My friend, hello again! Today, I’m inviting you to meet an important representative of the upper ranks. Our guest is royalty. Meet Royal Queen Seeds, or, as we like to call them informally, the Royals.
Of course, we’ll meet them through cannabis boss Boy Ramsahai. By the way, you’ll even become one handshake closer to Mike Tyson himself. Intrigued? Let’s go.
The founding father
Boy Ramsahai is a well-known media entrepreneur and founder of a successful cannabis media company whose publishing houses released High Life and Soft Secrets, magazines well known in the Netherlands, in 1991. He also founded Royal Queen Seeds, a seed bank originally connected with Amsterdam’s coffeeshop culture, and worked on developing and popularizing new strains.
The story of his life turned out to be fairly hard to find. But even though Ramsahai’s personal journey remains in the shadows, he made a powerful contribution to the industry. So let’s simply go through his projects.
High Life Magazine
High Life is one of the Netherlands’ oldest publications devoted to cannabis culture. It began in the early 1990s and aims to cover every aspect of life connected with cannabis. The magazine offers articles on growing, medical research, legislative changes, strain reviews, and cannabis products. High Life became known for its in-depth analysis, commitment to quality journalism, verified information, and cannabis news.
Soft Secrets
Soft Secrets is an international cannabis magazine that also publishes articles on growing, medical use, industry news, and product reviews. This publication addresses both beginners and experienced culture enthusiasts. The magazine offers useful tips, tutorials, and the latest research.
BitCanna
BitCanna is an innovative blockchain platform created specifically for our industry. BitCanna offers a solution for simplifying transactions and ensuring transparency and supply traceability in the cannabis sector. The platform aims to solve problems caused by restrictions on banking and financial services for businesses, providing a secure, efficient payment system. BitCanna simplifies verification and legal compliance, making the industry more open and accessible.
Cibdol
Cibdol is a leading producer of high-quality CBD products in Europe. The company manufactures pure, natural CBD oils, capsules, cosmetics, and other cannabidiol-based products. Cibdol uses innovative extraction methods to guarantee the highest purity and effectiveness of its materials. Its main focus is quality and safety, backed by strict laboratory tests and certification.
F1 SeedTech
The first generation from a cross between two parents. F1 ↗ SeedTech breeds and develops F1 hybrid seeds, focusing on improving plant quality, yield, and resistance to varied environmental conditions. The company works closely with the industry, seeking high standards of innovation and quality in its products.
Royal Queen Seeds
And now, the reason we gathered here today: Boy’s main and most powerful project. When cannabis was prohibited almost everywhere, the Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, became a refuge for activists. The city became a cannabis mecca where a unique coffeeshop culture emerged, inspiring breeders and enthusiasts worldwide. This was where Royal Queen Seeds began its story in 2007, when its seed bank was established.
Values nurtured in Amsterdam’s coffeeshops produced a generation of breeders who still influence the field. Some found their home at Royal Queen Seeds. The Royals preserve a living connection with the “coffee” era, staying true to their roots. They were there when iconic strains were developed and spread throughout the community, and they weren’t passive observers. RQS held exhibitions and fairs during the coffeeshop era to popularize growing and preach the wonders of cannabis.
The first shop opened on Amsterdam’s Damstraat in 2010. In 2011, the Royal Queen Seeds website launched. The Royals continued expanding, opening their first Barcelona shop on Carrer dels Tallers in 2016. In 2023, RQS began operations in the United States and brought the first true F1 hybrid seeds to market. Today, in 2024, the guys are delighting us again with a new “punchy” lineup.
Over the years, the royal breeders created many Cannabis Cup winners, such as Amnesia Haze, Blue Mystic, Northern Light, and White Widow. The company always stays in touch with its customers, actively responding to feedback and suggestions, demonstrating its drive to deliver quality work for us. The guys are really proud of their TrustPilot page, where they’ve already gathered 60,000 reviews with a high average rating of 4.7/5.
The lineup
To make our experience with their selection as comfortable as possible, the guys divided the strains into special collections. I’ll briefly tell you about them.
USA Premium Seeds
This collection includes genetics created in the US with high THC content. Nearly 30%! Strains in the lineup include Blue Gelato, Cereal Milk, Biscotti, Sundae Driver, Mimosa, Gushers, and others.
Regular Seeds
Regular seeds can produce both male and female plants. Regular seeds ↗ for traditional growing: pure, genetically unchanged classic strains. Ideal for breeders. Wow, what historical monsters: Amnesia Haze, Shining Silver Haze, White Widow, Critical, Skunk XL.
Cup Winners
The notable names in this collection are winners of various cannabis cups. You’ve surely heard of them: Medical Mass, Royal Highness, El Patron, Royal Cookies, Euphoria, Royal Moby, and others.
Best Cannabis Seeds
The best seeds according to the brand and user reviews. They include strains with high yield, potency, and aroma ratings. Headliners: Special Queen 1, Special Kush 1, Royal Gorilla, Purple Queen, and others.
F1 Hybrid
Royal Queen Seeds’ F1 Hybrid lineup is a collection of genetically stable, knockout crosses. F1 hybrids are created by crossing two pure plant lines, IBLs, which leads to increased vigor and yield in the first generation.
These strains usually show improved characteristics compared with their original parents, including higher THC content, better adaptation to different growing conditions, and resistance to pests and diseases.
With the industry’s cosmic strides, fitting strain names joined the lineup: Milky Way F1, Epsilon F1, Medusa F1, Orion F1, Cosmos F1, and so on.
Tyson 2.0
Fresh stuff, dude! New for 2024. The Royals and TYSON 2.0, the cannabis brand co-founded by Mike Tyson, launched a joint seed collection. This partnership brought six unique strains to market: Gelato 44, Dynamite Diesel, NYC Sour D (A plant that starts flowering independently of the length of the day. autoflowering ↗), GOAT’lato Auto, Punch Pie, and Corkscrew (autoflowering).
The three-year partnership plans to release 18 strains. Boy Ramsahai emphasized that everyone has the right to grow cannabis at home, and the seeds presented with TYSON 2.0 demonstrate impressive plants in appearance and flavor. Tyson reportedly oversees the new strains’ quality, having personally tested and evaluated them.
Making a royal exit
Well, my friend. The Royals and their story reflect founder Boy Ramsahai’s passion and dedication. It’s an example of combining business with an interest and making the world better by adding colors and flavors. And you know, putting yourself into creating a couple of magazines, digital projects, and a powerful seed bank is significant work for our community.
Now I won’t distract you from exploring the strains. Good luck with your new cycle, and see you next time!
Sources: publicly available publications about the company and the strain.
