Amsterdam’s best weed: guide to coffeeshops and cannabis [2022]

Choosing the best strain of weed in Amsterdam can be a complicated ordeal — especially for a newcomer to the Netherlands or the Amsterdam coffeeshop scene.

Walking into a Dutch coffee shop can be surprising. Brightly illuminated, a wide assortment of strains, professional staff — did you just step into a weed supermarket?

And with so many coffeeshops to go to, what should you consider when going to one?

We went cycling to some great coffee shops to bring you the best weed strains available in Amsterdam in 2022.

READ MORE | 17 best coffeeshops in Amsterdam: the best spots to smoke in 2022

What weed should I order in a coffeeshop in Amsterdam?

There’s much to consider when choosing your ideal weed in Amsterdam. Do you want an uplifting high, suited for some outdoor activities, or something more chill, well-suited for watching some TV shows?

What mood you’re in is also important. Depending on what you smoke, you may amplify that mood — or go in a completely different direction.

Here are our top picks that we found on our “trip.” 😉

READ MORE | Smoking weed in Amsterdam: the ultimate guide

Coffeeshop Boerejongens: weed for a sky-high journey

Our first stop is in Amsterdam Sloterdijk, where the great Coffeeshop Boerejongens is.

There, you can find Skyrocket weed. It’s a crossbreed of Skywalker Saga and Grapefruit Superstar.

This weed will give you a relaxing high, perfectly suited for an evening at home, while doing something chill like drawing or watching a film.

It’s 60% indica and 40% sativa, so it will send you flying high through space while some lo-fi beats ring in the background.

This strain has a delightful taste, combining a bittersweet grapefruit taste with some kush-like earthy undertones, making it the ideal combination between light and heavy. Fly off with the flavour up to the skies, but remember to come down after a while.

The location is luxurious, and the staff are knowledgeable and quick to help (as well as elegantly dressed). There are four Boerejongens coffeeshops in Amsterdam, so you can even take your pick!

Get a clear-headed high at Coffeeshop Amsterdam

The next stop on our journey is at Coffeeshop Amsterdam, a cool coffeeshop not too far away from Amsterdam Central Station.

The strain of choice here is Super Silver Haze which is one of the most well-known strains out there — it’s a mix between Northern Lights and Skunk #5.

This great strain will give you a clear head high, so you can enjoy more activities without the haziness of other strains. It’s 80% sativa and 20% indica.

Super Silver Haze has a fruity flavour with a touch of citrus, and overall it has a herbal, spicy and sour taste, perfect to enjoy on a rainy afternoon.

If you choose to smoke it at Coffeeshop Amsterdam you can enjoy a chill location to hang out and smoke, refreshing drinks, chat with the great dudes behind the counter and bask in the spot-on general vibes.

Around the corner here on Singel 8, you will also find their ultimate smoke lounge: Coffeeshop Amsterdam Café, where you can smoke cannabis and drink a good cocktail, beer or coffee!

Tweede Kamer’s coffeeshop high-strength weed for a high-strength high

Next pitstop on our journey is at Tweede Kamer. No, we don’t mean the House of Representatives in The Hague, but the one and only coffeeshop in Amsterdam.

This time, the choice of strain is the C5 Pioneer. This strong sativa which has a name suggesting some sort of high-end electric device will certainly get you, well, high.

It’s 65% sativa and 35% indica and is certainly a hazy strain to consider.

C5 Pioneer has a smooth, sweet and sour taste and it will give you a strong head high, bringing up your creative spirits. Consume in moderation as this is one of the stronger strains out there.

Fruity weed from the The Corner coffeeshop in Amsterdam

A classic corner coffeeshop is where we’ll be getting the deliciously sounding Watermelon Zkittlez.

This crossbreed between watermelon and zkittlez is a 70% indica and 30% sativa. As another indica, this is also more well-suited for indoor chilling.

It has a very fruity flavour, and you’ll detect all sorts of tastes, from berries and citrus to sweet and sour, so prepare for a real spring-like experience!

Don’t overdo it though, because you risk becoming glued to the sofa. 🤤

A high to get your body going, from Coffeeshop DNA, Amsterdam South

On this now magical journey, we’ve finally reached Amsterdam-South.

Near the Olympic Stadium, you can find Coffeeshop DNA, where we picked up some Kosher Tangerine Kush.

It’s a fairly new strain of weed, specifically the tangerine part, as the Kosher Kush is old-school. What we’ve got here is a hybrid, 40% sativa and 60% indica.

