Indica, sativa, hybrid, and CBD — decoded for first-timers and seasoned consumers. Plus a browseable list of strains commonly found at Burlington dispensaries.
Strain catalog
Each strain has its own page with terpenes, effects, lineage, Vermont availability, and FAQs.
Indica strains are typically associated with relaxing, sedating effects that affect the body more than the mind. They originated from mountainous regions of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, developing shorter, bushier growth habits and often producing dense, resinous buds.
Sativa strains are known for producing cerebral, uplifting effects that stimulate creativity and sociability. They originated in equatorial regions with longer growing seasons, developing tall plants with narrow leaves and longer flowering cycles.
Hybrids are crosses between indica and sativa strains, offering a blend of effects from both parent plants. Most cannabis available today is some form of hybrid, as breeders have spent decades crossing strains to achieve specific effect profiles.
Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in cannabis (and many other plants) that influence the plant's scent and contribute to its effects. Understanding terpenes is key to finding consistent experiences across different strains.
A beginner's guide to choosing your first cannabis product in Vermont.
Vermont's licensed dispensaries carry a mix of locally grown and national brands. These strains and product types frequently appear on Vermont menus:
Availability varies by dispensary and season. Contact your local dispensary for current stock.
Filter by type and scan profiles at a glance. Tap a card for full lineage, effects, terpenes, and Vermont availability notes.
A fast-acting, pungent sativa-leaning strain — 1990s lineage, still a favorite for daytime energy and creative work.
A clear-headed, creative sativa named for the cannabis legalization activist, bred by Sensi Seeds in 1990s Amsterdam.
A pure African landrace sativa from the South African port city of Durban — clean, fast, energizing, great for daytime productivity.
Sativa-dominant 70/30 hybrid (Cinderella 99 × Thai Sativa); Limonene-forward fresh-citrus energy, 18–22% THC, and best known as one of the parents of Zkittlez.
A punchy, energizing sativa with sharp focus — sometimes sold as "Green Cush" to avoid the original name.
A real cannabis strain behind the 2008 movie name — tropical, energetic, giggly, and widely available.
A legendary pure indica from the 1980s — the benchmark for deep body relaxation and sleep support.
The classic California purple indica — sweet grape and berry aroma, heavy body effects, and deep sleep support.
A West Coast indica with coffee and chocolate aromas and reliably strong sedative effects.
A sweet, dessert-aroma indica cross of Larry OG and Granddaddy Purple — heavy body effects with a euphoric opening.
A 1970s heirloom strain from breeder DJ Short — dense indica with unmistakable wild blueberry aroma.
California's classic daytime hybrid — Blueberry × Haze, widely regarded as the most popular cannabis strain ever sold.
The foundational West Coast strain behind GSC, Headband, and hundreds of "OG" crosses.
A high-THC West Coast hybrid originally called Girl Scout Cookies, now branded GSC — sweet mint and earthy flavor, potent relaxation.
Leafly's Strain of the Year 2019 — a potent Triangle Kush × Animal Mints hybrid with a vanilla-cake flavor.
An evenly balanced California hybrid — quick, potent onset with a signature sweet dessert aroma.
Leafly Strain of the Year 2020 — a Cookies Fam candy-sweet hybrid crossing Zkittlez and Gelato.
A Runtz phenotype selected for trichome density and potency — the frosty, high-THC expression of the Runtz line at 23–28% THC.
A Runtz phenotype selected for elevated Linalool and pink coloration — floral strawberry candy instead of earthy gassy candy.
Award-winning indica-leaning hybrid with a candy-sweet fruit flavor — won 1st place at the 2016 Emerald Cup.
A GSC phenotype with a sweet, fruity dessert aroma — widely used as a breeding parent.
A 1990s Dutch coffeehouse classic — balanced hybrid with distinctive frosty white trichomes.
Pungent garlic-and-diesel indica hybrid — GSC × Chemdawg, a favorite of connoisseurs for its unique aroma.
The foundational breeding strain behind MAC-1 and Cap Junky — Forum GSC × Aliendog, with a sweet dough-and-fuel aroma and earthy, indica-leaning body ease.
A heavy 70/30 indica-dominant hybrid by Purple City Genetics — Kush Mints × F1 Durb × Gushers — with layered mint-fruit-gas aroma and deeply sedating body effect.
