Top 10 Best Sativa Strains

In this dank new world of endless choices, when deciding what strain to grow next, the first thing you have to do is make the most important, most basic choice: indica or sativa. Indica brings on the chill-out, kick back, mellow, physical buzz while sativa is the more cerebral, energetic, and focused bud that lets you be productive with your buzz. If you settled on sativa, we’ve prepared a handy guide of the 10 best sativa strains for you!

Most of the strains you will see below are sativa-dominant hybrids which are crossbred between indica and sativa strains. In this day and age, even the most unblemished sativas fall into an only 90-100% percentage ratio of sativa to indica.

So what we’ve done here is try to find the purest punch-packing sativas for you, with sativas ranging from 90% to 60-40 splits. In no particular order, here’s a round up of the best sativas, a diverse list that covers all kinds from strains friendly to growers to the strains that will knock you out. Enjoint!

Sour Diesel

An engine of sativa satisfaction, Sour Diesel burst on the scene over two decades ago and hasn’t looked back since! This internationally recognized strain first appeared in the nineties and in 2012 contained the highest lab-tested THC at a High Times Cannabis Cup, with 19.50 percentage points at the San Francisco edition. It currently stands at #3 on

Sour Diesel hails from California’s famed Emerald Triangle and is believed to originate genetically from a ChemDawg x Super Skunk crossbreed. Sour D, as you will often hear it called, has a pungent aroma and earthy notes which deliver a one-two physical and cerebral, energetic high. As a medical application, it is known for reducing stress and symptoms of depression. A versatile strain, it thrives in both indoor and outdoor grow settings and takes just a moderate 10 weeks to reach its ample bounty.

• Height: Medium

• Flowering time: 10 weeks

• Yield: Medium

• Feminized: yes

• Autoflowering: yes

• Growth difficulty: Moderate

• THC level: around 20%

• CBD level: 0.7-1.6%

Jamaican Dream

This is a favorite of growers and impatient connoisseurs alike because of it’s fast flowering, with your yield coming to fruition in just 8 weeks. This strain is known for its massive yields, that can reach over 1kg if grown properly outdoors. A solid 90% sativa, Jamaican Dream derives from Jamaican landrace genetics.

Between 2011 and 2018, this strain swept awards from Slovakia to Spain, including Copa Natura in 2013 and Copa Del Mar and Soft Secrets in 2016. Jamaican Dream is a strain that doesn’t just taste like coffee; it feels like coffee too! Perfect for day use, fast-hitting, and long-lasting, Jamaican Dream is perfect for bouts of creativity and focus. You will also detect tasting notes of other tropical pleasures such as pineapple and citrus, but with a peppery after kick.

• Height: Medium

• Flowering time: 8 weeks

• Yield: High

• Feminized: Yes

• Autoflowering: No

• Growth difficulty: Easy

• THC level: 15-21%

• CBD level: 0.06%

Pineapple Express

Smoking this sativa is like hopping an express train to somewhere, but your destination is always a surprise!  It even inspired the classic 2009 stoner comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco! But it had already gained popularity and notoriety 5 years earlier in Dutch coffee shops.

A cross between trainwreck and Hawaiian, it’s THC content has been known to rise as high as 28% with a genetic lineage of 60-40 ratio in favor of Sativa. The flavors represent the Hawaiian genetic, with fruity flavors of pineapple, green apple, and mango, while the effects are a real trainwreck of a buzz, somehow having the ability to be both stimulating and calm at the same time. The crop cultivates best in indoor, controlled climates and will be ready in an efficient 7 to 8 weeks.

•      Height:  Tall

•      Flowering time: 7-9 weeks

•      Yield: High

•      Feminized: Yes

•      Autoflowering:Yes

•      Growth difficulty: Moderate

•      THC level: 20-26%

•      CBD level: 0.55% - 1.1%

Amnesia Haze

Amnesia is one of the most common strains on the market. Walk into any coffee shop in Holland or dispensary in California, and you’re bound to find it on offer. Haze is, of course, the purest and classic of sativas and its genetics can be traced back to South Asian and Jamaican Landrace strains. You will find all kinds of variations on the haze strain, including others on this very list.

