History of Kalamata Red:
Kalamata Red was very popular in Greece within the circles of underground artists and people from the 70’s and early 80’s. By 2002, it was widely known throughout Greece and in some coffee shops in Amsterdam as the best quality Greek cannabis strain.
Severe government laws between 1995 – 2000 resulted in many families and Kalamata growers being sent to prison and this led to this strain being almost lost.
Up to 2004, the police was using helicopters to detect cannabis fields and many locals were arrested and suffered harsh punishments. Most of these cannabis fields were on mountainous villages (Taygetos mountain) up to 500 metres above sea level and just a few of them closer to the sea.
These old school cannabis genetics, growing and flowering during scorching hot days especially during the summer months and cold nights in October and locally rich organic soil make the perfect recipe for the unforgettable high-quality herb of Kalamata, very soon this plant became famous everywhere around the country.
Farmers were growing the herb for top quality flowers and until around 2000 most of them were exported under different names to Dutch coffee shops and the black market. They were using only organic methods and were cultivating hundreds of plants for decades.
Unfortunately and sadly, Kalamata growers in the last two decades have moved “forward” to more fast flowering and high yielding strains (most of them coming from Holland), so nowadays it is extremely difficult to find uncontaminated greek seeds.
The search for its history and genetic roots although complex is a fascinating work. On the phylos galaxy genotype analysis database, there is no other strain appearing as an immediate relative of Greek Kalamata Red.
Don’t forget that in the 1900 – 1910s the South of Greece and more specifically the Peloponnese region (37° N latitude) was a major hashish producer of a worldwide high-quality product.
Thinking of the possible ancestors of Kalamata Red strain, based on historical facts, the results of the phylos galaxy genotype report and the strain features, lead us to suspect that these genes could be a mixture of African or East Asian landrace Sativas and neighbouring or local landrace hash plants that were similar to the middle eastern landraces. Other possible ancestors of Kalamata red strain could be Lebanese hash plants, which may be associated with most Greek and Turkish plants.
Lebanon and Egypt seem to have the oldest hashish history in the eastern Mediterranean region. Some saved old-valid writings of local farmers were talking about neighbouring eastern immigrants mainly from Egypt who taught them how to grow cannabis for hash production around 1870-1880.”Kannavi” was the name of a known hash plant strain that farmers were growing extensively in northern Peloponnese, Argos, and Tripoli (37° Ν latitude) until 1930.
Given the fact that the Hemp plants were also growing wild in a few Northern regions of the country and the Greek artisanship (Kannavourgeia) was cultivating hemp for fiber from 1915 until 1957, these strains could also be part of the Greek genetic profile.
After many years of hunting and forced to obscurity, we can finally now release these rare cannabis genetics thanks to our member, bio-grower/breeder named Delicorganic and his generous offer of Kalamata Red strain. Kalamata Red will remind the veteran smokers some almost lost cannabis features of anti-depressant, long-lasting, motivating highs, and old school magic earthy terps.
Cultivation of Kalamata Red:
Kalamata red is more close to NLD cannabis varieties. You will find phenotypes with similar plant structure (Sativa dominancy), stable abundance of trichomes, and penetrating hashy terpenes. They are plants with long internodal spacing which in optimal condition can reach up to 5 – 6 meters in height.
They show very high resistance to insects, mold, and a very hot climate and they don’t require heavy feeding. It’s enough a rich organic soil for them to thrive. Kalamata red is an undomesticated Sativa looking plant with old school hash plant characteristics, earthy terpenes, loads of trichomes, and a gorgeous, motivating, energetic high.
As with most landraces and heirloom strains, expect a small percentage (below 5%) of plants that might express intersex traits. The main aroma is an undefined, powerful and penetrating earthy and hashy smell and taste of lemon with woody undertones, all in harmony with each other.
The best part is that the flavour lingers in your mouth and all the way down your throat, making the taste in your mouth more important than anything else. In terms of the high, the dominant characteristics are creativity, euphoria and energy for the first two joints, and while up to that point it seems like a clear daytime Sativa, for biking and drawing.
At the third and fourth joint, you realize that apart from that first “blast”, your head gets from the first “dimension” of the high to a whole new “dimension” that comes on softly but steadily, joint after joint. Your body becomes lighter and you get in a laid back mood for improvised fictional stories and music creations.
The first generation seeds of Kalamata Red were handpicked by our member bio-grower and breeder “Delicorganic” 15 years ago from a family that was living close to an isolated village, named Alagonia at Messinia, at 800 meters above sea level. That family was growing and preserving this amazing strain for up to 25 years. Many members of this family have passed years in prison and now this village is almost abandoned.
Kalamata Red features:
Genetics: Greek Kalamata Red landrace drug cultivar
Sourcing: Delicorganic’s Greek landrace collection
Purpose: Bud
Latitude: 37° N
Elevation: 600 – 800 m.a.s.l.
Grow type: Outdoor, greenhouse, indoors
Regional Harvest: End of October – Early November outdoor in Greece
Height: 3,5 – 5 meters in optimal conditions in natural outdoor environment
Outdoor Yield: 600 – 750g of dried flowers per plant in natural outdoor environment
Flowering: 11 to 13 weeks. Flowering starts early August in Greece
Yield: Medium yielder, moderate-high levels of THC 13-17%
Aroma: penetrating hashy, woody, floral, sweet lemon/lime, thyme, rose, jasmine, pineapple
High: highly euphoric and motivating, enhance creativity, some trippy and laugh attacking high.
Flower Characteristics: Several phentotypes showing green/gold flowers, some phenos show
deep red hue on the flowers.