The nice piece of marijuana features a combination of orange citrus flavours combined with a wonderful earthy aroma: smells like summer and knocked me out and over for a nice summer night — not drowsy, not paranoid, just nice ‘n chill.

Coffeeshop DNA also sells some of the best edibles in Amsterdam and has some great ganja paraphernalia — picked us up a little grinder and a spacecake bar with pistachio flavour too.

Honourable mentions for best weed and coffeeshops in Amsterdam

You can’t sum up all the great weed strains and coffeeshops in just one article. Nevertheless, there are some honourable mentions that you should consider smoking out.

Coffeeshop The Stud

The first honourable mention is Coffeeshop The Stud. Here you can find the White Choco weed, a hybrid strain that is a mix between White Russian and Chocolope.

This great strain has a sweet and spicy chocolate taste, and it’s great for relaxation, promotes sleeping and increases appetite.

Voyagers Coffeeshop

The second honourable mention goes to Voyagers Coffeeshop.

The go-to weed here is Purple Glueberry, a strong sativa strain, mixed between the famous Purple Haze and Glueberry OG.

This one will give you a strong, hazy head high, so smoke in moderation unless you wanna get overwhelmed.

Coffeeshop Relax

The third honourable mention is for Coffeeshop Relax.

Here you’ll get the Sativa White Choco Haze.

Mixed between White Choco and Mexican Haze, the flavour is melon-like with a hint of chocolate, giving you a strong creative head high.

Coffeeshop Johnny

Fourth on the list is from Coffeeshop Johnny.

Here you can find the AK 020, a hybrid strain, which is the baby of three different strains: Colombian, Mexican and Afghan weeds.

Strong like a gun, this weed has an earthy flavour with floral hints and will give you a long-lasting relaxing high.

Het Coffeeshop Ballonnetje

Finally, we have Het Coffeeshop Ballonnetje.

The strain here is the luxuriously named Rollex OG Kush. This is an indica-dominant hybrid, created from a mix of White Fire OG and Kuchi.

The flavour is complex, ranging from a skunky, pine flavour with cheesy overtones. The effect is an uplifting creative buzz that borders on psychedelic, so consume responsibly.

Now that you have the weed, what else do you need to know about smoking in the Netherlands?

What’s the difference between weed and hash?

Before we get to the real good stuff, let’s clarify some differences when it comes to the magical cannabis plant.

Weed and hash might be different things on paper, but they are similar in the sense that they both are made from cannabis and contain THC, the psychoactive substance present in cannabis that gets you, well, high. The difference is how they are produced — and the highs they give.

Production of weed and hash

For weed, the grower cuts off the flower bulbs of the female cannabis plant and it is left to dry. Once fully dried up, the grower will remove any seeds or stems from the bulb and voila, you have yourself some weed.

Hash is achieved through a different process. Once the flower bulbs are dried up, the shiny crystals on the bulb, colloquially referred to as pollen, is removed from the rest of the plant.

The pollen is very potent and contains lots of THC, and through different processes (depending on the culture) it’s then made into hashish.

The most famous hashish, Morrocan, is made by using a sieve to sift out the pollen from the dried bulb.

This process is then repeated over and over with more and more pressure and finer sieves until the product that emerges at the end is the famous block hashish.

The difference between a weed high and a hash high

Hash has a more subtle effect, due to the fact that it contains more CBD, one of the other main components of the cannabis plant besides THC.

While weed will give you more of that classical stoner buzz, hash will give you a milder high and because of that, it’s preferred by people looking to smoke but also engage in some sort of upbeat activity.

An example of such an activity, albeit a bit silly, is cleaning. Weed is not really a club drug, but it’s not much of a motivator to clean, given its strong high.

Hash is the perfect intermediary for that and will give you that tiny buzz to make cleaning feel like lots of fun.

Best weed in Amsterdam: indica or sativa weed strains?

The division between indica and sativa is probably the most well-known indicator in your navigation through the many different sorts of weed there are out there at the many coffeeshops in Amsterdam.

Indicas are generally thought to give you a more relaxing body high, more well-suited for indoor activities, chilling and watching tv shows. Sativa, on the other hand, gives you an uplifting, cerebral high, perfect for creative activities or more outdoorsy stuff.

Now, this division is not necessarily true when it comes to effects, and it’s more of a general indicator than anything else.

There can be sativas that can get you high in a way that feels like an indica, and the other way around.

It’s then best that you try out different strains and see which one works for you and your needs. It’s also important to note that there is no pure sativa or indica strain.

All of them are a mix and contain a bit both, with percentages like 60% sativa, 40% indica. Some strains are specific hybrids that balance out the percentages.

