Strawberry Cough Strain: Origin, THC and NYC Shops

Strawberry Cough is a sativa-leaning cannabis strain known for a ripe strawberry smell. It is most often credited to the grower Kyle Kushman, who popularized a clone from the East Coast, and its lineage is usually given as Haze crossed with Strawberry Fields. It was on 6 of the 32 licensed New York City dispensary menus we read on Oct 8, 2026, at $32 to $42 per eighth.

Update, Oct 19, 2026: our full recount of all 32 menus found Strawberry Cough on 8 of them. The shop list and prices further down are from the Oct 8 read; the current shop list is in our database.

Strawberry Cough is the odd one out on this list. Unlike the diesels, it has no fuel smell and no neighborhood legend attached. Its reputation rests on flavor. It still belongs here, because the story runs through the East Coast and through one of the better-known names in American growing.

Where Strawberry Cough comes from

The version told most often credits Kyle Kushman, the grower and former High Times cultivation editor, who reportedly received a clone from a small East Coast grower, nearly threw it out, then kept it going and popularized it. Verilife repeats that account with a clear “reportedly” attached, which is the right level of confidence for it.

Most sources descend it from Haze crossed with Strawberry Fields, though some argue it is a clone of something else entirely. Like the other old East Coast strains, its lineage comes from growers’ accounts; nobody wrote it down at the time.

The name is the one part nobody disputes: the strawberry smell is real, and the plant has a long-standing reputation for making people cough. That second part is not guaranteed and varies by person and by cut.

Aroma and flavor

Ripe strawberry, unmistakably, with an herbal backbone and a faint pepper note underneath. The sweetness lasts through the exhale, which is unusual, and it is most of why the strain has survived thirty years of changing fashions.

Reported dominant terpenes are terpinolene, myrcene and pinene, a profile it shares more with Piff than with the diesels.

THC and what to expect

Published ranges run from the high teens up to about 26% THC, varying a lot with the grower. Older cuts tend to test lower than the modern commercial ones. On NYC menus in October 2026 the labels ran from 22% to 30%.

It is usually described as sativa-leaning and sociable, and rarely as sedating. Given the potency at the top of that range, this is not a beginner strain, and the usual caution applies more than usual: go low and slow, because a sweet smell is not an indicator of mildness. Our THC calculator converts the label figure into milligrams.

Where to buy Strawberry Cough in New York

On Oct 8, 2026 Strawberry Cough was on 6 of the 32 licensed NYC dispensary menus we read, at $32 to $42 per eighth with 22% to 30% THC on the labels. Five growers supplied it: Dayzed, Grocery, SmartBud, Smoakland and To The Moon. These shops listed it:

• Manhattan: Alta Dispensary, Lenox Hill Cannabis Co.
• Brooklyn: Animo, Kushmart
• Queens: The Cannabis Place
• The Bronx: Two Buds Dispensary

The live entry, with links to each shop, is under Strawberry Cough in our NYC weed strains database. Menus change daily, so check before you travel.

Strawberry Cough is a common enough name that several New York cultivators run a version of it, and it also shows up in pre-rolls and vape carts where the original genetics are harder to trace. If you want the classic, ask which cultivar the grower is running and look for terpinolene near the top of the certificate of analysis.

Buy only from a licensed shop. Our license checker looks up any store by name, street or ZIP against the state list, the Office of Cannabis Management has its own verification page, and our NYC dispensary directory lists every licensed shop by borough.

Strawberry Cough FAQ

Is Strawberry Cough indica or sativa?

Sativa. NYC dispensary menus label it sativa, and it is usually described as sativa-leaning and sociable.

Why is it called Strawberry Cough?

The strawberry smell is real, and the plant has a long-standing reputation for making people cough. The second part varies by person and by cut.

Who created Strawberry Cough?

The usual account credits Kyle Kushman, a grower and former High Times cultivation editor, who reportedly received a clone from an East Coast grower and popularized it. The lineage is most often given as Haze crossed with Strawberry Fields.

Can you buy Strawberry Cough in NYC?

Yes. On Oct 8, 2026 it was on 6 of the 32 licensed NYC dispensary menus we read, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

How much does Strawberry Cough cost in NYC?

Menu prices ranged from $32 to $42 per eighth on Oct 8, 2026. The citywide median for an eighth of flower was $40.

More New York strains

• Sour Diesel: the city signature, and the most argued-over origin story in cannabis.
• NYC Diesel: named for the city by a Dutch breeder, and not the same plant as Sour Diesel.
• Piff: the uptown haze that was a smell and a reputation before it was a strain name.
• The most popular weed strains in NYC dispensaries: the 21 most stocked names, counted menu by menu.
• Strawberry Diesel: Strawberry Cough crossed with NYC Diesel, on 12 NYC menus.

Sources

• Verilife, Strawberry Cough strain profile
• NY Office of Cannabis Management, dispensary location verification
• Just Weed Strains, NYC weed strains database (32 licensed dispensary menus, read Oct 8, 2026)

For adults 21 and over. Nothing on this page is medical advice. Our New York cannabis guide covers the current rules.