Super Silver Haze Strain: History, Flavor, and How to Grind It

Updated October 2026

Short answer: Super Silver Haze (SSH) is a sativa-dominant cross of Skunk, Northern Lights and Haze from Green House Seed Co., and it won first place at the High Times Cannabis Cup three years running (1997, 1998, 1999). It smells citrusy, spicy and skunky, and people describe it as an upbeat, long-lasting daytime high. The buds are frosty but airy, so grind it light and medium-coarse for joints.

Super Silver Haze is what happens when you take the most famous indica of all time, the most famous skunk, and the most famous sativa, and throw them a party. Then that party wins Amsterdam's biggest trophy three years in a row. No pressure.

This is the strain that made "Haze" a household word for a whole generation. Here's the real story, what it's actually like, and how to grind it so you don't waste all that silver.

Where Super Silver Haze came from

SSH was bred in the Netherlands in the 1990s for Green House Seed Co., the Amsterdam seed company and coffeeshop brand founded by Arjan Roskam. The breeder most associated with it is Shantibaba (Scott Blakey), who was Green House's principal breeder in that era and today sells his own version, crediting the work to "Nevil and Shantibaba." Its parents are Skunk #1, Northern Lights #5 and Haze. Shantibaba's seed listing describes the mix as roughly 50% Haze, 25% Skunk and 25% Northern Lights.

The goal was practical: keep Haze's soaring, clear headspace but fix its problems, namely painfully long flowering and low yields. Skunk and Northern Lights brought speed, structure and resin.

It worked. Leafly's Super Silver Haze profile notes first prize at the High Times Cannabis Cup in 1997, 1998 and 1999, a three-peat that cemented Green House's reputation.

Credit is a little tangled, which is normal for 1990s Dutch genetics. Shantibaba, Nevil Schoenmakers and Green House have all been tied to the line at various points, and different sources emphasize different people. What's consistent everywhere: Skunk, Northern Lights, Haze, Green House, and those three Cups.

Aroma, flavor and terpenes

SSH smells bright and complex. Citrus and a little skunk up front, then sweet spice, earth and that incense-like "Haze" note on the back end. The smoke is spicy-sweet with lemony citrus, and it's smoother than its pungent jar might suggest.

Leafly lists myrcene as the dominant terpene, then caryophyllene and limonene. That's the herbal-earthy base, the peppery spice and the citrus pop. The rest of the story is in our terpene guide.

Commonly reported effects

People usually describe SSH as energetic, uplifted, creative and focused, with an effect that lasts a while. Reviews often mention that it doesn't come with a big crash, which is why it has a reputation as a daytime or social strain. Leafly lists average THC around 21%.

Strong sativa-leaning strains can feel racy for some people. Start small, and remember it's 21+ and only where legal.

What Super Silver Haze buds look and feel like

• Shape: long, tapered spears, sometimes with a little foxtailing. Very Haze.
• Density: low to medium. Airier and lighter than an indica nug the same size.
• Color: light green with orange pistils and a thick silvery trichome coat. That's the "silver."
• Stickiness: medium. Frosty, but usually not greasy.

Light, frosty flower is easy to over-grind. Crank it too many times and you get powder plus trichomes smeared on the teeth instead of in your kief chamber.

How to grind Super Silver Haze

1. Break spears into thumb-sized chunks and pull any stems. Long buds don't need to be tiny, they cut easily.
2. Load evenly around the teeth. Airy flower takes up room, so a larger chamber helps for joints.
3. Use just 3 to 5 short back-and-forth turns. SSH cuts fast. Stop as soon as it looks fluffy.
4. Tap a few times. All that trichome coverage means real kief. Tapping drives it through the screen.
5. For a dry herb vape, flip the grinder upside down and give it a few extra turns for a finer, even grind.

Screen: SSH is a great candidate for the 180 micron fine screen if your flower is dry, because it keeps plant matter out of your kief and gives you a cleaner, more golden collection. With fresh or humid flower, stick to the standard 300 micron. The 400 micron coarse screen is overkill here unless your batch is unusually sticky. All three come in the Upgrade Kit. Why trichomes matter for that kief: what are trichomes.

Best method: a joint. A fluffy, medium-coarse grind of SSH rolls beautifully and burns slow enough to keep the citrus and spice. For a vape, use the flip trick. See the difference between grind sizes on our coarse vs. fine grind page.

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Famous descendants of Super Silver Haze

• Super Lemon Haze: Lemon Skunk x Super Silver Haze, bred by Franco Loja of Green House. It won the High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam in 2008 and 2009, per its Wikipedia entry.
• The broader Haze-hybrid wave: a lot of 2000s-era "Haze" strains borrowed SSH's playbook of taming Haze with Skunk and Northern Lights.

One correction to our old post: Blue Dream is not an SSH child. Leafly lists it as Blueberry crossed with Haze. Shared Haze ancestry, different family. If you want SSH's roots, start with our Northern Lights guide and its Skunk-family relative, Super Skunk.

Growing notes (legal home growers only)

SSH is a bigger commitment than an indica. It stretches tall, likes room, and takes longer than most hybrids. Shantibaba's listing puts indoor flowering at about 8 to 10 weeks, and Leafly notes some phenotypes run longer. Many growers use a screen (SCROG) or low-stress training to manage height. Check your current state and local law before growing, since home cultivation rules vary widely. Basics in our home grow guide.

FAQ

Is Super Silver Haze indica or sativa?

Sativa-dominant. It's a hybrid, but the Haze side leads.

What does Super Silver Haze taste like?

Citrus and spice, with skunky, earthy and incense-like Haze notes.

Is Super Silver Haze good for beginners?

It's upbeat and popular, but potent sativas can feel racy. New consumers should start with a small amount.

Why is it called Super Silver Haze?

There is no official explanation, but the "silver" is generally taken to mean its heavy, silvery trichome coverage. "Haze" is its dominant parent.

Three Cannabis Cups deserve better than a grinder that turns it to dust.

Keep reading

• Northern Lights strain: history, flavor, and how to grind it
• Purple Haze strain guide
• Top 10 OG strains of all time