Featured Flower: Wappa

At a Glance

Aroma and Taste: Fruity, Tropical, Sweet
Common Dominant Terpenes: Alpha-Pinene, Beta-Caryophyllene, Myrcene
Average THC: Medium to High     Average CBD: Low

What is Wappa?

To answer this question and more, we turned to a few experts: Fireside, Namaste and Redecan.

Well-known among cannabis connoisseurs, Wappa was initially bred from a sweet skunk strain and developed by the growers at Amsterdam-based Paradise Seeds. Wappa is an indica-dominant hybrid plant that has a powerful fruity aroma and medium to high THC. Wappa is a top strain for many Canadian growers and is consistently a top seller on OCS.ca.

Characteristics

Wappa is best known for its show-stopping sweet, fruity, almost tropical aroma. Not to be upstaged by its scent, its bright green buds appear to be delicately sugar-coated, thanks to its halo of crystal-like trichomes. This strain has medium to high THC levels, with very little, if any, CBD. It’s an indica-dominant hybrid with approximately 60% indica and 40% sativa, although this varies among producers.

Fireside (grown by ABcann Medicinals) is particularly proud of its Wappa and is actively working to improve the strain’s THC strengths: “We love our phenotype due to its strong smell of fruit and citrus-forward notes, and have tested dozens and dozens of seeds to get our phenotype just right. We are currently looking to cultivate a second phenotype of Wappa to determine if we can breed a higher THC version.”

Growing

Wappa is a relatively short plant, but what it lacks in height, it makes up for in production, with big yields of sweet-smelling buds. You can tell a Wappa apart from the other plants in the grow room by its chunky colas and high calyx-to-leaf ratio, which makes it easy to trim. Its short stature is ideal for indoor rooms that are tight on space, but the strain fares well in the elements too, preferring moderate northern climates such as those found in Canada.

While the initial seeds may be the same, each Licensed Producer grows its Wappa differently. At Namaste (grown by Zenabis), the focus is on sustainable, chemical-pesticide-free growing: “[Our] Wappa is grown in coco husks with sustainably sourced peat moss local to New Brunswick. We take pride in our pest-management methods and can proudly say we do not use any chemical pesticides. Instead, each plant is affixed with a little pouch of natural predators that ensure our plants are protected.”

In Redecan’s grow rooms, they’re keeping it cool: “We find temperature plays a significant role in how Wappa finishes. Colder temperatures result in some amazing colours.” And the biggest challenge growing Wappa? “Growing enough for the demand!”

What is a strain?

To help you understand what a cannabis strain is, you can think of it like a breed of dog. While all dogs share similar traits, there are definitely differences among breeds (you wouldn’t confuse a Great Dane with a dachshund, for example). When it comes to different cannabis strains, this means one may have a sweet, lemony aroma, while another may boast a pungent, sour diesel-like scent. These differences have been fine-tuned by cannabis growers over many generations. Growers will choose two plants with desirable traits (for example, a strong diesel scent) and cross (or breed) those plants together, creating an offspring with a stronger expression of those desirable traits. When breeding cannabis plants, growers are often focused on the unique aroma, and taste, and potential THC and CBD content of a strain. And just like no two Great Danes are the same, strains can vary from lot to lot and grower to grower.

Will I like Wappa?

If you like strains with sweet, fruity flavours and medium to high THC, Wappa is definitely worth checking out. If your go-tos include strains such as Tangerine Dream and Shiskaberry, why not try something new by adding Wappa to your cart.