Strawberry Cough

Type: Hybrid, leaning heavily on the sativa side

Ancestry: A cross between Strawberry Fields and Haze

Creators: Kyle Kushman, former High Times editor and cannabis pioneer

THC Content: 15-20%

Terpenes: terpinolene, myrcene, pinene, caryophyllene, limonene

Appearance: Densely packed buds, characteristic of indicas, but tapered and shaped like pinecones, which is where the sativa genes surface. Borderline red pistils interlace the sticky leaves, which are covered in amber trichomes that give off a somewhat yellowish glow.

Aroma and Taste: There’s hardly a better name for a strain that first envelops your olfactory receptors in a sweet strawberry cloud with contrasting peppery and earthy undertones, then makes your lungs expand to the point of coughing out a harsh, herbal cloud that makes your eyes water.

Trivia: Winner of 2013 Cannabis Cup for Best Flower; Michael Cane and Clive Owen bond over it in Children of Men.

As legend has it, Kushman received a little clone-runt, which had grown next to a strawberry patch, and it certainly had the aroma to show for it. Kushman gave it a befitting name – Strawberry Fields – and then crossed it with Haze to give birth to Strawberry Couch, which he popularized first in NYC, then way beyond as he moved to California and turned his cross-country drive into a cannabis Santa run, handing out Strawberry Cough presents to all the naughty grown-up children.

Recreational Effects

Strawberry Couch affects users in a very similar way to Jack Herer, which isn’t a huge surprise, given their shared parent strain in Haze, the similar terpene profile, and the strong dominance of their sativa side and the cerebral high that comes with it.

Like its half-brother Jack, Strawberry Cough is a great daytime strain, perhaps even more so, as many users rely on it for the mental focus and energy to power through some mundane tasks. Like Jack, Strawberry Cough is also a powerful social lubricant and an instant opener for your bottled creative juices, making regular conversations feel like brainstorming sessions and turning regular thoughts and musings into potential Eureka! moments.

Medicinal Benefits

Strawberry Couch plugs you into the wonders all around us, and in that uplifted state of mind, the depths of depression suddenly seem far away, and stress and anxiety dissolve into the strawberry air.

From a physical standpoint, Strawberry Couch can provide some pain relief as, however, this is not its forte, and to achieve this, you might need to consume higher quantities, which in turn can cause the cerebral effects to distort and morph into paranoia and mental overdrive.