I-95

At the High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2022, I-95 took 2nd place in the Indica flower category. The rest of the classification only partly agrees with this: a 2021 test report from Illinois does speak of an indica cross, whereas strain descriptions and a clone supplier list I-95 as a balanced hybrid. As early as 2019, a cross of Chem D and I-95 had taken 1st place among hybrid flowers at the Oklahoma Cannabis Cup.

Genetics and Origin:

The strain comes from Top Dawg Seeds. Strain descriptions name Money Mike as the breeder, while a trade magazine credits the cross jointly to JJNYC and Money Mike. The mother was a cross of Triangle Kush and Legend OG, the father a deliberately selected male phenotype of Stardawg IX2. Top Dawg put out I-95 in a limited run. According to the magazine, it is named after Interstate 95 between Florida and Maine, a highway with a reputation as a smuggling route.

I-95 has been used repeatedly in breeding. Top Dawg crossed it with Chem D to make ChemD I95, which is also listed under the name Chem de la Chem. Greenpoint Seeds combined I-95 with Stardawg for Night Rider, and Peach Crescendo F-1 is also named as an offspring.

Aroma and Flavor:

The common strain description records diesel fuel and a sour, pungent note. A trade magazine draws comparisons to gasoline, skunk spray and a pine-scented floor cleaner; a producer names skunk and fuel. According to a clone supplier, fuel and diesel come first, beneath them earthy kush and pine tones, and finally citrus zest and spicy herbs. The 2021 test report also found hops and sour lavender, and on the exhale cinnamon, citrus and pepper.

Users describe the flavor as partly earthy with pine and a hint of menthol, partly diesel-like. Individual reports mention a sweet side, and one was reminded of chewing gum.

Effects:

The effects come on quickly and strongly, writes the trade magazine, with an almost psychedelic rush and a stimulating phase that lasts for hours. The 2021 test report speaks of a clear, motivating head effect with a creative note, accompanied by a pronounced body feeling and muscular relaxation extending to a certain heaviness.

User reports differ. Several describe energy and focus at work, others mainly relaxation, one report drowsiness. Dry mouth is mentioned in 2 reports, a scratchy throat and coughing once each. One user reported nervousness, dizziness and headaches.

THC Content:

Strain descriptions give 19 to 20 % THC, and another names a range of 19 to 30 %. One description lists 1 % for CBG. For a batch from Illinois reviewed in 2021, the test report gives 28.66 % THCA and 0.67 % THC; this is a single measurement, and the lab is not stated.

The terpenes listed for this batch are myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene, humulene, linalool, α-terpineol and fenchol, without quantities. One strain description names limonene as the dominant terpene ahead of myrcene and caryophyllene, whereas a dispensary puts caryophyllene, myrcene and pinene in the foreground.

Cultivation:

Only regular seeds from Top Dawg are known; one strain description mentions indoor and outdoor cultivation. A clone supplier, whose information refers to Money Mike’s breeder cut, gives 8 to 9 weeks of flowering and moderate stretch. According to this, the plants grow to medium height with strong side shoots and short internodes and respond well to topping, LST and SCROG. Another strain description gives 8 to 10 weeks, noting that some cuttings are finished after only 60 to 65 days. Outdoors, harvest there falls between late September and October; the climate is described as warm with moderate, evenly maintained humidity, and the difficulty as moderate.

The light green flowers are considered very dense; the test report describes them as spade-shaped, with a dense coating of resin and dark orange pistils. The clone supplier emphasizes the resin-rich, calyx-dominant tips and the strong, lasting smell. According to the trade magazine, extract makers value I-95 because flavor and potency are retained in solventless processing just as in hydrocarbon extraction.