A balanced, flavorful hybrid with creamy citrus and diesel notes — popular among modern connoisseurs.
A potent indica-leaning Cookies descendant — Gelato #25 × South Florida OG with a sweet, coffee-nutty aroma.
Archive Seed Bank's 2016 OG Kush Breath × Face Off OG cross — Leafly's Strain of the Year 2021, with a mint-cookie aroma and a euphoric opening that builds into deep indica body relaxation.
A sweet, indica-heavy Wedding Cake × Gelato #33 hybrid — creamy dessert aroma with strong sedation.
A CBD-dominant phenotype of Cannatonic — produces virtually no intoxication, popular with medical patients.
A roughly 5:2 CBD:THC sativa-leaning strain — clear-headed, mildly uplifting, and a classic medical choice.
A 1:1 CBD:THC balanced strain — often used as a baseline for patients titrating into cannabis therapy.
A fast, hard-hitting sativa-leaning hybrid — Mexican and Thai sativa crossed with Afghani indica.
A potent, resin-heavy hybrid that won multiple Cannabis Cups — Chem Sister × Sour Dubb × Chocolate Diesel.
A fruit-forward indica-leaning hybrid from the Sherbinski lineage — parent to Gelato and Runtz.
A Granddaddy Purple × Durban Poison cross — balanced, cheerful hybrid with an unmistakable tart cherry aroma.
A classic bright citrus sativa — Lemon Skunk × Silver Haze, great for daytime productivity and mood.
A sativa-dominant hybrid with a signature strawberry aroma — good for social settings and mood elevation.
Two-time Cannabis Cup winner — a Lemon Skunk × Super Silver Haze cross with bright citrus and haze notes.
Big Buddha Seeds' UK original — an Exodus Cheese × Blueberry cross with an unmistakable cheese-and-blueberry aroma.
Dark Horse Genetics' record-breaking OG Kush × Strawberry Diesel cross — BB#3 clocked 28.35% THC at the 2013 Denver Cannabis Cup.
The ancestor of OG Kush and Sour Diesel — Chemdawg traces to a 1991 Grateful Dead concert and remains one of the most genetically important cannabis varieties in the modern market.
Soma Seeds' multi-landrace Amsterdam sativa — a two-time High Times Cannabis Cup winner with an intense, long-lasting cerebral high.
The Hendrix-famous Haze × Purple Thai sativa — the most searched strain name in cannabis with a genuinely different personality depending on chemotype. Terpinolene-dominant batches deliver classic Haze cerebral energy; Myrcene-forward batches lean into the Purple Thai berry warmth. Daytime only; purple color is cosmetic.
3rd Coast Genetics Cookies and Cream × Secret Weapon — a high-potency Michigan dessert hybrid with dark chocolate-vanilla-diesel aroma and deep indica body effect.
The pure indica landrace from the Hindu Kush mountain range — the genetic ancestor of Bubba Kush, OG Kush, and most modern Kush strains.
The pure Afghani indica landrace — parent of Northern Lights and Blueberry and a co-parent of Skunk #1; the foundational heavy indica of the modern market.
A Hindu Kush × Afghani cross from Amsterdam's White Label Seed Company — high-THC indica with deep physical relaxation and a subtle citrus-earth aroma.
The original American Kush hybrid — Hindu Kush × Purple Afghani, bred in Oakland — with reliable purple coloration and a grape-and-earth aroma found in no other major Kush-family strain.
Apothecary Genetics' Mendocino Purps × Skunk × Afghani — the genetic parent of Zkittlez and the definitive musky Concord-grape indica.
DNA Genetics' back-to-back High Times Cannabis Cup Best Indica winner (2010, 2011) — an OG Kush selection with heavy body sedation and a loud gas-and-citrus aroma.
A 60/40 indica-leaning Seed Junky hybrid — Jealousy × Kush Mints — with creamy-cool dessert aroma and a more accessible THC ceiling than either parent.
A Jealousy × Thin Mint GSC cross that stacks the Cookies chocolatey-mint phenotype against Jealousy's dessert-cream — distinct from Jealousy Mintz, which uses Kush Mints instead.
Sensi Seeds' 1989 Cannabis Cup winner — Haze × Northern Lights, the parent of Lemon Haze and the predecessor to Super Silver Haze.
