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If you like cannabis that has a sour, citrusy, sweet, and fruity flavor, then a variety of sour strains might be right for you. On that note, if you like sativa strains that could make you feel a bit energetic, talkative, happy, and uplifted, then these sour strains might just be ideal for you.
However, there does seem to be some confusion at times, because sour itself is not a strain. Some people may use the word sour to describe various strains. When most people think of the word sour, they think of the Sour Diesel cannabis strain.
The reason we mention this is that the Sour Diesel strain is the original sour strain, the one which most, if not all, other sour strains are made with. All of the sour strains listed here today either are Sour Diesel or have Sour Diesel as a parent. Therefore it makes sense that a Sour Diesel be our main focus for the day.
So, first, we are going to take a closer look at Sour Diesel itself, just to see what this strain is all about. We will then move on to take a closer look at the best sour strains made with Sour Diesel.
Key Takeaways
- Sour Diesel is the original sour strain.
- This is a heavily sativa-dominant strain.
- Sour Diesel generally contains around 19% THC.
- It could produce a strong cerebral high.
A Quick Look at the Best Sour Strains
- Sour Diesel Strain
- Sour Hawaiian Haze Strain
- Sour Apple Strain
- Sour Strawberry Cookies Strain
- Sour Tangie Strain
What is the Sour Strain?
Sour Diesel is a sativa-dominant cannabis strain, one that is roughly 90% sativa and 10% indica. It is a cross between two other extremely popular and well-known cannabis strains, which we will take a closer look at below.
Because this is a sativa, it’s known by some as energizing, uplifting, and it could produce a strong cerebral high. It comes complete with around 19% THC, so it is moderately potent, yet ideal for both beginners and seasoned smokers alike.
Sour Strain Appearance
The buds of Sour Diesel are often quite dense. They can be fairly hard, kind of like little pebbles. Although not perfectly spherical, the Sour Diesel buds are quite round, once again, somewhat resembling small pebbles.
For the most part, these buds are light green, although there might be some darker green leaves.
That said, most of the time, the light or lime green leaves are accented by orange, or almost red hairs or pistils, along with a relatively healthy dose of white crystals on the exterior. It can sometimes grow as quite the colorful and eye-catching strain.
Sour Strain Genetics
Sour Diesel is made by crossing two very popular strains, Super Skunk and Chemdawg. Super Skunk is made by crossing Skunk #1 with Afghani, and this is a somewhat balanced yet slightly indica-dominant strain with roughly 16% THC. We then have Chemdawg, which is a sativa-dominant hybrid with roughly 18% THC.
Sour Strain Terpenes
There are a few dominant terpenes in the Sour Diesel strain, including myrcene, limonene, and pinene. It is the limonene that many believe provides this strain with its citrusy and sour flavor.
Sour Strain Effects
What many people like about the Sour Diesel strain is that it is very uplifting in nature. This is known as an extremely sativa-dominant strain, so its effects may be focused mainly on the cerebral side of things. In other words, you could feel this strain in your head.
You may feel happy, euphoric, elated, lightheaded, floaty, and like you are up in the clouds. You may also feel a bit energetic, uplifted, giggly, talkative, social, and just cognitively impaired in general.
You might also feel a slight sense of relaxation and heaviness from the indica side of things, although it is believed that it is the sativa side of things that is dominant here.
Sour Strain Reported Flavors
As the name of the strain implies, here you may taste diesel or fuel, along with lemon and citrus, and just fruitiness in general. Some people equate this strain to smoking what is essentially diesel-flavored lemons.
Sour Strain Growing Info
The Sour Diesel strain grows best in an outdoor climate where it is relatively dry and with a moderate temperature between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. When grown indoors, it has a flowering time of roughly 77 days.
When grown outdoors, it should be ready for harvest sometime in the middle of the fall. This strain is relatively resistant to various pests and mold if you maintain a humidity of less than 60%. It is not too difficult to grow overall, although it does like to stretch while it flowers. You can expect Sour Diesel to have a decent yield.
Strains Like Sour Strain
Some strains that are similar to Sour Diesel include the ones that we are about to discuss below, including Sour Hawaiian Haze, Sour Apple, Sour Strawberry Cookies, and Sour Tangie.
Best Sour Strains
Now that we know what the original sour strain is all about, Sour Diesel, let’s take a look at some other popular options.
1. Sour Diesel Strain
Of course, we already covered the Sour Diesel, so we aren’t going to spend too much time explaining it.
Lineage
This is a cross between Chemdawg and Super Skunk.
Taste/Effects
It features a lemony-diesel flavor and produces a very strong cerebral head high.
Photo Courtesy of Smoke Unicorn
2. Sour Hawaiian Haze Strain
To be clear, there are various versions of this strain, but here we are talking about one that has Sour Diesel as a parent. This is a 70% sativa-dominant strain that features a fairly low THC level of roughly 15%.
