Golden Goat. Mango Tango. Underdawg. These are just some of the strains—and interesting names—you’ll find at Altitude the Dispensary, one of the best weed shops in Denver and Aurora. But just how did these strain names come to be? Johnny Green in The Weed Blog says: “I always think about how people that are new to the marijuana culture don’t realize the evolution in strain names.” He theorizes that many names are just another layer of descriptive slang for the already-established slang terms of high-grade marijuana. But if that’s too complicated to think about, generally speaking, strain names are picked by their growers and reflect the strain’s taste, color, smell, and/or geographic origins.
The following stories explain how some of Altitude the Dispensary’s strains got their names:

1. Lemon Skunk (Hybrid) – Formed by a cross between two skunks selected for their lemon characteristics, the lemon mother came from Las Vegas and the skunk father came from Holland. The result is a sweet citrus-tasting bud.
2. Blue Dream (Sativa) – Originating in northern California, Blue Dream is the result of crossing a Haze plant from the Santa Cruz area with DJ Short’s Blueberry. The bud is dense with blue and purple hues, which help lend to the name.
3. Green Krack (or Crack) (Indica) – Bred in Athens, Georgia, in the 1970s, this medium-green-colored strain was originally named Cush. It was only after a well-known rap and hip-hop artist became aware of its extreme potency that it was renamed.
4. Whitaker Blues (Indica) – An Oregon heritage cross, Whitaker Blues came from a West Coast mother called “Quimby” and a Blueberry father, also from the West Coast. Together, they produced a bud that has blue and violet hues at the end of the flowering cycle.
5. Girl Scout Cookies (Hybrid) – Developed by the elusive Cookie Family, the original strain of Girl Scout Cookies is hard to come by and carries with it a lot of lore. But this sweet, dessert-named strain may be making its rounds this way, according to a member of the Cookie Family: “We call these Fortune Cookies... It’s when people buy a bag of Girl Scout Cookies, open up a bud, and there’s a seed inside it. It’s an inside joke.”

Intrigued by a particular strain, whether indica, sativa, or hybrid? Check out Altitude the Dispensary’s broad selection, in stores or online. Their knowledgeable budtenders can guide you through each product, explain the differences and nuances between strains, and even regale you with some of their own naming stories.