The True Origin of Haze - by Big Herb

The True Origin of Haze - by Big Herb

 

The True Origins of Original Haze

Santa Cruz, 1969 – The Birth of a Legend

It all began in 1969 in Santa Cruz, California. At the time, some of the finest imported landrace cannabis was circulating in the area: Thai, Oaxacan, and Punto Rojo (Colombian Red Point). These were considered some of the best smokes around.

In the middle of this era of freedom, a local surfer boy known simply as G was enjoying his youth. He wasn’t particularly a cannabis enthusiast in the way many of us are today, but he did see an opportunity: have some free smoke, have some fun, and maybe make a quick buck on the side.

In 1969, on the riverside of Southern California, G backcrossed his Punto Rojo bagseed in what might be one of the luckiest accidents in cannabis history. That “pollen chuck” created a very large amount of seed which would be used for the duration of Original Haze’s existence. This accident would go on to become what many consider the most famous cannabis strain of all time.

The Four Original Haze Varieties

From those seeds, four main Original Haze varieties emerged. Sam the Skunkman once described them using terms like fruity, sour, root beer, cola, chocolate, and hashy. Over time, more precise descriptions formed, and the four types came to be known as:

  • Magenta (the Root Beer Pheno)

    Known within the inner circle as the Root Beer pheno, and to the rest of the world as Purple Haze. It showed strong root beer and incense-like traits, with unique coloration in the calyxes.

  • Gold

    A variety known for musky sandalwood and pine traits. In reality, it often smelled like cat piss late in flower and before a proper cure. Despite the harsh description, it was intensely complex and memorable.

  • Blue

    A spicy, sweet, peppery type with classic haze incense and a lingering aftertaste.

  • Silver

    Similar to Blue but considered the strongest of the four. Also spicy, sweet, and peppery, with a deep, rich flavor that stayed on the palate.

These four Original Haze varieties – Magenta, Gold, Silver, and Blue – were never truly stabilized. Each year brought slight variations, yet some markers stayed consistent:

  • The leaf pattern was always the same.

  • The colors were not cold-induced; only the calyxes showed color, while the leaves remained bright green.

  • A key indicator of true Haze lineage was the appearance of red sap when cutting a true Haze plant – especially evident in the purple pheno.

Interestingly, the best plants were often volunteers from the previous year’s dropped seeds rather than intentionally planted specimens.

The Effect: “Acid-Like” and Limitless

What truly burned Original Haze into memory wasn’t just its appearance or aroma – it was the effect.

Smokers of that era compared it to an “acid-like” experience:

a very clear, euphoric high that came with extreme happiness, waves of laughter, and no ceiling effect. You could keep smoking, and it would keep climbing.

What made the plant special was also its time in the ground. Original Haze typically grew for around nine months, which simply doesn’t compare to today’s 8–10 week indoor varieties. That long flowering period allowed the plant to fully develop:

  • deep, layered flavors,

  • complex aromas,

  • and a unique, long-lasting, powerful high.

The harvest took place around December, under the so-called Harvest Moon – after many months of paranoia and risk. In those days, there wasn’t the wealth of information or technology we have now. Growers didn’t use trichome color as a harvest indicator. Instead, they relied on:

  • instinct,

  • a watchful eye,

  • and a lot of patience.

After a nerve-racking nine months, the entire crop was taken down at once. There was no selective harvesting, just one decisive moment.

The “Cosmic Boogie” Poster – A Hidden Relic

In 1976, a now-famous and very rare Original Haze poster was created:

“The Cosmic Boogie – 1976”.

This poster detailed:

  • the soil recipe,

  • germination times,

  • and harvest times.

It was a collaborative artwork credited to R.L., who was a partner of G and one of the main growers for a few years. With the help of his girlfriend and a talented street artist, the poster became a true underground masterpiece.

The poster was sold in a local grow supply store but kept hidden under the counter. To buy one, you had to be in the know. It was more than just a poster – it was a secret key into the world of Original Haze.

G, R.L., and the Misused Name “Haze Brothers”

G, the creator and main grower of Original Haze, partnered with R.L. for several seasons. R.L. lived nearby and had his own greenhouse. Together, G and R.L. grew upwards of 150 pounds of Haze each year.

Important detail:

They never called themselves the Haze Brothers.

The Haze seed was tightly guarded, and access to the grows was limited to a small, trusted circle. Many wanted in, but access was strictly off-limits.

Among those around Santa Cruz at the time were:

  • Robert C. Clarke (R.C.) – a passionate cannabis researcher, then a student, who would go on to become one of the most respected cannabis authors and historians.

  • Sam the Skunkman (Sam) – who later played a crucial role in bringing California genetics, including Haze, to Holland.

It was three brothers from New Jersey – let’s call them Joey, Bobby, and Petey – who actually coined the name “Haze Brothers” during the 1970s. Two of them attended college in Santa Cruz, and over several trips, they brought large amounts of Original Haze back east.

They were:

  • strictly consumers and brokers,

  • moving large quantities of Haze to the East Coast, particularly the tri-state area,

  • but they were not growers and had no role in developing the strain.