Lineage
Although the exact origins of this strain can be a bit cloudy, based on research, this strain is made by crossing a byproduct of Hawaiian Haze and Gorilla Glue #4 with Sour Diesel. The result is a heavily sativa-dominant strain.
Taste/Effects
The sour Hawaiian Haze strain features an extremely earthy, citrusy, tropical, and woody flavor. In terms of its effects, you will likely feel a strong cerebral head high characterized by euphoria, feeling floaty, uplifted, and slightly energetic. You may feel a bit of relaxation and heaviness from the indica side of things, although you should not feel tired.
Photo Courtesy of Smoke Unicorn
3. Sour Apple Strain
The Sour Apple strain is a sativa-dominant hybrid with roughly 17% THC, so it’s not overly strong, and, therefore, a great buy for beginners.
Lineage
Sour Apple, otherwise known as Sour Apple Diesel, is made by crossing Cinderella 99 with Sour Diesel.
Taste/Effects
Although this strain is sativa-dominant, it also features a body high from the indica side of things. You will likely feel a bit heavy, relaxed, and even slightly sedated.
However, you will also potentially feel a relatively strong cerebral high characterized by feeling floaty, uplifted, and giggly. As the name of the strain implies, the main flavor you will get here is that of sour apple, almost like a Granny Smith.
4. Sour Strawberry Cookies Strain
Here we have a very interesting sour strain made by crossing four different parent strains, with the result being a fairly well-balanced hybrid.
Lineage
The Sour Strawberry Cookies strain is made by crossing Razz, Strawberry Cough, Sour Bubble, and East Coast Sour Diesel. The result is a relatively well-balanced strain with roughly 15% THC.
Taste/Effects
This strain has a very interesting and complex flavor profile characterized by citrus, diesel, fuel, strawberries, and fruitiness. As for its effects, here you will feel both the sativa and the indica side of things. You’ll probably feel quite a strong body high, as well as a cerebral high.
5. Sour Tangie Strain
We then have Sour Tangie, a sativa strain with roughly 18% THC. It’s mellow enough for beginners, yet strong enough for seasoned veterans.
Lineage
Sour Tangie is made by crossing Tangie with East Coast Sour Diesel, with the result being a heavily sativa-dominant strain.
Taste/Effects
This strain tastes like tangerines, citrus, and diesel. As for its effects, it is uplifting, creative, and energetic in nature. It produces quite a powerful cerebral high. it may also make you feel a bit talkative and giggly.
How We Made Our Top Choices for the Best Sour Strains
There were a few key criteria that we kept an eye on when choosing the best sour strains to recommend to you, so let’s take a quick look.
Lineage
One of the main considerations we kept in mind is lineage. The strains we talked about today are all descendants of Sour Diesel, the original sour strain.
Flavor
We also chose strains that have enjoyable flavors. Of course, because they all come from Sour Diesel, you can expect them to have citrusy and diesel-like flavors. However, the strains that Sour Diesel is crossed with, which result in the strains we spoke about today, all have some very interesting flavor profiles.
Potency
We also attempted to choose strains to showcase to you that have varying potencies, ranging from 15 up to 20% THC. We did try to choose strains that were fairly mild, as opposed to high THC strains, as sativa strains like Sour Diesel and its descendants are ideal for daytime use.
Effects
We also chose the strains we spoke about today based on their effects. We did our best to choose strains that are very sativa-dominant, so for most people, they are uplifting, talkative, energetic, and euphoric in nature.
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Sour Strains: Frequently Asked Questions
Before we call it a day, let’s just answer all of your most pressing questions about these sour strains.
How Many Sour Strains Are There?
At this time, there are 92 or more strains that have Sour Diesel in their lineages.
Are Sour Strains Indica or Sativa?
These sour strains are usually always sativa-dominant but depending on the other parent strain, they might have some indica-like effects as well.
Is Sour a Strong Strain?
Strains like Sour Diesel usually aren’t overly strong, and generally, top out at around 20% THC.
Is Sour Diesel a Good Strain?
Yes, Sour Diesel is an absolutely fantastic sativa strain, which is why it has so many offspring.
What Strain is Sour OG?
Sour OG is a cross between OG Kush and Sour Diesel, resulting in a well-balanced hybrid with both a body and head high.
Best Sour Strains: Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Sour Diesel is one of the most iconic strains in the cannabis world, one that virtually everyone has heard of. This is for good reason because it has an enjoyable daytime high along with a diesel and citrusy flavor. It’s definitely something we recommend trying.
Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission when you click links in this content. Our professional curators independently research and recommend products and services, with no newsroom involvement. Merchants can pay for a sponsored listing and may choose to rewrite their summary. When that happens, we label the listing as “Sponsored” and highlight it in grey to differentiate the merchant-provided content from our writing.