Kyle Kushman, a former High Times editor, developed Strawberry Cough largely by chance in 2000. Kushman claims to have received a small a clone from a fellow breeder — a runt, the clone had allegedly been grown next to a strawberry patch somewhere in Connecticut. Kushman was struck by the clone’s pungent strawberry scent — he dubbed the strain Strawberry Field, and eventually crossed it with a Haze plant. The result was Strawberry Cough, a hybrid that tastes soft and sweet and delivers a solidly cerebral high. Kushman built a buzz around Strawberry Cough’s in New York City’s underground cannabis market. He then moved out west to focus on cultivation in California and handed out clones of Strawberry Cough on the cross-country drive, boosting its popularity even more.

The strain’s award-winning flowers are large and chunky. Despite its dominant sativa genetics, Strawberry Cough has a more indica-typical bud structure, with solid and densely-packed leaves. The sativa genes show, however, in the buds’ tapered, conical shape, less like popcorn and more like tiny pinecones.

The flowers are covered in cloudy amber trichomes that lend the leaves a slightly yellowish appearance. Red — rather than orange — pistils are threaded through the sticky leaves. The mild scent of strawberries wafts up from the buds, mixed with a little bit of peppery spice. When buds are combusted, they give off a herbal cloud, reminiscent of parent strain Haze. Smoke from this strain is typically harsh, causing many users to cough and sometimes leading their eyes to water. The initial taste is of ripe strawberries, without any hint of skunkiness or musk. On the exhale, the strawberry flavor has some more sweetness. This saccharine berry scent lingers for a while after users have toked.