The Santa Cruz crew had their own nicknames for them, while the brothers themselves used “Haze Brothers” in their circles. Over time, the name stuck in folklore, even though G and R.L. never used it for themselves.

From Santa Cruz to Holland – Sam and the Preservation of Haze

The Original Haze seed was never openly sold. It remained closely guarded, and rightly so. At its peak, hundreds of pounds of Haze were produced, and of course, some seeds inevitably spread.

People found the occasional seed in their stash, planted them, and unknowingly contributed to the global Haze gene pool. That’s how Haze traits started showing up in various hybrids over the years.

Some examples include:

  • Blue Dream Haze hybrids from California,

  • NYC hazes,

  • and countless unnamed or local cuts that carry some Haze influence.

The true turning point for Europe came when Sam the Skunkman and R.C. moved to Holland in 1984. Holland was traditionally a hash-smoking country, but with California genetics – especially Haze and Skunk – the standard for high-quality cannabis flowers changed completely.

Sam is widely credited with:

  • bringing Original Haze stock to Holland,

  • preserving it,

  • and working it into lines that would be used by several seed companies.

Exactly in what form the genetics arrived – pure or already hybridized – remains debated. G stated that he never directly gave Haze stock to Sam, but acknowledged that Sam:

  • lived on the same block,

  • did trimming,

  • and very likely collected seeds while working with or smoking the varieties.

Sam also had close contact with R.L., who had much of the same seed stock as G and did independent grows for a time. It is very likely that Sam obtained Original Haze seeds from that side as well.

Thanks to Sam’s passion and preservation work, Original Haze survived through:

  • Cultivator’s Choice hybrids,

  • lines released through The Flying Dutchmen, Seedsman, Tom Hill,

  • and legendary hybrids from Mr. Nice Seedbank (MNS), based on Haze stock obtained by Nevil Schoenmakers from Sam in 1985.

The End of an Era – and the Skunk Takeover

By around 1981, the original Haze project in Santa Cruz came to an end. After roughly a decade of production, Haze failed commercially:

  • the buds were too thin and wispy for the market at that time,

  • the plant had never been properly stabilized or backcrossed,

  • and demand shifted toward more compact, faster, easier-to-grow varieties.

G was not a breeder in the modern sense. He never worked the plant into a stable line, and as a result, the original form faded out. The search for something new began.

Sam returned to Santa Cruz and sold G a large amount of Skunk seed. Skunk was:

  • easier to grow,

  • more commercially viable,

  • and quickly filled the gap left by Original Haze.

The accident that started it all had run its course.

Always Remember the Real Story

To recap the key points of the true Original Haze story:

  • G, the surfer boy from Santa Cruz, created Original Haze by accident in 1969.

  • R.L. partnered with him for several seasons, helping produce large crops and co-creating the “Cosmic Boogie – 1976” poster.

  • They never called themselves the Haze Brothers – that name came from the three New Jersey brothers who moved Haze to the East Coast.

  • The name “Original Haze” itself was inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”.

  • Sam the Skunkman is responsible for spreading and preserving Haze genetics by bringing them to Holland and incorporating them into hybrids.

Because of Sam’s dedication, future generations – including passionate growers and haze heads today – still have the chance to experience a taste of what many consider the most magical strain of all time.

G is reportedly doing well, even if some memories are fading. The time has come for the true origins of Original Haze to be told and for G’s story to burn forever in our minds, hearts, and Haze-blooded buds.

Haze seeds are still held by G, and probably by a few others. While germination attempts so far haven’t been successful, new methods and perseverance keep the hope alive. After all, the same way the accident happened once…

it could happen again.


“More incense and less nonsense.”
— Big Herb

 

 

 

Autobiography – A Haze Head from New York City

My personal passion for Haze began as a young teenager growing up in New York City.

From 1998 to 2002, the neighborhood I lived in was flooded with some of the best haze varieties on the market. Over the years, many slang names were used for specific Haze selections:

  • Uptowns

  • Puday

  • Church

  • Silvers

  • and later, Piff or Piffington

Among all of these, one cut stood above the rest: Frankies.

The name Frankies comes from frankincense, a trait that is unmistakable, highly desired, and impossible to forget once you’ve taken even a single toke. For those lucky enough to experience it, Frankies is simply thought of as the best.

This obsession led me on a quest to find the source of Frankies in Washington Heights, known to New Yorkers as the home of Haze. I took countless rides on the A and C trains to the hot spots in the Heights, sampling variety after variety:

  • Thai-influenced hazes,

  • Mexican and Colombian traits,

  • incense-heavy, spicy, and leathery profiles.

The staple flavors and aromas of NYC haze became clear:

  • spice,

  • incense,

  • catpiss,

  • and what we described as “basement” or “leather.”

But even among this pantheon, nothing compares to Frankies. When I was growing up, it was common and relatively easy to find. Today, it has become elusive – a ghost of New York’s golden haze era.

For us native New Yorkers, this isn’t myth or legend.

This is what we grew up smoking. Just like the city itself, there’s nothing sweet about it – it’s raw, real, and unforgettable.

This is what we know as Haze.
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