Grinders and other stoner adventures in Amsterdam

Well, obviously, now that you have the weed, it would be best to smoke it. But before the weed is smoked, you need to roll it into a joint, which you may or may not know how to do. But there’s a couple of other things to consider.

First, how do you want to smoke your weed? Will you roll a pure joint, only with weed? As a beginner, you should know that smoking a pure joint will get you very, very, perhaps agonizingly high.

A better alternative is to mix it up with tobacco, as to not get too high. Now, if you don’t want to smoke tobacco, you can use all sorts of herb mixes that are made specifically for smoking.

Second, you’ll be needing a grinder. It’s not a necessary tool as you can also use your hands to grind up the weed, but it will make your task substantially easier.

There are two types of grinders you should know about. There’s the simple grinder, which only has one compartment (so to speak). Simply put the weed in, grind it up real good, and then just sprinkle on your joint.

Alternatively, you can get a more complex grinder, which has several compartments, or levels. The first level from the top is where you grind up your weed, the second level is where you collect it from, and the last level accumulates all the pollen. Yes, the pollen being all that sweet THC.

If you use one of the more complicated grinders for a while, the pollen compartment will be filled, and you’ll only need to add a bit of pollen in your jay to get blazed up.

How to roll a Dutch joint

Now, let’s get to what is arguably the most important aspect of smoking weed: actually learning how to roll. Many nights and failed joints were spent until getting it right, but trust me, you can get there.

You need two essential ingredients. The filter tip and the paper itself. In the Netherlands, most papers you get for joints are king-size, but in other countries in Europe, you can find infinity papers (a long roll of paper that you can pull to your desired length).

For the purpose of learning how to roll, a king-size paper will be enough.

Before beginning, make sure the side with glue is facing your way, as there is nothing worse than rolling a joint and realizing you put the paper backwards.

You’ll also need to make the filter tip, which is quite straightforward once you know what you’re doing. Mix the tobacco and weed before adding it to the joint and make sure that it is evenly spread.

Smoker’s etiquette and weed in Amsterdam

Like all great things in life, smoking weed is something best shared with other people. But like all social activities, there are some norms you should respect.

There are many different informal rules around weed smoking. Most of them have to do with how much a person should smoke from the joint, and the direction of passing it on.

You might have heard about “puff puff pass”, which is one of the better-known norms. Another one is passing it to the left, but that really depends on your friend group, as you are all free to choose the rules that best suit your smoking needs.

Whatever rules you choose to streamline your smoking experience, as a good practice, try not to keep a joint in your hand for too long.

We all have that moment of smoking, getting enthusiastic about the story we are telling and then forgetting to pass it on.

It can suck to be that person, but it sucks, even more, to have to wait for a person to remember to pass it on, so try to be considerate and mindful of your smoking buddies.

READ MORE | Visiting a coffeeshop in Amsterdam: etiquette, tips and tricks for first-timers

Help, I’m having a bad trip in Amsterdam!

As with any substance, bad trips can happen. The important thing is to always remember that you are feeling the way you are because you’ve simply consumed too much weed.

Before smoking in the first place, make sure you are in a comfortable, familiar, and homely setting, alongside people that you trust. These two elements are very important when it comes to having a good trip.

If you’re new to smoking, you can always check in with the folks at the Coffeeshop Info Centre Amsterdam first. They’re trained professionals who can help you out with your questions.

If you do decide to smoke weed and you find yourself feeling very anxious as well as panicked, try not to amplify that feeling further.

Ask your friends to comfort you, drink plenty of water and have some snacks. The effect should subside after some two hours, so don’t worry that you’ll feel like that for a long time.

Another important thing to consider is that beyond sativa or indica considerations, weed will usually amplify what you already are.

So for example, if you are a very sociable person, smoking weed will amplify that feeling even further. If you are a naturally anxious and introspective person, weed may amplify those feelings too, in a way that could make you even more anxious.

Consider how weed makes you feel before continuing to smoke.

Where to find more about weed in Amsterdam

If you do want more information about weed in general, you can go to the Coffeeshop Info Centre and CBD store in Amsterdam, and they’ll tell you all the things you need to know about smoking in general, its effects, the status of the legislation and much more!

Maybe you’ve reached the end of this article feeling like you want to get high but don’t want to smoke. In that case, check out our guide to edibles, find out about truffles, or discover all you need to know about CBD oil.

Have you smoked any of the strains on the list? What do you think is the best weed in Amsterdam? Let us know in the comments!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in June 2020 and was fully updated in January 2022 for your reading pleasure.
Feature Image: DutchReview