Shop review: Sjamaan

if they are completely dry by placing the paper bags in plastic zip lock bags and sealing them. Leave them in the zip lock bags for a couple of days. If you can see moisture on the inside of the plastic, or the buds feel moist when you squeeze them, then they are not ready and should be removed from the zip lock bags and left in the brown paper bags for another two or three more days.

The final test to see if the buds are completely dry is to take one of the larger pieces and bend it, the stem within the bud should snap. If the stem bends without snapping, then there is still some moisture left and you should continue with the paper bags for a final two or three days.

When you are confident that the buds are dry, then they can be placed into preserving jars – the kind with a rubber seal and latch on them - and sealed. The main factors in THC degradation are heat, light, oxygen and water. So the jars should be filled to the brim and kept in a cool, dark place where they are also safe - not the kitchen cupboard!

The paper bag method means that you should have some nicely dried bud, but the process does not stop there. You will need to open or ‘burp’ the jars to let out any excess moisture that has built up. Otherwise, condensation can occur and moisture can build up, which can lead to mould developing. There would be nothing more heartbreaking then pulling out a jar that had been curing nicely for a few months, only to find that that your delicious harvest is covered in mould!

The jars should be ‘burped’ every other day, simply open the jar for around ten minutes and gently stir the buds around. This allows the stale air and moisture out. A Lovely Cured Bud, Ready For The Grinder

The burping process should continue for around four to five weeks, after which the buds can literally be left for years.

If you do pull out a fine vintage and find it has gone too dry, you can add a little moisture by putting a fan leaf or a piece of orange or potato peel into the jar.

Happy curing!

De Sjamaan: 14 years striving for excellence

family. The deal could be closed under favourable conditions for old times sake. As Ananda says: “Things like these continue to happen for de Sjamaan. It is a sort of combination of intuition and coincidence, whereby time and again at just the right moment things fall into place.”

Having begun as a modest smart shop in a working class neighbourhood of Arnhem, de Sjamaan has grown over the space of 14 years into a leading international web shop and wholesaler. Soft Secrets took a look back with Chief Shamans Ananda, Satyama (Ananda’s mother) and sales manager Narayano – and a look forward. Because with its new company headquarters de Sjamaan is well set for the future…

That the smart shop in the Netherlands has survived all the setbacks is a minor miracle. First it was the banning of ephedrine in 2004. This was a painful blow for the industry because the herb was the basis of many successful herbal highs; in 2007 followed the Kruidenbesluit (Herb Decision), which in one blow put a whole series of natural products on the blacklist. Then the shroom ban of 2008 threatened to be the final death knell for the industry. Thanks to a combination of perseverance, business acumen and idealism, de Shamaan managed to navigate deftly between the rocks with a bit of legal manoeuvring – and emerged strengthened from the turbulent years.

An important decision was to extend the range of products with a sophisticated collection of head shop articles and premium cannabis seeds. “Our aim is to become a one-stop-shop”, explains Narayano. “That’s why we also stock the ranges of our smart product producer colleagues.” At the same time they continued the core-business – “the development and creation of our own smart products.”

The company now has two of its own shops, supplies as a wholesaler the ever growing (inter) national market and delivers via the web shop to individuals worldwide. Just as every year, de Sjamaan will be manning a spacious stand as an event sponsor at the Spannabis Hemp Fair in Barcelona on 25, 26 and 27 February 2011. All in all, de Sjamaan has a unique position, and is becoming one of the most important European suppliers and producers of smart products in the broadest sense of the word. Home-grown shrooms It better than buying from a dealer and safer than picking them yourself in the woods: growing your own magic mushrooms with the de Sjamaan home-grow kit. De Sjamaan has selected six different varieties for you, each with its own distinct character. What they have in common is that each of them is ready to be encouraged to stick their little heads above ground for you. As long as you follow the instructions carefully within a couple of weeks you’ll be able to harvest a good couple of hundred grams of fresh shrooms.

‘Coincidences’

The saga of de Sjamaan began in 1997, when Ananda took over a smart shop on the Klarendalseweg in Arnhem. Strengthened by the success of his first enterprise he decided barely a year later to open in the centre of Arnhem a second 'open, transparent and low entry threshold’ shop. There was just one small problem: he had no idea how the new shop should be financed. Business was good, but not so spectacularly that there were piles of cash lying around. When the perfect shop location was found in the Bovenbeekstraat, it turned out that the owner of the place coincidentally was an old friend of the In 2001 the chance came along to take over the Dr. Paddo smart shop in Nijmegen. This spacious shop in the Bloemerstraat was also transformed into an open, transparent and low threshold smart shop to be proud of.

With the start of the new century, de Sjamaan had grown so strongly that what had become a business concern spread over three shops began to be a bit logjammed. As well as this the traffic in the narrow streets of Arnhem was a nightmare for both suppliers and customers. Yet it was not until 2008 that Ananda and his mother independently of each other discovered the same site in the nearby

Eject-a-bowl: high-tech simplicity When they were asked to do the European marketing for Ejecta-Bowl de Sjamaan was very proud. The products from Eject-a-Bowl are at the same time ingenious and yet so simple that can easily be called a stroke of genius. The base of the pipe bowl can be moved by an external spring upwards, thanks to which a variable space between the stem and the bowl is created. Perfect for mixing cool air with the smoke during inhalation, but above all to be able to easily clean the head after smoking. The same mechanism is in the Better Bat, a striking yet secretive one-hit pocket pipe in 8 metallic colours. Another variant is the Twist-a-Pipe, with which the depth of the pipe bowl can be adjusted with the screw mechanism. Check the complete programme of this instant classic at: www.eject-a-bowl.eu

