Black Cherry Soda is an eye-catching hybrid strain with the dense bud structure characteristic of Indica, but a mobile, cerebral high more typical of Sativa. As its name implies, Black Cherry Soda is prized for a unique taste but is also notable for its vivid color. While its exact parentage is unknown, this strain’s potency is obvious: THC content ranges from 19 to 30%.

Buds of Black Cherry Soda are immediately distinguished by their color, which can vary from green with distinct traces of light purple to a vivid, uniform dark purple without any hint of green. Buds also have noticeably fewer orange hairs. This hybrid’s Indica genetics are evident in its sticky, trichome-laden texture and its tightly packed flowers. The dried buds should smell fruity with notes of berry and some earthiness. Flavor is key - this strain really does taste like a black cherry soda, with a surprisingly creamy aftertaste observed on second or third hits.

With its energizing and sharp cerebral effects, Black Cherry Soda is well-suited to daytime productivity. Recreational users report sustained creativity and enthusiasm, and a general sense of euphoria. The initially cerebral, head-buzzing effects are complemented by a mild body high. Although Black Cherry Soda is low in CBD, its positive medical attributes include stress relief and stimulation of appetite. 

Cultivators of Black Cherry Soda will find success growing the strain both indoors and outdoors. Plants average about five to six feet tall and begin to flower after eight weeks. The strain produces a solid yield with large, chunky colas and a good leaf to bud ratio. 

Some grow notes on this strain’s purple hues: Cannabis flowers turn purple due to the presence of anthocyanins, pigment molecules in the plant’s cells that lurk just beneath the more well-known pigment chlorophyll. In the same way that foliage changes color in colder autumn weather, the anthocyanins in cannabis buds become more stimulated (and produce more purple) if the plant is exposed to a cooler environment in the flowering stage. Black Cherry Soda has been bred to contain a high volume of active anthocyanins, so depending on the phenotype of your seeds, you’ll see varying degrees of saturated purple in the mature buds.

Although some traditionalists see this strain’s standout color as nothing more than gimmicky