Amnesia, in particular, has an earthy, often citrusy- aroma and flavor which lead to an energetic and uplifting buzz sure to put a smile on your lips. It is potent and long-lasting! The flowering takes a moderate to a long duration of 10-12 weeks but can come to fruition indoor or outdoor. Amnesia boasts over 20% THC in it’s strongest strains and has won numerous awards from multiple contests over the years – in 2004 the Cannabis Cup and more recently in 2012, the Sativa Cup. It’s number 23 on High Times all-time strain list. This is a haze you won’t soon forget!

• Height: Medium

• Flowering time: 10-11 weeks

• Yield: Medium

• Feminized: No

• Autoflowering:Yes

• Growth difficulty: Moderate

• THC level: 17%-22%

• CBD level: 0.55%

AK-47

This is a genuinely classic, “back in the day” strain. AK-47 is a legendary mellow sativa, that has the potential to shoot you straight into a mild couch lock while at the same time encouraging creativity. The buds are quite sticky and resinous, with an earthy and sour aroma that morphs into pleasingly sweet floral notes.

As mentioned, this strain has a genetic heritage dating back to Thai and Afghani cross-breeding with some hints of Mexican and Colombian influence. The strain itself was perfected in the early nineties. Although indoor is usually preferred, the strain is conducive to outdoor climates. It’s a 16-time international award winner that in 8 to 9 weeks can produce an average yield between 350-500 grams with a surprisingly high 1.5% CBD potential.

• Height: Short

• Flowering time: 8-9 weeks

• Yield: High

• Feminized: Yes

• Autoflowering:Yes

• Growth difficulty: Medium

• THC level: 13% - 20%

• CBD level: 1.5%

Hulkberry

HULKBERRY SMASH! Well, not exactly, but like Spinach is to Popeye, Hulkberry is to sativas. This strain is not for the amateur smoker or grower. With a very high 27% THC content, its Colorado-bred genetics result from a cross between also-mentioned Strawberry Cough and OG Kush, with some influence of NYC Diesel and Chem Dawg swimming around in its DNA. So it lands firmly in sativa country while sporting a tint of indica in its pocket.

The hearty nugs are thick with resin connecting it’s crystallized orange and white hairs. The earthy root flavors mix with the tangy fruit on the tongue, delivering an energetic, creative high with none of the typical indica-induced couch lock. It’s short and explosive growth period yields many happy returns.  Of all the strains on the list, this sativa, which swept the High Times Cannabis Cup in 2014, is the one cannabis connoisseurs will find most compelling.

• Height: Tall

• Flowering time: 9-10 weeks

• Yield: High

• Feminized: Yes

• Autoflowering:Yes

• Growth difficulty: High

• THC level: 27% - 28%

• CBD level: Low

G-13 Haze

Another mythological strain like the AK, G-13, is widely theorized to be the first government-engineered strain. It is believed to have first hit the scene in the seventies or eighties, but that original purity has been decades diluted by cross-breeding. And that’s a good thing! Because while G-13 was originally a pure indica, properties of the haze strain have been injected so that now the uplifting sativa high mingles pleasantly with powerful indica undertones.

While most G-13 strains are 70-30 Indica/Sativa, Haze flips it inside out, and then some with an 80-20 sativa favored ratio. G-13 Haze is a First Place Cannabis Cup Winner in 2007 and voted the best strain on the market two years running. It currently sits at, amusingly, number 12 on High Times all – time strain list. It’s like tasting a tasty tropical fruit cocktail laced with invigorating creativity boosters. Rising 30-40 inches, the harvest will be ready in less than 10 weeks.

