Why Colorado Tokers Love Strawberry Cheesecake

If you're ever indecisive at the ice cream parlor, go with the strawberry cheesecake. At worst, you've got a mixture of strawberries and cheesecake that's hard to screw up. At best, it's Dairy Queen's premier Blizzard.

Any weed re-creating hints of strawberries, cheesecake or graham crackers is coming home with me. Sure, you can buy tasty infused strawberry cheesecake candy bars or find flavored distillate at dispensaries to puff with your nicotine-vaping friends, but that's not the same as crossing three timeless cannabis varieties to create Strawberry Cheesecake from nature. Put that in your Elf Bar and smoke it.

Strawberry Cheesecake is an old cross of White Widow, U.K. Cheese and the Chronic — which I always thought was a ubiquitous term for good ’90s weed — but apparently claims Northern Lights, Skunk and AK-47 as parents. Such a mix of legendary strains is sure to excite aging pot nerds, but the classics aren't always as good as people say they are, especially if the cultivation is subpar.

I'm grateful to report that, so far, Colorado's Strawberry Cheesecake has lived up to its Dairy Queen and Cold Stone reputations. Not only is the fruity, cheesy aroma close enough to the real thing, but the even-keeled high is ideal for a night inside with friends. As the weather gets colder, we're going to need strains like that.

Looks: Strawberry Cheesecake's buds typically look tall and spread out compared to newer strains, but the calyxes are compact enough. While the olive-green buds have relatively high pistil coverage by today's standards, the trichome blanket is still thick and sharp, thanks to the White Widow influence.

Smell: Strawberry Cheesecake's berry-like aroma is slightly sharp, but it smells more ripe than sour. Get the right cut, and you'll find a creamy, funky undertone and a zesty back end to round it out. When all three layers combine, it's easy to convince yourself that you just sniffed a skunky slice of strawberry cheesecake.

Flavor: Expect more of a woody, skunky hit from Strawberry Cheesecake, with those sweet berry notes playing in the background. The cheesy funk comes in strong on the exhale, though, and likes to linger around the cheeks for a few minutes.

Effects: The physical effects usually keep me inside, but creativity and sociability both increase after smoking. A book or documentary will suffice when alone, but aim for something more fulfilling, like cooking, room reorganization or finalizing travel plans, because the tunnel vision helps with getting things done. If the need to stretch and eat weren't so dominant, we'd have a top-tier daytime strain here — but a high made for game night isn't bad, either.

Where to find it: We've seen Strawberry Cheesecake at Ajoya, Berkeley Dispensary, Best High, Callie's Cannabis Shoppe, Canna City, the Center, Cherry Peak, Colorado Harvest Company, Complete Releaf, Dank, Elements Boulder, Golden Meds, Good Chemistry, Green Remedy, the Health Center, the Herbal Center, Herbs 4 You, Igadi, Jars Cannabis, Lightshade, Lit, Lova, Lowell Gardens, Magnolia Road Cannabis Co., Medicine Man, Morrison Gardens, Nature's Kiss, Park Hill Gardens, Police & Thieves, Rocky Road, Simply Pure, Silver Stem Fine Cannabis, Snaxland, Solace Meds, Stadium Gardens, Star Buds, the Stone, Strawberry Fields, Terrapin Care Station, Twin Peaks Dispensary and Unity Road.

Lion grows the majority of Strawberry Cheesecake flower in Denver dispensaries, but Terrapin Care Station grows an in-house version under the chain's Woods Reserve label, as well. Airo, Evolab and Kush Masters all make various extracted versions of the strain, while O.pen sells a distillate vape pen with strawberry cheesecake flavoring. Those more interested in artificial strawberry cheesecake flavoring might prefer O.pen's offering, but Iion's flower is the best take on the strain in Colorado right now. Although I'd love to see more competition, the Boulder cultivation's Strawberry Cheesecake effectively showcases notes of strawberries, funky cream and nutmeg.

Is there a strain you’d like to see profiled? Email [email protected].