Today, we're travelling back in time to uncover the history of the renowned Cheese cannabis strains. If the unique, tangy aroma of these strains has ever aroused your curiosity, get ready for an intriguing, detailed exploration where we cover everything from age and origin to growing tips and some of the best Cheese varieties on Seedsman.
The Making Of Cheese
A quick search into the history of Cheese cannabis will see you encounter terms like "legend has it" and "the story goes", which only adds to the mysticism around the origins of these pungent cultivars. It's not exactly cloak-and-dagger stuff, but it does create an air of intrigue. So, what do we actually know about Cheese?
Our journey begins in the 1980s, when the legendary California breeder, Sam The Skunkman, set sail for The Netherlands in his quest to get serious about genetics. Sam was already making waves as the father of Skunk #1, a strain so genetically solid that it remains a breeding staple to this day. Nevertheless, Sam took his award-winning strain with him, and Dutch breeders loved its fast turnaround speed. What they didn't love quite so much was Skunk #1's pungent aroma, as they feared it would attract the kind of attention growers were keen to avoid. Sam rolled up his sleeves and started breeding out Skunk #1's intense odour. The Skunk seeds Sam was breeding came from two different parents, which led to huge variations from one phenotype to the next.
The story takes a twist when, sometime in the late 80s, a batch of Skunk #1 seeds turned up in the United Kingdom. An avid cultivator discovered a standout Skunk #1 phenotype with a distinctly potent, cheese-like aroma. This phenotype quickly earned the moniker "Cheese," boasting a captivatingly musky and sour dairy scent and a powerfully soothing high. The Exodus Collective, a counterculture community in southern England who hosted free parties throughout the UK, is often accredited as the original breeders of this strain, but there remains differing accounts of this, too. Some say the original pheno was a clone, others tell a different story. It's said that, over several years, the breeders painstakingly engaged in in-house breeding, selecting the most desirable traits in each successive generation. This laborious process led to stabilising the Cheese strain, now dubbed Exodus Cheese, propelling its rise as a celebrated sensation first throughout the UK and eventually around the globe.
Geographical Trajectories: Sailing The Seas Of Cheese
Although Cheese strains have become internationally famous, their roots are firmly in the United Kingdom. Cheese is an authentic British strain that originated and thrived within the dynamic UK underground cannabis scene. The unique genetics of Cheese became a standout among cannabis cultivators and consumers alike, quickly making it a staple of British cannabis culture.
As the popularity of the Cheese strains skyrocketed in the UK, their influence began to spread across the European continent. Eventually, these strains found their way to North America, where they continued to captivate cannabis enthusiasts with their unique profile, and today, the Cheese strains are cherished worldwide, with breeders across the globe eagerly incorporating their unique genetics into new strains.
Genetic Adventures: Crossbreeding Of Cheese Strains
Cheese’s genetic journey is a fascinating tale worth telling. It's primarily a hybrid of Skunk #1 and Afghani, an amalgamation that delivers balanced effects. As its popularity grew, breeders began marrying Cheese genetics with other well-loved strains, resulting in a host of new varieties with unique and desirable traits.
Take, for instance, the Blue Cheese strain. By crossing a Blueberry male with a Cheese female, breeders managed to marry the sweet, fruity flavour of Blueberry with the infamous Cheese funk. This tongue-teasing concoction has been an absolute hit among consumers who enjoy a deliciously fragrant cannabis experience.
Mila Jansen, widely known as the "Hash Queen," deserves special mention here as the creator of the Big Buddha Cheese strain, which amplified the Cheese genetic line in a significant way. Mila backcrossed Cheese with an Afghani variant, crafting a strain that retains the original Cheese flavour and enhances the yield significantly.
Tips For Growing Cheese Cannabis Strains
If you're contemplating the cultivation of Cheese cannabis strains, here are a few nuggets of wisdom that could help your endeavour:
Space Management: Cheese strains are notorious for their upward growth. As taller indicas, they require ample vertical space, so make sure your growing area can accommodate their stretch.
Climate Preference: Cheese strains typically prefer a warm, dry climate with low humidity. Outdoor growers should consider this when choosing a location, while indoor growers might need to invest in climate control equipment. 70-80°F is around the sweet spot for Cheese strains.
Plant Training:The Screen of Green (ScrOG) method can help manage the plant's height while maximising the yield. This training technique can be particularly beneficial for indoor growers with limited space.
Ventilation: Proper ventilation is crucial, especially given the dense bud structure of Cheese strains. Adequate airflow can help prevent issues like bud rot and mold, ensuring a healthy crop.
