An Ode to Sour Kush

I first became acquainted with Sour Kush the day I began growing in Vermont. The clone had been circulating the local medical home grown scene for a handful of years already and the genetics were “tired”. That may or may not have been true for the in-house environment and controls she was initially being grown. However, I’ve seen this cut happily perform in the same environment four years later. I just don’t think the signs the plant gave of what it needed were listened to.

ACTUALLY, now that I type this out, I first became familiar with this genetic cross the first time I heard the B.o.B. & Two Chainz song “Headband”. I was a senior in highschool when it first reached my ears. Obsessed does not even begin to cover it. I reached out to Tity Boi himself on Instagram to get his two cents on the strain, but of course have yet to receive a response. 

my humble DM, unread

Crossing Sour Diesel and OG Kush, two of the biggest hits of the late nineties created this Y2K superstar hybrid. It strikes a different chord than the myriad of dessert hybrids (which have a beloved time and place) that have dominated the market for the last 7 years; the ones which create a distinct feeling that is not too high or too stoned. Meanwhile, like many kush cuts and crosses, Sour Kush provides simultaneously a heavy stone and a soaring high.

Sour Kush cuts generally lean towards expressing one parent with some subtle reflections of the other. This is, of course, on top of the million different factors of nature vs nurture that go into bringing out different expressions of a plant. Strains like Headband and Sour OG are also Sour Diesel x OG Kush crosses that came from different grower cuts and push these variations even further. 

These mild psychonaut, self inflicted side quests arise often out of organic, divine timing. It was my pleasure to answer the call of comparison when the coterminous experience of three different Sour Kush harvests hit my desk. Below are my raw thoughts initially written up in my Notes App and transcribed here. By all means, if you have an opinion or an experience with Sour Kush or its affiliates, I would love to hear it. 

In House Sour Kush 

Hallucinagetically good weed. In the distance, blue-gray clouds rolling in off of the lake danced like Dumbo’s parading elephants. This image wasn’t nearly as distracting as one might think it would be. 

The house Sour Kush

The in house Sour Kush is so dank and sour that I wanted to spit the gravelly, earthen taste from my mouth. However, the creeping high continued to climb for the next hour. Speaking function continued, but my brain had become a glacier. Life became moments between the flash of a strobe light. The pain in my uterus, and the original reason for reaching for this joint, dulled to a vague pulsing. It’s no wonder why Sour Kush has become a medical staple for nearly a decade in Vermont. 

“It’s just Headband!” my boss has proclaimed in his most jaded moments. I fear he may be wrong; that it is not “just Headband”. However, I cannot confirm nor deny. I know of one Headband full melt on the market right now, and will have to pick it up to see if his statement rings true. 

Third Party Recreational Sour Kush

Third Party Sour Kush sample

A sharp, wily, and instantaneous high. Without diligence, this high will herd up my thoughts and get them running. Storming around my head while I wonder about my house like a ghost. It smelled of limes, tasted way more citrusy sour than of the dankness of decaying carrion. This is more aligned with the (theoretically) original OG Kush that came out of Florida. 

Whatever cut [Third Party Brand] has, despite being sensuously user friendly, is the antithesis of the in-house cut synonymous with what half of the state’s home growers have come to recognize as Sour Kush. The genetic drift with different environmental TLC never ceases to amaze me. 

Homegrown

homegrown gifted to my partner

Mildly sour. Immediate head settling. The high wants to call my body to stillness. Immediately attacking the tension in my jaw. Kind of want to pass tf out asap. With each breath the relaxation has begun to move down my body. 

I had smoked this previously and it had a very different effect. There was no stillness, just the sharp clarity of knowing exactly what I wanted. At the time, what I wanted was a finely tuned Bed Chem experience with my partner. By being both vocal and encouraging, I would say I accomplished that goal and then some. 

Like with all of the Sour Kush sessions before, I was also able to retain speech function and wit. This particular is the chronic through line that has emerged from all three harvests. I’ve been struggling to find it between the first two, but it is this.

**

There isn't one I l preferred over another. I was able to move through my days and interactions with all of them and none lingered on my pallet. I could take this strain to any social situation and enjoy myself. I naturally love evoking this type of play in life. All three Sour Kush flowers were a sprinkling of humor, clarity, and play on top of a relaxing body high.