Origins and Backstory: First bred in Amsterdam, many clones and seeds of this variety are available stateside. The clone I was able to source is famed around Colorado as the Amnesia Haze, and for good reason. She has won the cannabis cup as a spectacular sativa, and is an ancestor of the award-winning Moonshine Haze from Rare Dankness.
Appearance: While all-around stunning, the appearance of Amnesia Haze is the first trait to raise eyebrows. Flowers look like skinny spear-tips, bright green with copious resin covering the calyxes. Fire-engine red pistils protrude from the flowers, giving the appearance of flaming buds. She looks like a well-adapted indoor sativa, with huge calyxes and surprisingly-dense floral clusters. Her look is like a haze-leaning Jack Herer; elongated spear tips of lime-green with bright red accents certainly impress.
Aroma: The aroma of Amnesia Haze is its most spectacular trait. Bursting with flavor, an open jar is almost overwhelmingly-sweet, and the reaction from smokers is remarkably consistent when smelling: "whoa." It reminds me of bubblelicious bubblegum, bazooka joe, old french cheeses, hotel fruit baskets, earthy forest floor, and honestly, Amsterdam in general. For any smokers familiar with typical Haze flowers, Amnesia does not fall far from the tree. Amnesia however has less sandalwood, spice, and herbal tones that I typically associate with Hazes. It has clearly been bred and selected for the sweet candied side of things, and smells like some sort of exotic alien dessert. It is very difficult to put your finger on exact tones with this variety, but some fruits I can detect are nectarine and unripe peach. A mild buttery flavor is in the background like popcorn and aged soft cheese. The real essence of this weedis like a child's perfume. It is truly bizarre and incredible that something from nature smells like this.
Flavor: The aroma somewhat translates to flavor, but some nuances are left by the wayside. The flavor is very much sweet and fruity, slightly sour. It is a nose-tingling unique flavor that will keep the user coming back again and again. The flavor is sweet and sour like a nectarine or early-picked peach, and reminds me of Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish candy. The notes of old cheese are missing entirely, and bubblegum drops to a faint background tone. The flavor is more hazy than the aroma, but is still sweeter than traditional Hazes. It definitely contains sandalwood, moss, and other notes that simply defy description. There is also some black pepper. One of the most intriguing aspects of this flower is that the smell and flavor are so unique that they are not found outside of cannabis, and cannot even be described.
Effects: Amnesia Haze is one that has to be respected. It is a sativa, which sometimes veterans mistakenly associate with weak or underwhelming effects. This is not the case with Amnesia, or any Hazes in my experience. Amnesia Haze, when ideally dosed, provides a mildly trippy experience that is bright, uplifting, happy, and positive. It has provided me with a positive perspective of my relationship after an argument, and completely brought me around on a point. It seems to heal up emotional wounds and is very positive--almost like an optimist is whispering in your ear. Amnesia enhances creativity and can even be motivating as well. For example, it motivated me to get back to blogging! I love the zippy sort of feeling it gives, not felt in the body like so many sedating indica plants. This plant is powerfully uplifting and active, almost like coffee. It is easy to overdo this flower though, because the flavor is so amazing. If you chase the flavor, you will find yourself with all of the above effects, as well as some heart-racing paranoia, social awkwardness, racing thoughts, incessant planning, etc. She is surprisingly potent, and deserves to be used in moderation for ideal effects. Amnesia Haze is ideal for creative and active endeavors, and would not serve one well with insomnia or something. Excellent for outdoors, artwork, or just opening up a happier perspective on things.
Overall Experience: Amnesia Haze is a delicious product of Amsterdam breeding and genetics, and is very deserving of all the fame she receives. Even this strain is "Amsterdamized", becoming sweeter, fruitier, and less of what I would traditionally call "dank." However, I think in this rare case, it works to the favor of Amnesia Haze. She is so positive, uplifting, and bright, it seems that her aroma and bouquet perfectly match the effects. Everything about this flower is uplifting, happy, beautiful, and positive. I love her flavor and it keeps me coming back, but overindulging in potent sativas is usually not fun. More than a bowl, and my heart will race, I become paranoid about almost everything, and social situations become dangerous to navigate. They almost become like obstacles to be avoided or worked through, but are not really pleasurable. With a light dose though, and social situations become unusually interesting, engaging, and satisfying. It seems dose is very important with this strain. Overall, this is a nearly-ideal sativa that will keep me coming back for its consistent day-brightening and positive effects.