White Russian

White Russian is flower from a White Widow and AK-47 cross that Leafly credits to Serious Seeds. Leafly tags the strain a sativa-dominant hybrid, Serious Seeds calls its own version an F1 hybrid, mostly indica, and AllBud lists a 50/50 hybrid.

Serious Seeds’ account of the cross

Serious Seeds calls it its most typically indica strain, a stable cross of its own AK-47 and the award-winning 1990s White Widow clone. Its notes describe medium-sized, not-too-leafy plants with a recommended vegetative time of 3 to 4 weeks, dense and very resinous tops, and crystals showing after about 5 weeks of flower. AllBud gives a flowering period of 56 to 63 days and a yield of about 350 to 500 g/m2. Growers quoted by Leafly describe medium-sized, fluffy buds frosted with trichomes.

A 1996 Cannabis Cup win, in the breeder’s telling

Serious Seeds says it entered the High Times Cannabis Cup for the first time in 1996 and won on that first try. Its history also lists the Bio Cup in 1996, the Best Organic Weed Cup in 1997, first prize Indoor at the El Punto Cup in 2005 and second prize Extracts at the Highlife Cup in 2013. It recounts a 1990s UK comparison of over 150 strains in which it came out strongest, at 22% THC. Leafly says the original by Serious Seeds placed in the Best Overall category at the 1996 Cannabis Cup, and that the strain was once considered the strongest in the world.

Rose, earth and a fragrant nose

Rose, tobacco and earthy are the flavours Leafly reviewers choose, and Leafly calls the aroma extremely fragrant: fruity, sweet and skunky. AllBud describes an earthy, sweet taste with nutty and rose notes and a pungent aroma, both sweet and sour, with berry and citrus. Serious Seeds lists sweet, fruity, slightly floral, citrus, orange and spicy. In our White Russian guide, Steven De Guzman suggests pausing after each exhale to catch the tart citrus finish and faint floral aftertaste that a reviewer quoted there describes.

THC, terpenes and the effects people describe

Leafly’s strain figure for THC is 21%, and it calls potency very high; AllBud’s is 19% to 25%, with 22% in its text; Serious Seeds says 22%, with CBD at 1%. On Leafly, myrcene is the most abundant terpene, ahead of caryophyllene and pinene.

Leafly describes euphoric, cerebral effects with physical relaxation, and its reviewers tag euphoric, uplifted and happy. AllBud tags creative, euphoria, happy, relaxing, energized and uplifted. Serious Seeds rates the effect as very strong, long-lasting and more cerebral than body-numbing.