OG Kush

OG Kush flower, labelled indica, carries the name of the strain Leafly calls the genetic backbone of West Coast cannabis. Leafly also lists it as Premium OG Kush, and AllBud adds the short form OGK.

From Florida to Los Angeles in 1996

Leafly’s history starts in Florida in the early 1990s, where a Northern California plant is said to have been bred with Chemdawg, Lemon Thai and a Hindu Kush from Amsterdam. Matt “Bubba” Berger then brought it to Los Angeles cultivator Josh D in 1996, along with “The Bubba”, later used to make Bubba Kush. Leafly’s genetics section shows Chemdawg and Hindu Kush as parents; AllBud says the breeder kept the parentage secret, though that same pairing is the likely one. As for the name, Leafly notes that “OG” is often read as “Original Gangster” or “Ocean Grown”.

Forest-green buds with a fuel-heavy nose

AllBud pictures large, forest-green buds shaped like grapes, with long thin orange pistils, golden tones and a dusting of small golden-white trichomes. Leafly says true OG Kush carries lemon, pine and fuel on the nose, describes a complex aroma of fuel, skunk and spice, and tags the flavour woody, pine and earthy; its terpene data ranks myrcene first, then limonene and caryophyllene. AllBud tastes classic sour citrus with hints of woody pine, over a spicy, kushy aroma. Robert Misic’s tip in our OG Kush guide points to Abstrax research showing that the sulphur compounds giving it that gas fade sharply ten days after curing; his advice is a sealed glass jar kept cool and dark.

A mixed high, often saved for later in the day

Leafly describes a mixed head-and-body effect and says people often enjoy OG Kush later in the day. Relaxed and hungry are the two feelings Leafly reviewers report most for OG Kush, and the site’s gauge leans mostly calming. AllBud says the effects begin almost as soon as the smoke is exhaled, with an uplifted, unfocused happiness that can turn sociable, chatty and giggly before strong munchies arrive. Leafly files OG Kush as a hybrid, AllBud calls it 55% sativa and 45% indica, and our guide warns that samples carrying the name are not always genetically alike. For the strain’s THC, Leafly shows 25% with 0% CBD, and AllBud gives 20% to 26% with 1% CBN.

Four phenotypes and a long family tree

Leafly names Tahoe OG, SFV OG and Ghost OG as phenotypes and says the strain comes in four, three of them usually showing sativa influence and one leaning indica. It also credits OG Kush with GSC, Headband and Bruce Banner. In Leafly’s grow notes, the strain suits advanced growers, needs a dry climate, does best when plants can grow large rather than staying in pots, flowers in 56 days and finishes outdoors in early October with a medium yield.