Not Your Papa's Grass: Old-School Cannabis Strains in the Modern World
Although some of the most fabled old-school strains of yesteryear can only be found in history books, many are still available to be enjoyed by cannabis enthusiasts worldwide. Written by Lucas Indrikovs.
Some of us may relish in our fathers’ stories of the good old days when cannabis landrace strains were king. Pure Sativas and Indicas, while being an outdated form of categorizing cannabis these days, were practically all that existed when our parents were part of the US counter-culture movement.
The uplifting, energizing, and motivating experience of smoking pure Sativa strains like Maui Wowie and Thai are now legendary amongst the old-heads in the California cannabis scene. The heavy, heady, couchlock effects from a pure Indica like Afghani are much easier to find in today’s cannabis landscape, thanks in part to the need to begin growing indoors, out of sight of law enforcement, in the 80s and 90s. But a pure Indica? Very hard to find.
Although some of the most fabled old-school strains of yesteryear can only be found in history books, many are still available to be enjoyed by cannabis enthusiasts worldwide. Let’s celebrate a few of our favorite maiden cultivars and the incredible strains they have brought into the world.
Maui Wowie
Pineapples, surfing, and ukeleles aren’t the only Hawaiian exports that made a lasting impact on the continental US and especially California culture. Maui Wowie is a classic Sativa cannabis strain popularized in the 60s and 70s when guys were rocking short shorts with mustaches, Magnum P.I. style. A cross of Hawaiian Skunk with an unknown landrace strain, Maui Wowie fueled countless beach smoke seshes thanks to its invigorating high-energy effects and delectable tropical fruit flavors.
Thankfully, the culturally iconic Maui Wowie strain is still around today in one way, shape, or form, and we’re sure the canna-dads in your life will be psyched to experience that cultivar again. If it’s pre-rolls your pops are after, Fuzzies’ hash-infused 1.5g king-sized pre-roll is a hard-hitting joint with flavor to match. If one joint isn’t enough, Baby Jeeter’s infused pre-roll 5-pack is the smorgasbord of tropical fruits that will keep on giving.
Look no further than ABX’s Maui Wowie gummies and Jetty Extracts’ 0.5g Pax pod for edibles or vape carts that taste like the islands themselves. Maui Wowie has also given life to several flavorful crosses like Baby Jeeter’s Mai Tai pre-rolls, which cross Maui Wowie X Tutti Frutti and are packed full of earthy citrus goodness. Cru took it one step further by crossing the infamous Gelato with Mai Tai to create a unique terpene profile reminiscent of a truffle soaked in citrus-infused gasoline. Maui Wowie is alive and well in the California cannabis landscape.
Original Haze
Created by the California-native Haze brothers in the 1970s (when Sativa was King), the lineage of Original Haze is a bit of a mystery. The most familiar tales mention a combination of Thai X Mexican Landrace X Indian Landrace strains resulting in one of the most famous and influential Sativa cultivars in cannabis history. Known for its energetic and creatively focused effects, our pops were enjoying Original Haze while wearing bell bottoms and cruising longboards through Santa Cruz. Talk about multitasking!
That spicy citrus and pungent soil flavor can still be found in innumerable modern strains today, thanks to the lasting influence of Original Haze. Unfortunately, pure Sativas are few and far between these days, but brands like Kurvana and Rove are keeping the legend alive with their Amnesia Haze and OG Haze 1g carts.
Other flowers like Dime Bag’s Haze Wreck (Haze X Trainwreck) and Cannabiotix’s Super Silver Haze (Skunk X Northern Lights X Haze) contain all the fruity, floral notes of its OG Haze lineage while introducing new flavors like cheese and sugary candies as a result of the Trainwreck and Northern Lights parentage. Last but never least, brands like Lost Farm are breathing new life into the Haze strain by utilizing the Super Silver Haze varietals for their strain-specific, strawberry-lemonade Live Resin gummies.
Your old man doesn’t need to reminisce about the old days when he has many different forms of Haze to enjoy in today’s world.
Afghani
Hailed as one of the top strains from the 60s-70s and named after its country of origin, the Aghani strain was one of the first true Indicas to hit the cannabis scene. Hash was the most popular way to consume Aghani back in the day, thanks to its resinous flowers that lend so well to hash production. Woody, sweet flavors, and heady, heavy effects that have you seeing double are what made Afghani so popular with the older generations.
Unfortunately, true Afghani flowers and concentrates are hard to come by these days, but Afghani has birthed so many new cultivars that its reputation is sure to live on. Crosses like High Garden’s Afghan Gooey (Afghan #1 X Maui Haze) and Jetpacks’ infused Afghan Gooey X G13 X Kush Mints pre-rolls contain all the earthy, herbal flavors and relaxed, euphoric effects that made Afghani legendary.
The Afghani strain is also responsible for spawning two other acclaimed strains that are ubiquitous in the California canna-scene. The first is Granddaddy Purple, a cross of Big Bud (Afghani X Skunk #1) and Purple Urkle, which you can enjoy from ABX’s 1g carts and PLUS’s grape-forward strain-specific gummies. The other lauded cultivar, a result of crossing Aghani X California Indica (Afghani X California Orange Bud), is LA Confidential. Jetty Extracts took the uplifting, skunky LA Confidential and used it for one of their most popular 0.5g Pax concentrate pods.
You don’t have to live in the golden age of Hollywood to experience the pure joy of consuming one of the most talked-about cultivars in the annals of cannabis.
Thai
Originally skewered with bamboo sticks, wrapped in cannabis leaves, and tied with hemp strings, Thai became massively fashionable in the 60s and 70s for cannabis enthusiasts on the hunt for an exotic smoking experience. Thai’s mango and pineapple flavors soaked in diesel fuel with a hint of fresh flowers helped this intensely-powered Sativa cultivar to gain recognition. Any canna-fathers needing a cerebral uplift before a long day of shredding some gnar waves praised the gods when they came across this strain.
This strain is perfect for the productive, active smoker that needs a strong wake and bake session to start their day. The original landrace Thai strain may be a relic of the past, but there are many crosses of Thai in existence today. Chemdawg is one of the most notorious Thai crosses combined with a Nepalese landrace. Farmer and the Felon’s Double OG Chem (Chemdawg X Double OG Sour) delivers that unleaded-dipped flower flavor along with Buddies’ Chemdawg Liquid Diamonds cart.
Cream of the Crop’s Mendo Thai (Mendo Breath X Pineapple Thai) will make your mouth water and your brain swim in bliss. Dime Bag’s Gorilla Dawg crosses three different Chem strains with Gorilla Glue #4 to combine Thai’s classic flavors and effects with GG4’s modern coffee-forward notes. The legendary Thai stain is also the grandfather of arguably the most influential cultivar of the last 30 years, OG Kush, by way of Chemdawg! Convince your dad to try Fuzzies’ king-sized 1.5g OG Kush pre-roll so he can experience the joys of this old-school strain in a modern cultivar.
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