Harborside Health Center’s sun-grown Strawberry Cough delivered the mouthwatering aroma and uplifting cerebral high that characterize this delicious variety, but it didn’t take long for both the aroma and high to fade to something more subdued.
Strawberry Cough is a hybrid of Haze and an obscure indica from Vermont called Strawberry Fields. Expert cannabis breeder Kyle Kushman helped popularize the strain by sharing parts of a clone he got from an amateur breeder in Connecticut.
Kushman’s own piece of Strawberry Cough, available through Buds and Roses, a Los Angeles dispensary, has won multiple Cannabis Cups, including here in the Bay Area.
Harborside Health Center, which considers itself the world’s largest medical cannabis dispensary, rebranded outdoor cannabis as “sungrown” in 2011 as part of a campaign to educate patients about the benefits of drugs grown without electric light.
Harborside has been a trusted source for quality outdoor medicinal cannabis in the Bay Area, even offering top quality sun-grown jars in custom glass jars with engraved wooden lids.
Despite the increasing popularity of low-light cultivation, sun-grown is scarcer at this time of year. When we visited Harborside, Strawberry Cough was one of only two outdoor varieties available.
The top shelf option in a pretty jar didn’t appeal to us that day, but when we saw and smelled this juicy Strawberry Cough in the corner of the display case and costing $40 an eighth, we were easily sold.
Potency: 15.4% THC, 22.7% THCA (CBD unknown)
Appearance: These resilient light green buds are a muted moss green with rusty orange pistils. Their round, lumpy shape somewhat resembles a real strawberry.
Flavour: An initial burst of fresh strawberries is accompanied by diesel, sparkling lemonade and pine, with traces of oregano and camembert, merging into a gently sweet herbal tea.
Taste: A bitter sting of alcohol with a hint of lemon predominates over sour, unripe berries blended into a thick jam, followed by toasted notes of spiced popcorn and a hint of creamy caramel on the finish.
Effect: An instant head high is powerfully soothing yet stimulating, with a more subtle sense of physical relaxation. The mind feels calming yet alert, heightens perception and inspires creativity. Thoughts float in a swirling stream and focus flows in unexpected directions. It is mood-enhancing but not euphoric, functional but not energetic. As time goes by, a hazy fog sets in, bringing with it a heavy head and drooping eyes.
Medical Applicability: The happily hypnotic mental high and mild yet comforting body stone can relieve stress, anxiety, irritability and muscle tension, as well as provide daytime relief for moderate pain.
General impression: This sun grown Strawberry Cough has an effervescent clarity that leads to a satisfying release.
Available at:
Harborside Health Center
1840 Embarcadero, Oakland
888-994-2726
www.harborsidehealthcenter.com
