Cheese

Cheese, the first-ever commercial Cannabis strain from the UK, dominates the international weed scene to this day.

Cheese, the first-ever commercial Cannabis strain from the UK, dominates the international weed scene to this day.

Strain Name: Cheese (clone-only)
Breeder: Exodus Crew
Genetics: 75% sativa / 25% indica
Origins: Skunk #1 (Possibly x Afghani or Northern Lights)
Flowering: Around 48 days
Outdoor Harvest: Mid-September through early October

Strain Name: Cheese
Breeder: Big Buddha Seeds
Genetics: 60% sativa / 40% indica
Origins: Cheese x The Kali (Afghani)
Flowering: 49 to 63 days
Outdoor Harvest: End of October through early November

History of the Origins of Cheese

Cheese is regarded as the most famous variety – if not the only one that the majority of folks know about – originating in the United Kingdom. Single-handedly carrying the torch for ‘British weed’, the Cheese has a storied past that is directly attributable to two different breeders, Big Buddha Seeds and the Exodus crew – a.k.a. the ‘Luton Massive’. 

Rumour has it that, back in 1988 or 1989, a special female phenotype was selected after growing a pack of original Skunk #1 from The Seed Bank (pre-cursor to the Flying Dutchmen and Sensi Seeds) in the Chiltern area of England. The scent was particularly dank and cheesy, while the large buds were impressive and sturdy. This selection was cloned and dubbed ‘Cheese’. Some folks speculate that the Skunk #1 selection was then crossed with an Afghani or Northern Lights, due to its spicy undertones and bud structure, although others insist that the original Cheese was simply a specially-selected Skunk #1 pheno.

Seven or eight years later, in around 1995, a clone was given to the Exodus crew, a community living near Luton in Haz Hall, known locally as ‘The Manor’. A bastion of tolerance and self-preservation, Exodus was famous for promoting an alternative lifestyle, throwing generous parties, Cannabis cultivation and its support of pot legalisation efforts in the UK. Exodus was also responsible for launching CANABIS, the Campaign Against Narcotic Abuse Because of Ignorance in Society.

In the late 1990s, Big Buddha crossed a Cheese clone with a spicy Afghani male known as ‘The Kali’, then back-crossed this result with the Cheese mother plant over the course of two years. Stable genetics resulting in variable, yet desirable, phenotypes offered experienced growers the opportunity to select the perfect blend of sativa and indica, as well as specific flavours, flowering time and yield. This was also the first time that Cheese genetics would be publicly offered in seed form, rather than difficult-to-source clones.

Cheese Cultivation, Phenotypes and Effect

The Exodus cut shows slightly more sativa than the Buddha version, with thinner leaves and a more ‘leggy’ appearance. The wild lateral development of this version requires the employment of stakes, yoyos or other means of plant support, in order to keep up with the medium to heavy yield that will tax slender lateral branches. However, if the original genetics are accessed (clone-only), the results will naturally be much more predictable and consistent.

The Big Buddha Cheese or BBC stretches slightly during pre-flower and the inter-nodal spaces will continue to lengthen throughout the flowering period. The Afghani indica content assists in shortening the flowering cycle and balancing out the heady high of the Colombian and Mexican genetics. Although the scent may not be particularly remarkable during the early weeks of flowering, in the final weeks, a pungent aroma that only intensifies after harvesting is released, in addition to explosive trichome production.

The BBC strongly resembles the classic Skunk #1 from the Flying Dutchmen label, while the Exodus cut tends to exhibit slightly more sativa-dominant phenotypes. The BBC can easily be trained to grow fat and bushy, with good lateral branching. Leaves showcase a definite 60/40 blend, with the sativa dominance thinning the leaves and adding a golden tone to the typical dark green Afghani foliage. 

Colas are perhaps more spindly than those of more indica-dominant strains, but the density and tendency of the flowers to cling to the stalks provide much more yield than is first apparent. Buds are compact and may appear slightly smaller than expected during the early flowering stages; while the yield may be lower than preferred, the potent, creeping effect means that less weed needs to be smoked in order to achieve complete intoxication. In spite of this compact quality, the strain is known for being relatively mould-resistant.

Those seeking spicy, old-school pot flavours should stock some Cheese in their library. A woodsy, musky scent that can only come from this strain makes it easy to identify by smell alone. Anyone who has tried to carry some Cheese around in public knows full well that double-bagging is a minimum requirement, although it is probably best to just leave this one at home in your rolling tray. Growers have reported unusually high rates of police raids when cultivating this strain, second only to NYC Diesel in its ability to get growers busted from smell alone.

Both the Exodus Cheese and the BBC respond well to the bonsai technique of removing the central cola, as well as topping and FIMing, although sea-of-green (SOG) and screen-of-green (SCROG) techniques are also possible. Either version can be encouraged to grow short and stocky, plus, the relatively short flowering time makes this a suitable variety for colder regions, where a limited growing season usually makes sativa cultivation difficult or impossible.

Hybrids Related to Cheese

Big Buddha’s Blue Cheese (Blueberry x Cheese) is an indica-dominant gem that provides mostly Cheese genes with a hint of Blueberry, due to a special selection process and growing out copious amounts of progeny. For Diesel lovers, the Chiesel (Cheese x NYC Diesel) combines two of the stinkiest strains in history to offer an extremely unusual, fuel-like flavour with a trippy sativa high. What Cheesewreck (Cheese x Trainwreck) lacks in flavour is made up by its potent couch-lock effect. Old-school aficionados will appreciate Cheesus (Cheese x God Bud), Toe Jam (Cheese x Flo) and Swiss Cheese (Cheese x Swiss Miss), while devotees of Soma should check out SoGouda (Blueberry x Cheese x G13 Haze).