Critical OG Strain Guide

Leafly and AllBud both file this strain under the name OG Critical, with Critical OG given as its other name. Leafly credits it to Emerald Triangle Seeds, and both sources give the same two parents: Emerald Jack and Critical Mass.

Emerald Jack is itself a cross of Jack Herer and Emerald OG. Leafly files it as a sativa-driven hybrid with THC around 20%, and its reviewers most often tag it focused, creative and energetic.

Critical Mass comes from Mr. Nice Seed Bank, which crossed Afghani with Skunk #1. Leafly lists it as an indica at around 18% THC and explains the name: the plant reaches "critical mass" while growing, with buds heavy enough to snap branches. Leafly's lab data puts myrcene first among its terpenes, followed by caryophyllene and limonene.

Leafly also lists Banana Smoothie as a strain bred from OG Critical.

The two names are easy to mix up, and Leafly points out that OG Critical is a different strain from Barney's Farm's Critical Kush. Critical Kush shares the Critical Mass parent, but Barney's Farm crossed it with OG Kush, and Leafly describes Critical Kush as a potent indica. OG Critical takes Emerald Jack, a Jack Herer cross, as its other parent instead.

Both strains have their own pages in our shop: Critical OG flower and Critical Kush flower.

AllBud describes dense, grape-shaped buds in forest green with amber undertones, thick dark orange hairs and chunky, dusty amber trichomes.

On AllBud, the flavour is a sweet and sour mix of citrus and pine, with honey-coated orange on the exhale. The aroma leans sour citrus and orange over pungent skunk and earth.

Leafly's flavour tags are coffee, berry and lemon. Leafly says OG Critical carries over the sweet and sour flavours of its parents, and one Leafly reviewer describes a weak but pleasant taste of coffee and wood.

Leafly describes the high as light and energetic and calls OG Critical a good daytime choice. Its top effect tags, from three ratings averaging 4.3, are energetic, giggly and happy.

AllBud's write-up says it comes on fast, with cerebral energy, motivation and a talkative mood, followed by a light, relaxed body high. AllBud lists body high, euphoria, happy, sociable and uplifting, from 14 votes averaging 4.6.

Leafly files OG Critical as a hybrid. AllBud calls it an indica-dominant hybrid, 70% indica and 30% sativa.

The THC figure comes from AllBud, which gives 18% to 20% for the strain in general rather than for any one batch.

Health Canada's lower-risk advice for smoking or vaping is to start with one or two puffs of a product with 10% THC or less. Effects arrive within seconds to minutes and can take up to 30 minutes to peak, it says, and an 18% to 20% strain sits well above that 10% mark. Its lower-risk guidelines also say not to drive for at least 6 hours after using cannabis.

For other strains with a similar daytime reputation, our Super Lemon Haze and Sour Diesel guides cover two that Leafly reviewers most often tag energetic.