Strawberry Cough Strain

Strawberry Cough is the odd one out on this list. It does not smell like fuel, it does not come with a neighbourhood attached, and its reputation rests on a flavour rather than a scene. 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 popularised 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. As with every strain on this page, the lineage is reported rather than documented.

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 flavour

Ripe strawberry, unmistakably, with a herbal backbone and a faint pepper note underneath. The sweetness holds through the exhale rather than disappearing, which is unusual and is most of why the strain survived thirty years of fashion changes.

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.

It is usually described as sativa-leaning and sociable rather than 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

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 actually running and look for terpinolene near the top of the certificate of analysis.

Before you hand over money anywhere, confirm the shop is licensed. Run its name through our New York dispensary license checker, which reads the state licence list, or check the Office of Cannabis Management dispensary location verification page. Unlicensed storefronts are not bound by New York testing and labelling rules, so the name on their jar is unverified in every sense.

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.

Sources

For adults 21 and over. Cannabis affects people differently, and nothing on this page is medical advice. Lab figures vary between batches and cultivators, so read the label on the product in front of you. Our New York cannabis guide covers the current rules.