Herbal: the Next Generation A lot of people only saw doom and gloom with the banning of ephedrine, but those who like de Sjamaan invested in research and tests saw the light. “Happily, despite all the restrictions there is still a lot that is possible”, according to de Sjamaan founder Ananda. “With innovative techniques there are still great products to be made that really do have an effect. So we eventually found a good replacement for ephedrine which is now used for our new herbals.” It is with justifiable pride that de Sjamaan introduces its next generation of herbals: Pure Bliss, Pure Go-E and Pure XS. 12 x new from the cannabis champions When Ingemar, the legendary ‘discoverer’ of White Widow, decided in 2004 to team up with de Sjamaan, he knew what he was doing. The collection numbers famous strains such as White Widow and Peacemaker, but also modern classics such as Shamans High, (2nd prize in the Highlife Cannabis Cup 2006) and Lemon (1st prize in the Highlife Cannabis Cup 2007). A high germination percentage, consistent quality and competitive prizes won are what make the seeds from De Sjamaan into veritable stars. De Sjamaan never ventures out on to thin ice. That is why it took until 2011 before 12 feminised (of which three are auto-flowering) varieties were added to the seed catalogue (photo: Shamanic Haze feminised). Better a bit later with a stable new generation of champions than hastily rushing out with unreliable strains just to follow the trend.

town of Elst. Since Ananda and Satyama had learned to trust such ‘coincidences’, the decision was quickly made. In 2009 the company took over occupancy of the 1200 m2-sized building on the De Aam industrial estate: a respite for suppliers, visitors and staff. It is an impressive building of dark stone and lots of glass, in which the small lake in front of the door is beautifully reflected. It is certainly very different to the grey uniformity that you normally have in such locations. On the roof are 130 solar panels that can deliver 75% of the energy requirements of the business. Which is no idle luxury when you consider the three energy-gobbling climate rooms and their own server space...

When doing up the building Satyama was revealed to be a talented interior architect; the interior forms a sleek and functional unity, but one which at the same time has a warm, organic vibe. Scattered throughout the building different spaces have been created as receptions and offices, and on the first floor the contours of a laboratory are beginning to take shape. Naturally the laboratory conforms to European norms for production and packaging.

That de Sjamaan has over the years grown in to a streamlined, professional company is emphasized in the efficiently furnished stock rooms. The cacti stand in a sealed off greenhouse, protected from bright sunlight, while further up lie four sorts of vacuum-packed truffles with the cannabis seeds in a climate-controlled cooler. Other spaces are waiting to be brought into play; de Sjamaan certainly has enough plans for the future, and now finally has the space in which to realise them.

Connoisseur’s Truffles Since the ban on the sale of magic mushrooms the growing of psychedelic truffles has become a real art. Whereas previously there used to be just a single variety available, these days there is a choice of four types, with the real possibility of more to come in the future. Truffles are the underground parts of a mushroom, and contain the same active ingredients as the cap and the stem. The truffles from de Sjamaan are grown by professional growers in a 100% organic way and are vacuum packed at precisely the right temperature – your guarantee for a fresh and psychoactive product. They are of course accompanied by an extensive information leaflet with do’s and don’t in six languages.

De Sjamaan Academy

For a great many business and private customers it has been clear for years that de Sjamaan is no flash in the pan. Nonetheless, new customers from abroad do sometimes wonder what kind

of a company de Sjamaan actually is. It’s something Ananda does not have to think long about before replying: “We are a strong and serious company. It’s not for nothing that we have been in existence for 14 years. A good understanding with our business relations is for us very important, and this is something you only get by being trustworthy, transparent and customer-friendly. Doing what you believe in, and doing it quickly. Dealing with any problems “If you work with that crop up directpsychedelic prod- ly and correctly.” ucts a certain From his staff form of ethics is Ananda expects the same level very important, of professionaleven if this some- ism, the reason why de Sjamaan times operates at has set up a sort the cost of your of in-house academy. “It is a fairly profit margin.” spicy professional training that all our staff members have to follow. Yes, seriously, and exams have to be taken.” Customers too can pluck the fruits of the vast professional knowledge built up by de Sjamaan, because Ananda sees providing thorough product information as a basic requirement in this industry. Certainly since we’re talking about substances with which you can get thoroughly off your face. “If you work with psychedelic products a certain form of ethics is very important, even if this sometimes operates at the cost of your profit margin,” says Ananda. “Some things we consider just too risky to sell, and these we just leave alone. On the other hand, a product does have to have a genuine effect. In order to properly determine what mix or dosage works best we have developed our own test protocol with which every new product can be extensively tested.”

There are a number of things that you can measure to determine whether your business really is on the map. Your financial success is just one of them. A customer base of dozens of distributors and many smart- and head shops in around 45 countries says more. As does the fact that producers are impressed enough with your organisation and distribution network that they are happy to embark on a relationship with you. A recent example is the maker of the Eject-a-Bowl products, which asked de Sjamaan to handle the European marketing of their products. “That level of trust”, observes Ananda dryly, “is not something we have built by doing nothing.”

Sjamaan Wholesale Celsiusweg 24A 6662 PX Elst The Netherlands

Fax: +31 (0) 481-712329 Tel: +31 (0) 481-712330