CBD Strains: The Six ARC Farms Grows, and How to Choose Between Them
A CBD strain is a cannabis strain bred to produce CBD instead of THC, grown and tested as hemp. ARC Farms grows six of them in Tucson, Arizona, with CBD ranging from 11.09% to 16.30% and every strain testing below 0.3% delta-9 THC. The total THC figure is published for each one.
All six are greenhouse-grown under natural sunlight in regenerative living soil, hang-dried in cold, dark rooms and trimmed by hand.
How to Choose a CBD Strain
Four things vary between strains, and which one to weigh first depends on what you are looking for.
Type. Indica, sativa or hybrid. ARC Farms grows two indicas (Bubba Kush and Legendary OG), one sativa (Daiquiri Factory) and three hybrids (Strawberry Lemonade, Payton's Strawberries and Skunk Jam). Customers report that the indicas lean toward the evening, settling and heavy. The sativa leans the other way: daytime, clear-headed, focused. The hybrids land in between, each at a different point in that range.
Effect group. ARC Farms sorts the six into four groups from what customers report: Rest, Calm, Relief and Balance. The effects page lists each strain with its group.
Aroma. What the flower smells like in the jar, from fuel and earth to tropical fruit to berry and funk. The aroma for each strain is in the table below and in its entry.
CBD figure. From third-party testing, and on each product page. A higher figure does not by itself mean a stronger effect; the type and the strain's character count as much as the percentage. The range runs from 11.09% (Strawberry Lemonade) to 16.30% (Skunk Jam).
The Six Strains
Rest
Bubba Kush
Indica. CBD 12.61%, total THC 0.13%. The aroma is rich and fuel-forward, with resin and earth underneath: the pungent, gassy side of the Kush family. The ARC Farms Bubba Kush came out of a pheno-hunt of more than 450 plants, selected for resin production, and the plant that won grows dense buds. Effect group: Rest. Customers describe deep relaxation and rest, and call it reliable at the end of the day, when the stress of it needs somewhere to go. Product page · Lab results
Legendary OG
Indica. CBD 14.42%, total THC 0.18%. Aroma: earthy, pine and fuel, with the pine giving it a cleaner, greener nose than Bubba Kush. Effect group: Rest. The higher CBD figure of the two indicas. Customers describe deep body calm and a grounded ease, and reach for it in the evening. Product page · Lab results
Calm
Daiquiri Factory
Sativa. CBD 12.61%, total THC 0.26%. Aroma: tropical, citrus and floral, the only tropical nose in the lineup. Effect group: Calm. The one sativa ARC Farms grows. Customers use it during the day and describe uplifting focus and clarity, the other end of the range from the two indicas. Product page · Lab results
Relief
Payton's Strawberries
Hybrid. CBD 13.55%, total THC 0.29%. Aroma: strawberry, berry and sweet. Effect group: Relief. Customers describe it as mood-brightening, easing tension without drowsiness. It shares a strawberry nose with Strawberry Lemonade and goes sweeter and deeper into berry, where Strawberry Lemonade turns toward citrus. Product page · Lab results
Balance
Skunk Jam
Balanced hybrid. CBD 16.30%, total THC 0.19%. Aroma: berry and funk, with skunky gas underneath; it carries well before the jar is open. Effect group: Balance. The highest CBD figure in the lineup. Customers describe it as uplifting and clear, a strain that does not slow the day down, which is what makes it workable at any hour. Product page · Lab results
Strawberry Lemonade
Hybrid. CBD 11.09%, total THC 0.22%. Aroma: strawberry, citrus and sweet, the brightest nose of the six. Effect group: Balance. Customers describe gentle relaxation with a little energy, and use it at any time of day. Product page · Lab results
Two Names With a History
Two of the six carry names that were well known in cannabis long before they were grown as CBD hemp.
Bubba Kush goes back to the late 1990s, when, by its breeder's account, an OG Kush crossed with an indica from New Orleans. It became one of the best-known indica names in the country. On Leafly, where it has more than 3,600 ratings, reviewers come back to two things: a heavy, settling character, and a flavor described as sweet and hashy, earthy and pungent.
Strawberry Lemonade is a cross of Strawberry Cough and Lemon OG, and won first place for best sativa concentrate at the 2015 High Times Denver Cannabis Cup. Leafly reviewers describe it as energizing and uplifting, with a sweet citrus aroma and a tangy lemon and berry flavor, the combination the name promises.
Those reviews describe the original strains. The ARC Farms versions share the names and the family aromas, and they are CBD hemp: every strain tests below 0.3% delta-9 THC. Guides to each strain will follow, Bubba Kush first; until then, each strain's product page has its figures.
High CBD, Low THC: What the Numbers Mean
The CBD percentage on a product page is how much cannabidiol, by weight, the dried flower contains. It comes from third-party testing, and it can shift a little from one harvest to the next, because each harvest is a new crop. The figures on this page are the ones on the product pages.
Total THC counts delta-9 THC together with THCA, the acid form that turns into delta-9 THC when heated. Every ARC Farms strain tests below 0.3% delta-9 THC, and the THC lab results are on the lab results page. If you are reading a lab report for the first time, the guide to reading a hemp COA walks through each line.
A higher CBD percentage does not by itself mean a stronger or more noticeable effect. The strain's type and character, and the way each person responds, shape what the flower is like.
FAQ
Which CBD strain has the most CBD?
Skunk Jam, at 16.30%. The CBD figure is one of four things to weigh, with the type, the effect group and the aroma, and a strain with a lower figure may suit you better depending on what you are looking for.
Indica or sativa for CBD?
It depends on when you use it. Customers report that the two indicas (Bubba Kush and Legendary OG) lean toward the evening: settling, heavy, end of day. The sativa (Daiquiri Factory) leans toward daytime: clear-headed and focused. The three hybrids fall at different points between.
Do CBD strains get you high?
No. CBD does not produce intoxication, and every ARC Farms strain tests below 0.3% delta-9 THC. For more on how CBD differs from THC, see the CBD weed explainer.
Are CBD strains the same as hemp flower?
Yes. A CBD strain is a variety of cannabis bred for CBD and grown as hemp. "CBD strains", "CBD flower" and "hemp flower" all describe the same product. The flower collection page has the full lineup with sizes and shipping.
Which strain for the evening, and which for the daytime?
Customers in the Rest group, Bubba Kush and Legendary OG, tend to reach for those strains in the evening. For daytime, the one customers describe as clear-headed and focused is Daiquiri Factory, the sativa. More on timing and use on the sleep page and the relaxation page.
Where to Start
Start with the type and the effect group to narrow the six to two or three, then pick by aroma. If you have not tried CBD hemp flower before, start with a small amount.
All six strains are on the flower collection page with sizes, shipping and current stock.