Strain Report: Super Silver Haze Terpenes and Its History
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Key takeaways
Green House Seed Company in Amsterdam put Super Silver Haze together in the 1990s from three of the most important lines in Dutch breeding: Skunk, Northern Lights #5 and Haze. It took first place at the High Times Cannabis Cup in 1997, 1998 and 1999, three years running. It also went on to parent Super Lemon Haze, and it is widely named as the Haze side of Blue Dream.
For lab operators filling out a sativa lineup, it is a name people already know. The nose is old-school Haze, spicy and skunky over earth, with pine on top. Below is the lineage, the Cup history, what goes into our blend, and how it holds up in a cart.
Strain Profile: Super Silver Haze
Super Silver Haze smells like an Amsterdam coffeeshop in 1998. Spice and skunk hit first, then a hoppy, herbal middle, then pine and a little lavender on the way out. It is a sativa-dominant hybrid, and flower commonly tests around the high teens to mid twenties for THC.
The "Silver" in the name is about the frost. The buds come off heavy with trichomes, and the silver shine was part of what judges saw before they ever smelled it.
Super Silver Haze Genetics
Each of the three parents did a job. Haze brought the long, soaring head high and the incense and spice. Haze goes back to California in the 1970s and came to Holland in the 1980s, where Dutch breeders kept it alive. Skunk #1 brought the structure, potency and skunky funk. Northern Lights #5 brought resin, a shorter, tamer plant and a smoother exhale.
The result was a sativa that grew well enough and tested strong enough to win. More than thirty years later, breeders are still pulling from it.
Is Super Silver Haze Indica or Sativa?
Super Silver Haze is classified as a sativa-dominant hybrid, and its reputation fits the label: fast, energizing and cerebral, without the heavy couch lock people associate with indicas.
The indica and sativa labels come from old plant structure and market shorthand, and they do not predict how a strain will feel. What a consumer actually feels comes down to the cannabinoids and terpenes in that specific batch.
Three Cups in a Row
Super Silver Haze won the High Times Cannabis Cup in 1997, again in 1998, and again in 1999. Very few strains have taken the top prize three years straight.
The bigger legacy is genetic. Green House crossed it with Lemon Skunk to make Super Lemon Haze, which won the Cup itself in 2008 and 2009. Blue Dream, one of the best-selling strains in American cannabis, is usually listed as Blueberry crossed with Super Silver Haze. That last one comes from California, and you will also see it written as Blueberry crossed with plain Haze.
What Terpenes Are in Super Silver Haze?
Our Super Silver Haze is built on five terpenes: humulene, alpha-pinene, linalool, caryophyllene oxide and myrcene. Together they give the spicy, skunky nose over earth, with pine on top and a soft floral finish.
Humulene
Botanical sources: hops, sage, ginseng, cloves
Humulene leads our blend. It is the hoppy, herbal depth, the same smell as a fresh bag of hops, and it is a big part of why a Haze smells like a Haze.
Alpha-Pinene
Botanical sources: pine needles, rosemary, basil, dill
Pinene is the fresh, sharp pine on top. It is usually the first thing you catch when the jar opens.
Linalool
Botanical sources: lavender, coriander, basil
Linalool is the soft floral lavender in the background, and it takes the edge off the spice.
Caryophyllene Oxide
Botanical sources: black pepper, cloves, basil, lemon balm
Caryophyllene oxide forms when caryophyllene meets oxygen. It is dry, woody spice, the smell of old, well-cured flower, and it is a big part of the old-school character.
Myrcene
Botanical sources: hops, mangoes, thyme, lemongrass
Myrcene is the earthy, musky base everything else sits on. It is the most common terpene in cannabis.
How Super Silver Haze Runs in a Vape
Pinene, myrcene and linalool are the lighter, more volatile terpenes in the blend, so the pine and the earth lead on the inhale. Humulene and caryophyllene oxide are heavier, and the hops and dry spice carry through on the exhale. That spicy finish is what reads as Haze. Our suggested starting point for vapes is 7 percent inclusion. Ceramic coils maintain the flavor and terp profile, and cotton gets a burnt taste much quicker than ceramic.
How Does Super Silver Haze Make You Feel?
Everybody reacts differently, but reports on Super Silver Haze are consistent. It comes on fast and cerebral, then stays energetic, focused and creative for a long time. People describe it as uplifting and sociable, which is why it is a daytime strain. With THC this high, newer consumers should take it slow.
Why Is Super Silver Haze So Energizing?
Super Silver Haze has a lot of Haze in it, and Haze is the classic up, heady sativa line. Skunk and Northern Lights added potency and body without pulling it toward sedation. Tolerance, dose and the specific phenotype or batch all change how a given batch actually feels.
Strains Similar to Super Silver Haze
Strains that share Super Silver Haze's genetics or its Haze character:
Blue Dream
Lineage: Blueberry x Super Silver Haze (some sources list plain Haze)
Flavor: Sweet berry with an earthy, herbal finish
Available in: Cannabis Derived, Canna-Botanical, Botanical Derived
The most famous strain with Super Silver Haze in its family, and the sweet berry counterpart to SSH's spice.
Jack Herer
Lineage: Haze x Northern Lights #5 x Shiva Skunk
Flavor: Pine, spice and earth
Available in: Cannabis Derived, Canna-Botanical, Botanical Derived
Sensi Seeds built it from nearly the same building blocks, Haze, Northern Lights #5 and Skunk, and it is named after the cannabis activist and author. It is the closest cousin on this list.
Northern Lights
Lineage: Afghani x Thai
Flavor: Sweet earth and pine with spice on the finish
Available in: Cannabis Derived, Canna-Botanical, Botanical Derived
The Northern Lights #5 behind Super Silver Haze came from this line. It is the indica side of the same family, with the same pine and spice.
Durban Poison
Lineage: South African landrace sativa
Flavor: Sweet anise and licorice with earthy spice
Available in: Cannabis Derived, Canna-Botanical, Botanical Derived
A pure sativa landrace and another fast, clean daytime profile. The resin is greasy, so it does not wash for hash, which makes a terpene blend the way that flavor gets into a cart.
Amnesia Haze
Lineage: Disputed, Haze family
Flavor: Citrus, spice and earth
Available in: Cannabis Derived, Canna-Botanical, Botanical Derived
Another Amsterdam Haze and a Cup winner in its own right, for anyone building a full Haze lineup around SSH.
Buy Super Silver Haze Terpenes from Your True-to-Flower™ Source
Super Silver Haze has three straight Cups, more than thirty years of breeding influence and a name people still ask for by sight.
Lab Effects' synthetic-free terpenes bring that profile to your whole lineup, from flower to vapes to concentrates. Everything is 100% natural and food grade, built True-to-Flower™ to match the real plant. Choose Cannabis Derived, Canna-Botanical or Botanical Derived to fit your production, or contact our team for a custom consultation.
