made it even more special when he was the one handing me over an award at a HighLife Cannabis Cup sometime later!
At Paradise, we think of Ed very highly for his contribution to the battle for cannabis legalization. He is inspirational on so many levels – as an advocate for the right to grow your own cannabis plants for self-sufficiency and of course in terms of his sacrifices for the cause. In the 2000s, we followed his court case very closely and did what we could, providing moral and some financial support. It’s very important that those who are now profiting from legalized cannabis, appreciate the contribution – and sacrifice – that advocates like Ed made to get to this point.”
Luc Krol at the High Times Cannabis Cup
Paradise Seeds Classic Strains: Sensi Star, Dutch Dragon, Wappa
While Ed was battling the Federal authorities in the USA in the 2000s, Amsterdam was still playing a central role in the world of cannabis as a safe space for weed and hash consumers to savor their passion in a tolerant surrounding. The early years of the new century also saw Paradise Seeds strains such as Belladonna, Dutch Dragon, Spoetnik #1, and Sensi Star become popular around the world.
Perhaps the most famous of Paradise’s classic strains is Sensi Star (90% Indica). It was once described as the ‘the strongest Indica you will encounter’ Sensi Star still upholds a reputation for extreme potency over 20 years since it was released. It has multiple cannabis cups to its name, including a supreme double in the form of both High Times and HighLife cannabis cups in the same year (1999). Over the years it has sired 50+ direct descendants, including Bio-Diesel, Stevie Wonder, and Death Star.
Sensi Star / Indica
Its tremendous oil production makes it a favorite for hash producers (even in the heart of Morocco’s traditional hash producing regions). In the grow room it “smells like victory”, laughs Luc. Early flowering produces a distinctive metal smell that turns lemony at the end. “Her bouquet is strong and at the same time fresh – like mint, metal and oxygen combined. And she is so strong, even after all these years she packs a punch that can compete with the strongest strains out there. ”
Dutch Dragon is a fiery Sativa (75%) and the origins of this Paradise classic go all the way back to 1994 when the company first began. It’s a plant that loves warmer climates and is renowned for its incredible growth, which has produced plants of up to 3meters (almost 10ft) in height.
Dutch Dragon / Photo by gbi
“This was one of the first strains we developed as a company,” explains Luc, “and still remains a Sativa favorite with connoisseurs because it is an unpretentious plant which grows long and resinous buds that have a lovely subtly citrus taste – more tangerines than lemons! It’s a wonderful effect, a really thrilling, soaring ride, like flying on top of dragon wings!”
By the end of the decade, Paradise had added another classic strain to the list, in the form of a plant that continues to be one of the company’s most popular varieties – Wappa. Luc describes this 60/40 Indica/Sativa with Sweet Skunk running through its core as a ‘near-perfect hybrid’.
Wappa
“Strains like Sensi Star provide something unique and beautiful – like the frosting on top of a cake. Wappa is no such fancy plant, but this plant would be the essential ingredient that makes you the perfect cake!” Once harvested and cured, Wappa is notable for its strong but uplifting effect, bringing relaxation for body and mind alike, which also makes it a popular medical strain.
“I remember walking into a party with a bag of Wappa soon after it was released, “ says Luc. “It was such a lovely scent, so sweet, so fruity, and everybody just kind of stopped what they were doing and started to sniff the air. It was as if the fragrance lifted the atmosphere of the whole room. I remember thinking at the time, ‘oh yeah, that’s the Wappa effect!’.
Tim Paradise 2021
https://www.paradise-seeds.com/
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