It felt like the Terp Inspectors stepped into a time capsule when they visited 420 Café in Amsterdam for their new strain review. Despite its old-fashioned brown café vibe, this place is actually a modern coffee shop with great strains of weed. To keep the old-school spirit alive, the guys opted for the classic Neville’s Haze this time.
We wanted to sit down and take our time for this one, and after a bit of searching, we ended up at 420 Café. This coffee shop feels like a café in terms of atmosphere and ambiance, but you can’t order alcohol here. Cannabis, of course, is available, making 420 Café a perfect spot for a new review.
Upon entering, you get the feeling of stepping into a brown café from the 80s. Old posters advertising beer and tobacco brands from bygone eras hang on the walls, and an antique wooden cabinet holds the glassware behind the bar. You get the full experience of an old-fashioned brown café, but without alcohol and tobacco, and with cannabis instead!
Places like this often cross our minds when we think about a world without alcohol. A cozy meeting place for stoned rather than drunk people.
Neville’s Haze
We carefully look over the menu and our attention is caught by the strain Neville’s Haze. We had recently discussed this strain with a good friend, reminiscing about how curious we were to try it again. It had been several years since we last came across this strain.
We are allowed to inspect the jar of buds, and it’s immediately noticeable how beautiful and healthy they look. A strong Haze aroma greets us as well. We are convinced and purchase the Neville’s Haze.
Now we can study the buds up close. The compact buds are beautiful and healthy, very neatly trimmed, with a few small leaves here and there, but that’s okay. To the naked eye, the buds are light green in color, while under the microscope we see many dark green spots. There are also many trichomes with long stalks visible. Because the bud is so overloaded with trichomes, it appears much lighter in color than it actually is.
‘Dense’ Haze
The compact structure of the bud is also noticeable. This is not exactly what we expected from the name. The original Neville’s Haze is almost a pure Haze strain, so we expected a long bud with an open and airy structure. Whether this is the original Neville’s Haze is something we can question.
We look further with our pocket microscope and study the trichomes. There are many trichomes, with reasonably long stalks. Amber-colored trichomes are almost non-existent; most are clear or cloudy. This generally indicates more of a head high than a body stone effect, fitting well with the effect typically associated with a Haze.
Good stank?
When we break open the bud, a true old-school Haze aroma is released. Haze is a very popular weed strain in the Netherlands, but it’s usually Amnesia Haze, Lemon Haze, or Silver Haze that we encounter. A pure old-school Haze aroma with pepper and ammonia, without citrus or Amnesia hints, is quite unique.
We describe this typical Haze aroma as peppery and a bit spicy, somewhat sweet, a little pine scent with a light hint of ammonia. The ammonia scent can make people who don’t like Haze think this weed stinks!
When we can distinguish several different scents, it means we are dealing with a complex and layered aroma. The smell lingers in the nose for a long time. This weed also smells quite pungent, and is easily noticeable outside the bag. Not always practical but a good sign of quality! We are excited about the smell and can’t wait to taste it.
Sweet and Fresh
The taste matches the smell well. However, where the sweet scent was in the background when smelling, it comes more to the forefront when smoking. Due to the extra sweetness while smoking, we wonder if this is indeed the original Neville’s.
When vaping this weed, it had a nice fresh taste with a hint of pepper in the background. The ‘freshness’ also caused a slight tingling in the nose when exhaling. It reminds us of the original Neville’s Haze we tried in the past, but we wonder if this is the real original. It’s always a question whether a coffee shop actually sells you the original strains as listed on the menu.
Sativa Head High
After thoroughly tasting and having a heated discussion on whether this was the true original Neville’s Haze, the effect slowly creeps up on us. A very uplifting and active effect, making us feel cheerful and giggly. Our thoughts race, a true sativa head high. A wonderful effect in a relaxed atmosphere with a setting that feels like a time capsule; a perfect place to enjoy your joint.
A short experience from one of the Terp Inspectors: “A few days later, after a long workday, I vaped some Neville’s Haze. My head was quite burned out and tired from the long day. After some Neville’s, my thoughts became cheerful and I got a nice boost. As the evening progressed and I vaped more of this strain, it became more of a body high and I slowly melted into the couch.”
420 Café
A nice small coffee shop we visited for the first time but certainly not the last! Very cozy atmosphere and nice decor. We had recently talked about Neville’s Haze, and it was fun to find it here. Whether it’s the real original strain we are not sure, but it was very tasty and definitely reminded us of an old school Haze.
Neville’s Haze Report
Appearance: Hybrid structure, overloaded with trichomes, trichomes with long stalks. Score: 8
Smell: Spicy, peppery, pinene, old school Haze/ammonia. Score: 8
Taste: Sweet, pepper, pine. Score: 7.5
Effect: Uplifting, sativa effect. Score: 8.5