Who doesn’t want to smoke like Wiz Khalifa?
When I learned that Khalifa Kush had launched in New Mexico, I was excited. I’m not one to splurge on specialty flowers often, so when I do, I want to know I’m getting something good.
Sadly, Khalifa Kush (both the strain and the brand) is only available at Urban Wellness dispensaries in New Mexico. The chain has nearly a dozen locations in Albuquerque as well as one in Las Cruces and Hobbs, but that leaves most residents of the Land of Enchantment without easy access to Wiz’s bud.
However, on a recent trip to ABQ to shop at Costco (iykyk), I made two intentional pit stops: one at the Petroglyph National Monument and one at Urban Wellness, to pick up some KK by Khalifa Kush.
It was pricy for weed in these parts – $40 for an eighth, when I usually pay $60 – $90 for an entire ounce. But so often with cannabis flower, you get what you pay for.
Flower Review: KK by Khalifa Kush
Lineage
As legend goes, this strain was developed specifically for the man himself back in the early 2010s. The parent strains are a closely guarded secret, but this strain is rumored to be a descendant of OG Kush. Most strain resources classify it as an indica-leaning hybrid.
Packaging
These buds were packaged in a glass jar, which is (IMO) crucial for a climate like New Mexico, where the air is reaching for every ounce of moisture it can find. Weed kept in plastic bags – even the double-sealed ones – doesn’t hold up as well as weed kept in glass jars.
In fact, it’s become a habit of mine when I get home from the dispensary to transfer my bud from whatever I bought it in to my own glass jar with Boveda packs. But with this eighth of KK, I could rest easy knowing the buds would stay fluffy.
Bud Appearance
The buds were fluffy, with a nice forest green color. They had little bulbous tips poking out from every angle with pointy, dark orange, nearly brown hairs sticking out. Even from a glance, you could tell that these buds were resinous, with a soft but thick coating of trichomes.
Aroma
At first sniff, these buds smelled a little dry. But when I broke one open, a puff of rich pine escaped, followed by a strong odor of chemical lemon. The aroma intensified when the bud was ground up: gassy dankness, sour lemon chemicals, and that grounding note of pine-rich earth.
Smoke
At first poke, these buds seem dry, but the moisture content was locked away within the fluffy nugs. Once I ground this up, it was quick and easy to roll a joint with it. You know the feeling – when your freshly ground bud has that pleasant stickiness that makes tucking and rolling the papers a breeze.
I smoked this flower in joints and a small water pipe. In both methods, the flavor was negligible – weedy, if anything.
COA
You know I always check the certificate of analysis! The COA for this bud clocks it at 33% – but based on my high experience, I don’t know if I believe that.
I think people expect higher THC percentages from a brand like Khalifa Kush, but I’ve been around long enough to know that many results over 30% are not necessarily true. I’m not claiming lab faking – there are a few ways this could happen.
The COA puts the harvest date in late May 2025, and I bought this weed in early October. Depending on how the bud was transported and stored, it’s perfectly possible that it’s less potent than the initial test results showed.
It’s also not uncommon for the THC percentage to vary through one batch, with some buds testing higher and hotter than others.
Let me be clear: I’m not shading Khalifa Kush. I just don’t believe this weed was 33% THC. I’ve hit incredibly THC-potent weed – and it delivers an overwhelming and unbalanced high effect. This strain didn’t do that.
Experience
KK by Khalifa Kush hits exactly how you would expect Wiz’s premier strain to feel – smooth and strong, but not at all unbalanced. It hits quickly, with an initial wave of euphoria and a mellow body high.
Khalifa Kush was relaxing to my body and uplifting to my mind. I felt light and giggly and unfocused. This is no wake-and-bake weed, unless you’re staring down a do-nothing Saturday. This strain was the one I reached for after I’d slammed my laptop shut for the day, rolling a joint to smoke in the back yard as my dog ran laps.
KK by Khalifa Kush is a potent strain; there’s no denying that. But I’d guess my flowers were actually somewhere between 25% – 28% THC, a much more common range for potent strains to sit in.
Beginners need not apply with Khalifa Kush, unless you’re ready to go on a serious ride. But if you’re like me, with an established THC tolerance and an enjoyment of strong yet balanced strains, Khalifa Kush is well deserving of a toke.
