II · In the Shop · 33
Not sure what to order? Ask Monsieur Haze
The strain sommelier, explained
How do I choose a strain in an Amsterdam coffeeshop?
Ask the budtender, or ask Monsieur Haze first. He is our strain sommelier: you tell him about your evening, a shop or a strain you liked, and he gives you three strains from Amsterdam's menus, with the shops that have them and why he chose them.
Monsieur Haze is Mister Haze's cousin from Paris. He pours strains the way others pour wine. He is not a person you will meet in a shop: he is a tool on this site that reads the menus we hold and matches them to what you tell him.
There are three ways to ask. “Help me choose” asks a few questions about your evening: how often you smoke, what kind of night it is, which tastes pull you in and what you would rather not feel. “I'm in a shop” starts from the menu of the shop you are standing in. “Something like…” starts from a strain you liked and finds its relatives on today's menus.
You always get three picks, each with a reason and the shops that list it. The picks come from what is on Amsterdam's menus at the moment, so they can change from week to week. Menus change often, so check what is on the shelf.
He is independent information, not advertising: no shop pays to be picked. He is for adults only (18+), and he does not give medical advice. If you are new to this, start low and go slow (see entry 26), and ask the person behind the counter as well. A good budtender knows today's jars better than any menu does.
Insider note: Take his three picks to the counter and say what you liked about them. It is the quickest way to get good advice.