A beginner's guide to the cannabis strains on our Richmond Hill menu

Walk up to any dispensary menu for the first time and the strain names come at you fast — Blue Dream, Gelato 33, Sour Diesel, Runtz. It reads like a code you're supposed to already know. You don't. This guide is a friendly first pass through some of the actual strains we stock at our Richmond Hill counter, grouped by the general vibe people associate with them, so the menu feels less like an exam and more like a shelf you can browse.

One promise up front: we're going to describe aromas, flavors, and the reputation each name carries — not tell you how any of them will make you feel. That part genuinely isn't ours to promise, and anyone who says otherwise is guessing. Read on for why, and then for the actual names.

What is a cannabis strain, in plain terms?

A strain is a named variety of the cannabis plant — think of it the way you'd think of a grape variety in wine, or an apple variety at the market. Growers cross and select plants over generations, and a strain that gets a stable, recognizable character earns a name: Blue Dream, Gelato, Sour Diesel. That name usually tells you two useful things — roughly where it came from (its lineage) and what it tends to smell and taste like.

What the name does not reliably tell you is exactly how you'll experience it. Two people can try flower from the very same jar and describe it differently, and the same strain grown by two different farms can come out noticeably different. So treat strain names as a starting vocabulary for narrowing down aroma and style — not a promise about an outcome.

Do the indica, sativa, and hybrid labels tell you how you'll feel?

Short version: less than the internet suggests. The old shorthand — indica for "down," sativa for "up," hybrid for "in between" — is a rough starting bucket, and the industry itself has been walking back how much weight it carries. We wrote a fuller explainer on what the indica/sativa/hybrid labels really mean, but the headline is this:

• The label describes the plant's build and lineage more than a guaranteed effect. It's a category, not a prescription.
• Cannabinoids and terpenes do a lot of the real work. THC and CBD content, plus the aromatic compounds called terpenes, shape the character of a variety as much as whether it's shelved as indica or sativa.
• Your own body and setting matter too. Tolerance, how much you take, whether you've eaten, your mood and surroundings — all of it colors the experience.

So when we group the strains below by "vibe," we mean the general reputation and aroma family the name carries in the culture — a handy way to browse — not a lab-verified outcome you can count on.

Which easygoing classics do you carry?

These are the household names — the strains a lot of people have simply heard of, which makes them a comfortable first pick. On our menu right now, two stand out:

• Blue Dream. One of the most recognized names in American cannabis, known for a sweet berry aroma over a soft herbal backbone. It's a hybrid that reads as approachable and middle-of-the-road, which is exactly why it's a common on-ramp. We tend to carry it a few ways — as flower and as pre-rolls — so it's easy to try in a small format.
• Gelato 33. Part of the famous Gelato dessert line, with a sweet, creamy, faintly fruity nose that lives up to the ice-cream name. It's a hybrid that shows up often on "crowd-pleaser" lists.

"Classic" here means familiar and widely liked, not mild or strong — potency varies batch to batch and is printed on every licensed label, which is the number to actually read. If you want the safest possible first step, a single pre-roll in one of these names lets you sample without committing to a whole eighth.

Which bright, zippy strains are on the shelf?

This group leans loud and pungent — fuel, citrus, and sharp herbal notes rather than dessert sweetness. They're the names a lot of regulars associate with daytime and getting things done, though (you know the refrain by now) that's reputation, not a guarantee.

• Sour Diesel. A legendary, unmistakably pungent strain — think diesel-and-citrus, sharp and gassy. It's a New York staple for a reason, and we usually stock it in more than one form, including local takes like New York Sour Diesel and NYC Sour Diesel, plus vapes.
• Jack Herer. Named for the cannabis author and advocate, with a bright, spicy, piney profile. It's a widely respected sativa-leaning classic that shows up on our pre-roll shelf.

If you like the idea of a bright, sharp aroma but don't want to commit, these are great to try as a single pre-roll or a small vape first, then decide.

Which dessert-sweet strains do you carry?

If the loud fuel profiles above sound like too much, the candy end of the menu is where a lot of newer shoppers feel at home. The names are literal — they mostly smell like what they say:

• Runtz. Named after the candy, with a sweet, fruity, sugary aroma. It's become one of the most sought-after modern names, and it shows up on our menu in a few forms and crosses — you'll see variations like BX Runtz and Runtz OG.
• Apples and Bananas. Exactly the fruit-basket nose you'd expect — sweet orchard fruit with a little spice underneath. A newer-generation strain that's an easy one to like on aroma alone. We carry it as flower and sometimes as pre-rolls.

How should a beginner actually pick one?

You don't need to memorize any of this. A workable approach for a first or second visit:

1. Pick by aroma family first. Do you want sweet and dessert-like, bright and citrusy, or classic and middle-of-the-road? That single choice narrows the whole menu fast.
2. Start with a small format. A single pre-roll or a low quantity of flower lets you meet a strain without buying a lot of it. You can always come back.
3. Read the label, not the legend. The lab-tested THC and CBD numbers and the terpene notes on a licensed product tell you more about what's actually in the jar than the strain's online reputation does.
4. Go low and slow, especially at first. Take a little, give it time, and see how it lands for you before doing more. How a strain feels is individual — the only way to learn yours is gently.
5. Ask the team. Tell whoever's at the counter what flavors you like and how experienced you are; they'll point you at something on today's shelf that fits.

Are these exact strains always in stock?

No — and that's the honest catch with any strain guide. A dispensary menu is a living thing: batches sell through, new drops land, and what's here today may be gone next week (with something new worth trying in its place). Every strain named above was in stock as of early August 2026, but the only truly current list is the live menu itself.

So use this as a vocabulary primer, then browse the live menu to see what's actually on the shelf right now. If a name here is sold out, the team can almost always suggest a close cousin in the same aroma family.

Where to come see for yourself

Cannabis Cowboy is a licensed adult-use dispensary on Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens (NY OCM-RETL-24-000068), serving Ozone Park, South Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Jamaica and Kew Gardens. Every strain on the shelf comes through New York's regulated, lab-tested supply chain, and New York's 13% cannabis tax is already built into the menu price. Check the live menu before you come, or just walk in with a 21+ photo ID and let the team walk you through it.