African Strains

Over the years the most common Cannabis I bought was Moroccan Hash.
Sometimes it came in flat, rectangular sheets about 6 - 8mm thick (known as SLATE).
When touched with flame and crumbled, it expanded into fluffy pieces.
Other times Moroccan hash came in the form of 'SOAP BAR'.
Essentially the same as SLATE but heated and compressed a second time to decrease its volume.
SLATE had a beige/green powdery matt appearance and was mostly the same texture and colour all the way through.
(Occasionally it could be slightly darker or lighter on the inside).
SOAP had a very dark brown gloss exterior and, when cut through, a much lighter interior.
When heated, it crumbled into granules (rather than fluff).

In UK virtually all the Moroccan Hash's were the two mentioned above.
And, from 1988 to 1999 (my smoking apogee) 95% of the hash sold in UK was Moroccan.

In 1994 I went to Morocco.
The ATLAS Mountains, in Central Morocco, are the most well known.
They serve as a breathtaking backdrop to the city of Marrakesh and are associated with hippies and pot....
But, actually, the cannabis is grown, and the hash is made, in the RIF Mountains of Northern Morocco.
Originally the hashish laced cigarettes that the people of the RIF smoked were called 'RIFFERS'.
This became REEFERS over time.
The RIF Mountains can be seen from Southern Spain but they lack the majesty and romance of The Atlas.
Maybe because they lack a city as awe inspiring as Marrakesh in their immediate vicinity...?

Further south than Marrakesh is FEZ.
The further you travel from The Rif the more the hash costs.
By western standards the prices are not expensive anywhere in Morocco but the Rif area offers hash at particularly inexpensive prices.

There was also more types than the two we get in UK.

ZERO/ZERO
The best of the grades of Moroccan Hashish.
Similar to SLATE but thicker, rougher, loose textured (you can crumble it without adding heat) lighter coloured.
Despite having very little smell, when burnt it produces a LOT of smoke and a surprising amount of odour.
I have never found this in UK or HOLLAND despite being offered ZERO/ZERO on several occasions (usually it's just SLATE that's being sold).
It is far superior to slate or soap and has the Sativa high that doesn't drain away all the motivation and energy.
None of the heavy eyed, coach lock of the powerful Indica's come with this smoke.
It's great for sharing with people who like to laugh and forget they're grown ups.

I'd like to meet Morocco

DURBAN POISON
I have only ever smoked D.P that was grown in Europe.
TBH I only have the sellers word that it was D.P but it did have a different smell (and high) to any other grass I'd ever smoked.
It also had a strange ability to 'turbo boost' a plateaued high.
(When smoked to capacity on skunk or manali or whatever, a few tokes of D.P altered the nature of the high).

MALAWI and CONGOLESE
I have heard impressive reports of these two African strains.
Unfortunately, in Europe (especially outside Holland) grass sold as MALAWI or CONGOLESE are as likely to be any old weed that is being marketed with a little imagination.

I once read (in a book by Ed Rosenthal, I think?) that Congolese had the highest percentage of THC in any wild growing strain of Marijuana.

I would be interested to read reports from anyone who has smoked these strains and had a fairly certain way of knowing that the weed they were smoking was genuine MALAWI or CONGOLESE.