Jimmy Nitz / Pisces Genetics cross of Chemdog D × SFV OG Kush — a high-potency 70/30 indica-dominant with a motor-exhaust diesel aroma and deeply sedating body effect.
Symbiotic Genetics cross of Wedding Cake × Purple Punch — a balanced hybrid with grape-vanilla sweetness and calm, functional euphoria rather than couch-lock.
Seed Junky Genetics cross of Sunset Sherbet × Wedding Crasher — a Limonene-dominant balanced hybrid combining Sherbet's berry-citrus dessert sweetness with Wedding Crasher's grape-vanilla balance.
Minntz (Seed Junky × Berner) cross of Animal Mints × Kush Mints — the lightest and most sativa-leaning member of the Kush Mints family, named for its unmistakable lavender-mint-honeysuckle soap aroma.
Humboldt Seed Co. cross of Razzleberry × Purple Panty Dropper — an 80/20 indica with a genuine blueberry-muffin aroma and functional, non-couch-lock relaxation.
Exotic Genetix cross of GG4 × Cookies and Cream — a heavy indica-dominant hybrid combining GG4's diesel potency with Cookies and Cream's sweet vanilla-nutty aroma.
Compound Genetics' White Runtz × Jet Fuel Gelato — a very high-THC indica-dominant hybrid with candy-sweet fruit aroma layered over a pronounced fuel-and-cream base.
Deo Farms cross of Rainbow Sherbert (RS21) × Pink Guava — a balanced hybrid named for its distinctive soapy-floral aroma, produced by an unusual Limonene + Linalool terpene combination.
Deo Farms indica-dominant hybrid (Pink Guava × Sunset Sherbet, phenotype #11) — co-selected with Wizard Trees; tropical fruit plus gas aroma, Leafly HighLight January 2025. Heavier, more body-forward sibling of Zoap.
ThugPug Genetics cross of GMO Cookies × Mendo Breath F2 — layers GMO's garlic-diesel savory pungency with Mendo Breath's creamy earthy finish; Caryophyllene-forward, heavy indica, evening/nighttime use.
BC Bud Depot's GSC × Fire OG cross — the parent of Animal Mints (and through it Wedding Cake, Kush Mints, LA Kush Cake) and Apple Fritter; Caryophyllene-dominant, 75% indica, gassy-cookie aroma, heavy long-lasting sedation.
Gage Green Group's OGKB × Mendo Montage cross — unusual OG-family indica with sweet vanilla-caramel top notes; Caryophyllene-dominant, deeply relaxing, the parent strain behind ThugPug's Garlic Breath and Peanut Butter Breath.
ThugPug Genetics' Meatloaf × Mendo Breath F2 cross — the rarest of the Breath program trio; pungent savory-diesel with a distinctive meaty exhale, Caryophyllene-dominant, deeply sedating 70/30 indica; a hash-maker's favorite.
Cannarado Genetics' FPOG × Grape Pie cross — creamy grape candy and vanilla aroma with a subtle gas undertone, indica-leaning balanced effects, Caryophyllene and Limonene co-dominant. High Times 2018 recognition.
Northern California's foundational purple heirloom — parent of Grape Ape, ancestor of Zkittlez and Runtz on one branch, and contributor via Mendo Montage to Mendo Breath, Garlic Breath, and Peanut Butter Breath on the other. Myrcene-dominant, 18–22% THC. Rarely found as a standalone on Vermont menus; its terpene fingerprint runs through strains on almost every Vermont shelf.
A select phenotype of Mendocino Purps — NorCal's foundational purple clone — and the parent of Granddaddy Purple. Myrcene-dominant, 18–22% THC. Pure indica with a clean grape-and-plum aroma. Rarely found as a standalone on Vermont menus, but the genetic source of the entire modern purple family.
Tangie × Lemon Skunk by Crockett Family Farms — the Terpinolene-dominant sativa bridge between Tangie and Mimosa, with a layered orange-and-lemon citrus aroma and a 2015 High Times Cannabis Cup win for best sativa concentrate.
Availability varies by dispensary and season. Contact your local Vermont shop for current stock.
Now that you know what to look for, use these tools to find the right Vermont dispensary.
Every Friday. Deals, new strains, and one thing worth trying this week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
