There are few places that share the natural high quality soil Cali has. There is a reason it is the state with the largest exports of produce, livestock, etc. It's the same reason it's famous wine grapes have been known for centuries. You combine that with the perfect weather, the hot humid coastal mountains of the North coast and you have the near perfect environment for growing. The only reason there are so many great strains coming from other areas is technology. We can now simulate these conditions almost anywhere. Before the world of high-tech nutrients and hydroponics California was one of the few places you could grow several acres of high quality outdoor bud without the help of technology. What you hear today is just the remaining hype left over from decades of great product. I don't think there is much difference these days since we no longer depend on mother nature for quality product. As a child growing up in the Redwoods I have many memories of stumbling on to massive grows and running through 8' high rows of monster cola's (and filling our pockets). Of course that is before they began killing people who accidentally walked onto a grow. We can thank the mass migration of illegals, cartels and gangs from Mexico for that one, but that is another story for another forum. I believe what you "hear" about cali bud are the remnants of a bygone era. One thing, combining the natural elements of NorCal with today's technology and you have an environment which is still tough to duplicate.