How Rastas reclaimed Antigua (Pure Sativa Landrace Pheno Hunt) with Humboldt Seed Company

A Pheno hunt film about the Rastafari Church on the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda with the Humboldt Seed Company and Dr. Machel Emanuel

The Humboldt Seed Company: ‪@humboldtseedcompany‬
Episode on Humboldt Channel:    • Pure Sativa Landrace preservation and Phen...  
Humboldt Seed Company IG:   / thehumboldtseedcompany  
Dr. Machel Emanuel:   / machelemanuel  

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We dive into the history of Cannabis in the Caribbean the history of Landrace genetics from the region and talk about the "Pure Sativa" aka "Caribbean Queen" Landrace Preservation Project.

Genetics from the Caribbean. For the Caribbean and pheno hunting for a better future.

We tag along with the Humboldt Seed Company as they pheno hunt through hundreds of the landrace preservation of the Pure Sative / Caribbean Queen. (Cannabinoid and Terpene tests with the NEO SPECTRA)

We get to sit down with Prophet Rohan from the Rastafari Church of Antigua and Barbuda and hear a little about the connection to cannabis as a plant and religious practice.

The Trip wouldn't be complete without getting to meet Regis Burton, the CEO of the Cannabis Authority of Antigua and Barbuda. We get the low down on the laws in Antigua (the first Caribbean country to legalize cannabis for religious purposes)

Cannabis was finally back in the hands of the Rastafari and the world needs to take a page from the book of Antigua and Barbuda's Cannabis Policy.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro to the Global Pheno Hunt by Humboldt Seed Co
1:38 - What is the Global Pheno Hunt?
2:30 - Meeting the Caribbean Queen aka Pure Sativa
3:35 - Story of bringing ancient cannabis genetics back to the Caribbean
5:09 - History of Cannabis in the Caribbean with Dr.Machel Emanuel
8:46 - Finding a local connect and testing the Wadadli
11:03 - Meeting the Prophet Rohan from the Rastafari Mansion Bobo Ashanti (EABIC)
12:45 - Start of the Pheno hunt of Pure Sativa
14:14 - Finding the Prophet's Unicorn
16:46 - Why Humboldt Seed Co is breeding Caribbean Landrace Cannabis
17:51 - Findings from first landrace and pure sativa crosses in Caribbean
18:35 - How Ben found the Landrace from the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago)
22:26 - Terps and Aroma of the Caribbean Queen aka Pure Sativa Landrace
23:10 - Thoughts of the Caribbean Queen from the Authority
24:51 - 12/12 from seed, clean water, and volcanic soil
25:35 - Potency test, Cannabinoid, and Terp test of the outdoor Caribbean Cannabis
28:20 - Selecting the unicorn bud for catalogue and testing
31:56 - NEO Spectra tests of Cannabinoid and Terp of other island samples
33:56 - Roasting the Caribbean Queen aka Pure Sativa for Testing
37:57 - Interview with CEO of Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority
41:18 - Thoughts about the Cannabis Movement in Antigua and Barbuda
44:32 - Where is the Next Pheno Hunt?

What Is Humbold Seed Company's World's Largest Phenotype Hunt?
Founded in 2001 by two biologists, Ben Lind and Halle’s father Nathaniel Pennington, Humboldt Seed has a rich legacy of breeding quality cannabis with a commitment to “unparalleled excellence.” The company made history in 2018 with what was called the World’s Largest Phenotype Hunt, a groundbreaking collaborative effort that brought experts on an extended tour of the brand’s partner farms to seek out the highest-rated and most interesting flower clones. In October 2023, the Humboldt Seed team expanded on that success with a New World’s Largest Phenotype Hunt, inviting colleagues, academics, and press in a group of over 100 participants to join in the process of identifying stunning cultivars.

“Eight full days of pheno hunting,” Halle Pennington describes. A pheno hunt – the method by which breeders select their next strains to bring to market – is always important. But a process on this scale allowed Humboldt Seed and its partners to conduct a crucial sort of focus testing before the product has even been refined. For cannabis connoisseurs, this is likely the wave of the future.

“We took all of the attendees to numerous farms in central and northern California,” Pennington says. “It was super fun for us to showcase what we normally do behind the scenes. [The pheno hunt] is a really special part of our process, and to us it’s all about the numbers. Some people think hunting through 10,000 plants is a little crazy, [but] it just makes so much more sense to do it in that environment and see what it turns out with the basic setup that you could ideally give your plant.

The goal is to consistently hone in on outstanding strains, curating down from the 10,000 samples to 100 or fewer winners that will then go through a more rigorous process of trials in Humboldt Seed’s indoor cultivation.