Black licorice weed strain: why Durban Poison is the one to ask for

If you want a black licorice weed strain, ask for Durban Poison. It traces back to a landrace from near the port city of Durban in South Africa, and it is usually described as sweet and earthy with an anise or licorice edge that sets it apart from other sativas. Licorice is a rare note in cannabis, and Durban Poison is the strain people most often name for it. Today’s Durban Poison comes from many growers, so any one jar can differ from the classic description.

You will also see Black Licorice and similar names on menus. Here is what we can tell you about them, and how to find that anise edge on a California shelf.

Last reviewed: November 2026.

Durban Poison: the classic licorice weed strain

Durban Poison traces back to a South African landrace, a strain that grew in one region for generations before modern breeders found it. What is sold under the name today comes from many growers and selections, so it isn’t a pure landrace in every jar. Growers have long valued it for early flowering and heavy resin. It finishes early and copes with a range of conditions, which keeps it popular outdoors in temperate and warm climates.

Its route into modern cannabis runs through the Netherlands. Wikipedia’s entry on Arjan Roskam lists Durban Poison in the seed collection Sam Skunkman brought there in 1984, alongside the other landraces Dutch breeders used to build their first stable hybrids.

It also sits at the base of a much bigger family. Girl Scout Cookies, now simply Cookies, is usually traced to OG Kush crossed with Durban Poison, which means a little of it runs through Sunset Sherbet, Gelato and Wedding Cake. Our Gelato 48 guide follows that family forward.

What Durban Poison smells and tastes like

Durban Poison is usually described as earthy, herbal and a little piney. Over that base sits the anise or licorice note that makes it stand out. Expect sweet, earthy and herbal first, with the licorice arriving as an edge rather than a candy flavor. Those are general descriptions, not a lab result, and batches differ. If a batch was tested for terpenes, which happens only when the producer requests it under DCC regulations section 15725, the results are on its certificate of analysis; otherwise your nose is the test.

That makes Durban Poison a good test of your own nose. In a side-by-side with a citrus sativa, the herbal, anise character is easy to pick out once you know to look for it.

If you like the bright, sativa side of the shelf, our wake and bake guide covers more daytime strains, and our Super Silver Haze guide covers a classic Haze.

A black licorice weed strain by name: Black Licorice

Black Licorice turns up as a strain name, and searches for it are common. We found no breeder record or press coverage for it that meets our sourcing standards, so we can’t tell you its parents or promise it smells like its name. Treat it as its own strain: read the producer and lineage on the jar, and smell it before you buy.

Red Licorice, White Licorice and Licorice Kush also turn up in searches. We found no published record linking any of them to Durban Poison, so the same advice applies.

The table lines up what we can and can’t say.

Why some weed smells like licorice

Nobody has pinned the licorice note in cannabis to one compound, and the research suggests it would be hard to. A 2025 PLOS ONE study built a vocabulary of 25 aroma terms and had a trained panel smell 91 flower samples. It found that terpene profiles alone did a poor job of predicting how the flower actually smelled. That makes it unlikely that one terpene on a label will explain a licorice note by itself.

So the label’s terpene line is a clue, not a recipe. If a jar lists terpenes, those figures come from that batch’s lab report; the DCC regulations only allow extra terpene and cannabinoid claims on a label when the certificate of analysis backs them up.

A licorice note in plain flower also doesn’t mean anything was added. If you see a flavored vape or pre-roll, its ingredient list tells you whether flavoring is in it.

Finding licorice-scented flower at Vibe

As of November 5, 2026, Vibe carried Durban Poison flower from Claybourne Co. and Preferred Gardens at Alessandro, Pigeon Pass and Redding, a Buddies Durban Poison all-in-one vape at four California stores, a Connected Durban Poison cartridge in Ukiah, and Claybourne Co. infused Durban Poison pre-rolls in Sacramento and Stockton. Check your store’s menu, since stock changes daily.

Pick your Vibe store, ask to smell a couple of jars side by side, and give each one a second sniff before you decide. The label gives the batch’s cannabinoid content; the DCC flower-label checklist shows what it must include.

Durban Poison is often described as clear-headed and energetic, but effects vary from person to person and batch to batch. Check the label, start low and wait before having more. The DCC’s responsible-use page covers the basics, including never driving after use. For more on aroma and terpenes, visit our learn hub.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Wikipedia: Arjan Roskam
• Vice: The Science Behind Purple Kush, and the Colors of Cannabis
• PLOS ONE 2025: a proposed cannabis aroma lexicon
• DCC: regulations
• DCC: flower labeling checklist
• DCC: responsible cannabis use

For adults 21+ (18+ with a physician’s recommendation in California). Keep out of reach of children and pets. Do not drive or operate machinery after use.