• Height: Tall

• Flowering time: 8-10 weeks

• Yield: High

• Feminized: Yes

• Autoflowering:Yes

• Growth difficulty: Moderate

• THC level: 22-24%

• CBD level: 0.55% - 1.0%

Purple Haze

Our final Haze selection is another legendary strain that really gets around the world from the fields of California to the cafes of Amsterdam. Reminiscent of the classic Hendrix jam, the buzz is as disorienting and psychedelic as the riffs in that masterpiece. Believed to be derived from a cross between Purple Thai and Colombian Haze, the genetics date back to the seventies and at every harvest, the flowers burst forth with the vibrant purple hairs that are its namesake, in just 8 to 9 weeks.

The flavor is contradictorily consistent, with earthy flowery tones melting into sweet notes of berry and spice. With a healthy sativa ratio of 80-20, THC content ranges from 16 to 20 percentage points so a novice user can get adjusted or the expert can indulge himself. Seeds of this strain can be difficult to procure, however, once you get a plant going – I mean growing - they are relatively easy to clone.

•      Height : Medium

•      Flowering time: 8-9 weeks

•      Yield: Medium

•      Feminized: Yes

•      Autoflowering:Yes

•      Growth difficulty: Easy

•      THC level: 16-20 %

•      CBD level: 0.5 %

Strawberry Cough

Strawberry Cough is not for the faint of heart and earns its name, tasting of sweet strawberries and with a high potential to leave you gasping for air. You will be rewarded by the intense potent effects that produce an uplifting euphoria for the consumer that is also quite cerebral. It can be very helpful in managing stress and social anxieties. Newbies beware, the queen of coughers won highest lab-tested THC at the High Times Cannabis Cup in Seattle in 2013 with a whopping 25.28 percentage points.

In some cases, the THC percentage has been known to climb as high as 36.5%. It also won Best Flower at the same 2013 edition of the Cup. The strain is a result of crossbreeding the Beatles inspired strainStrawberry Fields with an old-school haze, and according to myth, the strain is so flavored because it first popped up next to a strawberry patch somewhere in Connecticut. It is considered an easier strain to cultivate - short and bushy plants can be achieved in about 9 weeks, and this strain enjoys outdoor climates just as much as it can be tended indoors.

• Height: Short

• Flowering time: 9 weeks

• Yield: Medium

• Feminized: Yes

• Autoflowering: Yes

• Growth difficulty: Easy

• THC level: 25% - 36%

• CBD level: 0.12% - 0.2%

Durban Poison

A favorite of Sativa enthusiasts, both growers, and smokers, for a number of reasons. Durban Poison is alandrace strain, so before we close out our list, let’s take a minute to understand what that means. As I mentioned in the intro, most modern strains are sativa-dominant, not pure sativa. A landrace strain is an original strain that has not been subjected to cross-breeding or hybridization. Most of these landraces date back to origins in Asia, Africa, South and Central America, and the Middle East.  Durban’s landrace genetics can be traced to South Africa and spread worldwide thanks to Dutch colonizing.

In Denver 2013, this truly original strain won Highest-Lab Tested THC at High Times Cannabis Cup with 22.43 percentage points. It currently sits at #20 on High Times all time strain list. Smokers enjoy Durban for it’s sweet and piney flavors which deliver a cerebral, uplifting high that leaves you actually feeling productive! Growers enjoy it because it is friendly to newcomers and can survive in semi-humid climates, growing as high as 12 feet, reaching maturity rapidly and rewarding growers with a higher than average yield.

• Height: Tall

• Flowering time: 8-9 weeks

• Yield: High

• Feminized: Yes

• Autoflowering:Yes

• Growth difficulty: Easy

• THC level: 18% - 26%

• CBD level: 0.02%

Each of these strains has their own distinct personalities, qualities, and benefits. You know yourself best, so I hope this list has been helpful in offering a wide range of options to assist you in the never-ending search for the strongest, tastiest, easy-growing, high-yielding, perfect sativa! I wish you good luck, good buds and good times on your adventures.