California Octane

If you love you some gassy cannabis, then Cali Octane may be your next favorite strain. It’s relatively easy to grow, produces highly potent buds, and has a beautiful aesthetic that will scream bag appeal to anyone growing or consuming it. 

If those characteristics sound appealing to you, then here’s what you should know about Cali Octane, its history, as well as descriptions of its aroma, flavor, effects, and overall experience. 

From the genetic geniuses over at Humboldt Seed Company (HSC), Cali Octane is an indica-leaning hybrid strain that was bred by crossing Dream Queen with I-369 and Papaya. According to Foodoo Farm owners Brian and Barbara Jones, who were part of the phenohunt and creation of this beautiful strain, Cali Octane plants resemble Dream Queen. 

Dream Queen is a classic strain that has existed for decades. It’s a cross of Blue Dream and Space Queen that has a sweet and fruity flavor profile, and uplifting/euphoric effects. Knowing that, it’s easy to see why Cali Octane has similar attributes. 

Cali Octane is a high THC strain with cannabinoid content that can hit as high as 36%. It also produces a strong amount of terpenes, with dominance in caryophyllene, myrcene, and limonene. “We had really amazing test results. It was testing at almost 32% THC with terpenes at 5.5%. Right now, as farmers, we’re really pushing people to notice the terpenes over the THC percent, which is the stuff that you smell and taste,” says Barbara.

Cali Octane was created by Humboldt Seed Company. They are famous for well-known genetics like Humboldt Sour Diesel, Blueberry Muffin, and Humboldt Dream. 

To create Cali Octane, HSC worked with many farms to find the best rendition (phenotypes) of the strain. Foodoo Farms is one of those farms that helped with this one. Foodoo Farms is located in Nevada County.  “We do some Research & Development growing for [Humboldt Seed Company], so that’s how Cali Octane came alive. On our farm, as a placeholder name, we called it Grass Valley Girl. We really like that name, it’s a nice homage to our community. When we went to the Emerald Cup, they had it named Cali Octane,” Brian and Barbara tell me.

Cali Octane is a great strain for cultivators of all talent levels. Even novices can get some great cannabis from these plants. It grows well in all environments (indoors, outdoors, greenhouses) and is also pretty resilient against invaders like pests and other contaminants. Foodoo Farm says “I think that she’s definitely strong on [resilience to pests and mold]. We had zero mildew. They’re dense buds, and often with dense buds you get a little bit of mildew if you get any type of rain or moisture at the end of the season, but these didn’t get any of that.”

Cali Octane grows like your typical indica-dominant plant. It has thick fan leaves, and the plants are squatty and bushier. Structure-wise, Cali Octane’s buds come out tight and absolutely stacked with trichomes. About the nugs’ appearance, Brian and Barbara say “The foliage is a dark green with a red finish. Darker green, and nice triangle trichomes. They do turn orange, it takes a while. By then, they’re purpling out really nicely. If you trim into it, it goes back to green, and a lot of [trichomes]. It’s covered, even the fan leaves. As far as the finish, it will get purple. It’s basically green and orange, but the dark green does get purple.”

Generally speaking, this strain has indoor flowering time of around 60 days. Outdoors, the harvest time falls between Oct. 1st and 15th. 

Cali Octane is a heavy producer with big yields. “We had 50 plants last year (of deps). We’re probably getting about a pound a plant. Some folks grow individual plants, and they get 5 pounds a plant, but we grow them in a hedge. All that considered, it’s a heavy plant,” says Foodoo. 

Feminized seeds have a 99.9% success rate in only providing female cannabis plants, which are the only plants that produce flowers. Male cannabis plants produce pollen sacs. Using feminized seeds saves growers a lot of time and guessing games as they won’t have to worry about losing half of their plants, thus losing half of their yields. 

Cali Octane smells a variety of ways as it matures. For the most part, you can expect a dominant gas on the nose with cream, guava, and caramel compliments. This loud terpene profile is brought about by a combination of the plant’s compounds, most notably myrcene, linalool, and caryophyllene. 

Terpenes are the aromatic compounds that produce a plant’s aroma and flavor profile. They may also influence the types of effects we can expect for certain cannabis genetics. 

Myrcene is a plant terpene found in hops, lemongrass, and mangos. It is expected to contribute to the sedative feeling people feel after smoking certain cannabis strains. Strains like Blue Dream, Granddaddy Purple, and Mango Kush are high in myrcene. 

Linalool is a plant terpene found in lavender, roses, grapes, and laurel. It is associated with relaxing and sedative effects in a therapeutic sense. Linalool is abundant in strains like Kosher Kush, Wedding Mints, and Lavender. 

Caryophyllene is a plant terpene found in spices, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and of course, cannabis. It is associated with anti-anxiety effects. Strains like GS Cookies, Bubba Kush, and Sunset Sherbert are dominant in caryophyllene.

While these may be the most abundant terpenes in Cali Octane, it’s important to remember that all of the plant’s compounds contribute to the overall experience, even if they are only found in trace amounts. 

Though cannabis effects vary person to person, most people can expect Cali Octane to knock your socks with potent effects. Don’t fear the effects, just be aware that you should approach it slowly and with control, if you haven’t built up a tolerance to cannabis through frequent use. About its effects, Brian and Barbara say “For sure [Cali Octane] an uplifter and it’s a giggly [high]. We use cannabis as a motivator, it’s what helps us get going, and this one is a motivator. We have the luxury of having, at any time, 8-12 strains to choose from, and we go back to that one.”

Cannabis use is an individualistic experience, meaning strains hit everyone differently considering our experience levels and endocannabinoid systems. That means what is a head high for you could be a body high for the next person, and vice versa. The best way to know what’s a head high and/or body high is try a product in various doses and monitor your physical reaction to it. 

That said, most people expect Cali Octane to provide a rush of cerebral motivation coupled with an adequate bit of physical relaxation. It’ll pick you up, and then slowly sit you down, making it an excellent strain for experienced consumers who want to pair cannabis with creative hobbies like painting, writing, and video editing. Just make sure you approach the strain with respect because too much, too fast, can you lead right towards an unexpected slumber. Remember to always consume cannabis responsibly and you’ll be just fine with Cali Octane.