Khalifa Kush

The parentage of Khalifa Kush was long treated as a secret until Berner of Cookies disclosed it, saying it is simply the South Florida OG cut that Cookies also used for Girl Scout Cookies. The strain is therefore not a cross but a selection from OG Kush. Berner had grown the plant personally, Wiz Khalifa liked it, and the rapper received it for exclusive use. Pedigree records trace South Florida OG further back to an unknown strain from the Emerald Triangle and Hindu Kush.

Genetics and Origin:

Cookie Fam Genetics is listed as the breeder; other descriptions attribute the selection to Cookie Co. 415, a dispensary in San José. According to the Khalifa Kush brand, the strain originated in the early 2010s for the musician's private stash, while one strain description gives 2012. In 2016 the brand brought its first products to the legal US market. Classification varies between hybrid and indica-dominant with 80 % indica. Common aliases are KK, Wiz Khalifa OG and Kalifa Kush.

Khalifa Kush is a parent of several more recent strains. Compound Genetics crossed it with The Menthol to make Khalifa Mints and Baby Yoda. The brand calls Khalifa Mints its first official cross, while a 2024 press report names the brand itself as the breeder. James Loud Genetics used Khalifa Kush for First Class Tangie with Purple Tangie and for Soda Baby with Grape Lava Cake.

Aroma and Flavor:

In the descriptions, lemon and pine form the core of the scent, with an earthy base and a note reminiscent of fuel underneath. Two reviewers noted that the flowers smell distinctly gassier after grinding. Pepper, sour and spicy are also mentioned, and individual reports note cheese or skunk tones. The flavor is described as sour lemon, pine and an earthy aftertaste.

Limonene, myrcene and caryophyllene are regarded as the lead terpenes. A single measurement, reproduced by a strain description without naming the lab or year, found them in reverse order: 0.553 mg/g caryophyllene, 0.439 mg/g myrcene and 0.296 mg/g limonene. Blimburn Seeds lists myrcene, limonene and alpha-pinene for its own version.

Effects:

Consumers describe a strong effect that sets in with euphoria, cheerfulness and giggling and then shifts into physical relaxation. Blimburn Seeds describes a similar course for its own version, from stimulating to calm and reflective. How heavy the second phase turns out is perceived differently: some find the strain strongly sedating and sleep-inducing, others find it stimulating and creative despite its indica-dominant classification. One reviewer reports tingling and damp hands, another slight light-headedness. Dry mouth, dry eyes and nervousness are also named as side effects.

THC and CBD Content:

For the Cookie Fam Genetics version, 26 to 29 % THC and around 2 % CBD are given. Blimburn Seeds lists 26 to 30 % THC, and Zamnesia 26 % for its autoflower version. Reviews of flowers from the US market cite tested values of 26.87 % (2020), 27.69 % (2022) and 33 % THC (2026); the reviewer considered the highest value too high in view of the effect felt. A medical flower of this strain grown in Canada is listed with 27.8 % THC and 1 % CBD. At the lower end is a single measurement of 21 % THC and 0.04 % CBD. Values vary by batch, cultivation and phenotype.

Versions from Different Breeders:

For Cookie Fam Genetics, feminized seeds with about 70 days of flowering are recorded, suitable for indoor, outdoor and greenhouse. Blimburn Seeds lists a feminized version that appears in pedigree records as a cross of Khalifa Kush with itself, and gives 8 to 10 weeks of flowering, 400 to 500 g/m² indoors, 400 to 500 g per plant outdoors, 1.5 m height outdoors and a harvest in October. From Zamnesia comes an autoflower version that, according to the producer, needs 10 to 11 weeks from seed to harvest and is said to yield up to 500 g/m². Its parents are listed inconsistently, once as OG Kush Auto and OG Kush, elsewhere as Auto OG Kush and Khalifa Kush.

Cultivation:

Blimburn Seeds describes the plant as compact and robust, with a strong main stem, sturdy side branches and moderate stretch. The flowers become very dense and resinous, which is why the breeder provides for stakes or trellis netting as support. The breeder rates resistance to pests and diseases as good and cultivation as comparatively easy. During flowering the strain smells so strong, according to Blimburn, that activated carbon filters are necessary. Outdoors it needs sunny, warm locations; for cooler regions the breeder names the greenhouse. Topping and LST are given as means of controlling height and shape; one grower reports a good response to topping and SCROG.