Nutrient Requirements: Cheese strains need a balanced diet of nutrients for optimal growth. Regular feeding, coupled with careful pH management of the soil, can lead to a more productive and rewarding harvest. Cheese strains tend to grow happily in soil or hydro.
Cheese Strains Showcase: Top Picks From Seedsman
Seedsman offers a splendid selection of Cheese strains. Here are five exceptional options, and they won’t set you back too much cheddar:
Bubba Cheesecake
The latest Cheese addition to the Seedsman catalogue, Bubba Cheesecake, features those famed Exodus Cheese genetics at its very core. It’s a 70% indica-dominant hybrid with high THC content, above 20%. Growers should allow for a short vegetative growth period due to the insane stretch Bubba Cheesecake experiences. These super-tall cultivars can stretch to 350cm when grown outdoors.
Indoors, flowering lasts 60-65 days and will yield up to 550gm/m2. In contrast, outdoor cultivation can see yields as high as a phenomenal 800gm/plant! If you like big, dense, resin-covered buds, you’ll love Bubba Cheesecake. There’s an intriguing licorice taste, beautifully offset by a sweetness from the Wedding Cake component of the genetics.
Strawberry Cheesecake Auto
By crossing Strawberry Banana Auto with a Cheese Auto, Seedsman created an intriguing autoflower with excellent yield potential and a memorable flavour profile. We’re claiming bonus points for the unique appearance of this fascinating cultivar, too.
Strawberry Cheesecake Auto is an indica-dominant hybrid and takes 12-13 weeks on its journey from seed to harvest. It’s a reasonably squat plant, finishing in the region of 140-175cm, but is covered in buds and foliage – so keep humidity under control to avoid the dreaded mold. Those big, dense buds are covered in resin, making Strawberry Cheesecake Auto an excellent pick for makers of extracts and concentrates.
Taste-wise, this girl is heavy on the Skunk but ably backed by a cast of sweet, fruity notes and hints of invigorating lemon. THC content is around 15%, making it a suitable strain for daytime use as the effect isn’t so powerful as to cause couch-lock.
Seedsman Cream and Cheese CBD 1:1
If you’re after something a bit different – and a bit special – Cream and Cheese CBD 1:1 is just the tonic. With a THC:CBD ratio close to 1:1, this therapeutic powerhouse combines the best of a Seedsman CBD phenotype with the classic UK Cheese itself.
It’s a mostly-indica variety with a flowering time of around 9 weeks and is suitable for all environments and grow media. Cream and Cheese CBD 1:1 has excellent yield potential, offering between 400-600gm/m2 when grown indoors, and outdoor cultivators could harvest as much as a phenomenal 800gm/plant!
While the high CBD content cancels out the heavy narcotic effect of its Cheese parent, it retains a tremendously relaxing body effect without the mental fog. The taste is what Cheese-lovers dream of; Cream and Cheese CBD 1:1 keeps all the sharpness of flavour you’d expect in a robust Cheese variety.
Exodus Cheese
Greenhouse Seed Co bills Exodus Cheese as “the only official original Cheese”, and sure enough, its lineage is Original Cheese, a Skunk phenotype. Exodus is the original strain that started the Cheese phenomenon.
To get the most out this plant, it’s best to use plant training techniques. SCRoG, in particular, will help, but plant supports will be useful as the buds get heavy on this mostly-indica variety. After an 8-week flowering period, it’ll all be worth it when you’re harvesting up to 800gm/m2 or 800gm/plant whether you grow indoors or out.
Exodus Cheese has flavour in spades, and you’ll be pleased to hear Cheese is to the fore; however, it’s complemented by an earthiness and musky, woody scents that add intrigue and quality. With a THC content of around 18%, expect a powerful and long-lasting body effect from this phenomenal phenotype.
Blueberry Cheese
If you like a side of fruit with your cheese, Barney’s Farm has created a delectable strain by crossing Original Cheese with Blueberry. This is an 80% indica, high-THC strain, packing around 23% - so it’s as powerful as it is flavourful.
Blueberry Cheese grows in the classic indica manner – short, stocky, and with plenty of dense buds. It prefers indoor growing, and flowering time is around 8 weeks. Yields are impressive, with up to 650gm/m2 achievable under the right conditions.
The flavour is as amazing as the name suggests, with the sweetness of blueberries complimenting the sharpness of the cheese to perfection. The effect of this strain is supreme relaxation, bordering on downright bliss.
