Charas/Pollen

Q - We're getting a lot of responses from punters rating "pollen" as their favourite type of resin at the moment. What's the story with it?

Here's what I've been told:

1) Pollen and Charas are one and the same thing.

2) It's basically made from the glands/pollen on the buds of the plant.

3) The real McCoy rarely sees its way beyond where it was originally grown (Morocco etc) and therefore...

4) The stuff that's kicking around is not actually bona fide Charas, but something that's evolved out of the pedigree homegrown movement. And, as such...

5) Is produced from plants which have been grown wholly under lights and using a bunch of different chemicals and what-have-you. Organic this stuff definitely isn't!

If you can enlighten me any further on this matter, I'd love to hear from you.

A - Charas and pollen are not the same.

Charas is resin made in India, generally of higher quality than 'red seal Black', and can appear in soft, pliable or hard, almost brittle, form. It can appear in slabs, or moulded into various shapes. Typically 6-12% THC

Pollen is superior quality Moroccan hashish, normally in round 4oz blocks. Similar in appearance to Lebanese, but of higher potency, it represents earlier 'shakes' than used to produce soap-bars, and the resin is of softer texture. Typically 5-10% THC.

The resin you describe as pollen would be skunk-hash, scuff or Nederhash, this can be extremely potent and has a characteristic odour of the parent plant. It would be no more nor less 'chemical' than the parent plant (i.e. grown hydroponically or organically), as it is produced by sieving the resin glands, rather than via chemical extraction. It is soft, sometimes waxy to the touch, of green or grey, almost translucent appearance. Potencies of UK-produced material have been as high as 59%.

Exotic resin occasionally appears on the UK market, often as 'sweeteners' - small amounts in larger consignments, so even if it gets over here it rarely ventures beyond those with connections to the importing organisation. Alternatively, travellers to source countries, or the Netherlands, may bring small quantities (up to a few kilos, rather than tons or container loads) back with them.