Get to Know Your Favorite Strain | Acapulco Gold

This landrace cultivar will send your senses on a much-needed beach vacation! Discover the aromatic compounds that fuel the rich, warm aroma of Acapulco Gold.

Acapulco Gold is groovy! This cool cat is far out, outta sight, and calling it copacetic is a major understatement. Can you dig it?

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of our system, Acapulco Gold is a rare landrace cultivar from Acapulco, Mexico, that you’ve got to experience firsthand to understand the hype. That is, if you can even get your hands on it.

It popped up in the 1960s and quickly gained notoriety, with many raving about its potency and rich aroma. As it traveled up the coast into America, countercultural hippies of the 1960s and 70s took an immediate liking to it, and Cheech and Chong’s cult classic film Up in Smoke even references this beloved strain. 

Acapulco Gold has also stood the test of time. In 1977, High Times awarded it the #5 spot on its Top 40 Strain¹ selection list, then in 2010, it won a High Times Cannabis Cup². More recently, in 2014, High Times listed it as one of the Top 25 Strains of All Time.³

While there are rumors about its genetics, nothing has been verified, and at this point, the mystery simply adds to its appeal. Read on and discover the aromatic compounds that create the warm aroma and vacation-worthy effects of Acapulco Gold.

Our scientists isolate specific terpenes and aromatic compounds of popular cultivars so both cannabis and non-cannabis consumers can enjoy and benefit from botanically-derived, hemp-derived, and cannabis-derived terpenes.

Acapulco Gold Terpene Profile

Some strains are named after their cultivators (Jack Herer), inside jokes (Super Boof), genetics (Super Lemon Haze), or regions where they originated from (Durban Poison). Sure, naming conventions aren’t always that clear-cut, but the thought process behind naming Acapulco Gold is pretty obvious. It originated from Acapulco, Mexico, and that flavor and aroma is simply pure gold (the buds also have some gold coloring, but you get it).

There’s something undeniably sunny about Acapulco Gold. It’s dank and earthy but not abrasive; it’s sweet but not candy-like; it has a splash of gassy citrus without being sour, etc. Think rich toffee, ribbons of warm honey, subtle notes of wood, etc. It’ll have you daydreaming about the warm sands and cool gulf breezes of those Acapulco beaches.

None of this would be possible, however, without its unique combination of aromatic compounds, such as dominant terpenes d-Limonene, β-Caryophyllene, and β-Pinene.

Today, we know cannabis flavorants like Tropicannasulfurs play a significant role in tropical citrus aromas. However, that doesn’t mean d-Limonene doesn’t still perform some heavy lifting in Acapulco Gold’s bright splash of citrus. This terpene isolate is often found in fruits like lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges, etc.

Want the details on tropical, citrus cannabis aromas? Get all the info in The Science of Exotic Cannabis III: The Trio of Tropicanna!

The beta-Caryophyllene terpene isolate is responsible for the spicy, peppery taste of black pepper and the woodsy smell of clove oil, copaifera oil, basil, hops, oregano, rosemary, and true cinnamon. Considering the rich, earthy quality of Acapulco Gold’s aroma, you can see how this terpene might be one of its shining stars.

While you may be more familiar with alpha-Pinene, this cultivar is more dominant in beta-Pinene. Both are piney and woody and can be found in rosemary and conifer trees like pine.

Acapulco Gold Terplytics

Our proprietary Terplytics system is the next generation of cannabis analytics. It allows us to deliver the most advanced botanical testing for exploratory research, sensory quantification, strain validation, product development, and consumer insights. It’s also how we developed our revolutionary Gas Factor and Loud Factor.

ACAPULCO GOLD

GAS FACTOR — 94%

LOUD FACTOR — 96%

The Gas Factor measures the intensity of a profile’s gassy aroma. So, the higher the Gas Factor, the gassier the profile. Simple, right? While that is accurate, it’s not quite the whole picture.

First, our scores are logarithmic, so there’s a HUGE difference between a profile with a Gas Factor of 96% and one with 100%. Second, this isn’t as simple as counting aromatics by weight. While gassy cultivars often have high amounts of certain terpene isolates, they also include flavorants like Skatole and Indole that significantly influence aroma even when found in minuscule quantities (we’re talking parts per billion or parts per trillion). 

Want the details on cannabis flavorants Skatole and Indole? Learn about these pungent compounds in The Science of Exotic II: The Curious Case of Chem!

The Loud Factor quantifies the pungency or “loudness” of a strain by assigning scores to individual compounds (like cannabis flavorants) based on their pungency. It’s important to note that our Terplytics numbers have nothing to do with quality. A cultivar with a 100% Loud Factor isn’t objectively better than one with a 0% Loud Factor; it just means one is much louder. 

For consumers with specific preferences, Terplytics can be immensely helpful for finding the right products! 

When selecting samples to create such an iconic profile, we used a particularly pungent sauce. Through our investigative research, we’ve found that different cannabis products (resin, rosin, flower, etc.) can have different aroma and flavor properties. To capture the unique aroma of Acapulco Gold, this sample was simply the best for our analysis.

Acapulco Gold Terpene Profile Effects

While psychoactive cannabinoids are responsible for getting you high, aromatic compounds dictate specific effects. That’s why two cultivars with the same cannabinoid levels can promote very different experiences! 

One might inspire you to head to the beach for a day of sand volleyball, and the other could leave you snoozing on a hammock. So, if you enjoy how Acapulco Gold makes you feel, you can thank the unique combo of cannabinoids and various aromatic compounds like terpenes and flavorants. 

Many consider Acapulco Gold a pure sativa strain. After decades of hybridization, terms like indica and sativa don’t really have anything to do with effects, and they mainly refer to plant biology. However, Acapulco Gold is considered a landrace strain. So, at the height of its popularity, calling it a sativa to denote that it had stimulating effects would likely have been accurate. 

This brings us to Acapulco Gold’s effects, which are notoriously energizing and uplifting. Due to this, it’s recommended for daytime use or even a wake’n bake session. It’s great for exercising, outdoor activities, creative endeavors, and it can also be a useful social lubricant. Basically, it’s ideal for a fun day at the beach with your friends.

Abstrax Tech | True-to-Type Acapulco Gold Strain Terpene Profile

Our Native Series is a collection of Advanced Terpene Profiles that taste and smell exactly like the original cannabis material. The best part? Since they’re botanically sourced, they’re not limited by supply, and they’re affordable.

Want to put your spin on Acapulco Gold?

Combine Acapulco Gold with other profiles and blends for something your customers won’t find anywhere else. Create novel high-intensity aromatics by combining it with a Cloudburst blend, or add complex earthy bass notes with the hemp-derived profiles in our Terplandia Series. 

Contact us today, and give your customers the rich Acapulco Gold aroma they’re craving.

1. High Times [@HIGH_TIMES_Mag]. (2023, October 23). Here's a closer look at High Times' Top 40 weed strains of 1977. [Post] X. https://x.com/HIGH_TIMES_Mag/status/1716587064718671900?lang=en 

2. 27. High Times Cannabis Cup : Cannabis Cup Winner. SeedFinder.eu. (n.d.). https://seedfinder.eu/en/database/cup-winner/high-times-cannabis-cup/2010

3. Escondido, N. (2014, November 1). The List: The 25 Greatest Strains of All Time: High Times: November 2014. High Times | The Complete Archive. https://archive.hightimes.com/article/2014/11/1/the-list-the-25-greatest-strains-of-all-time

Try the Aroma of this Landrace Cultivar TODAY!

SHOP Acapulco Gold

Acapulco Gold is far out, man. With its rich combo of gilded honey, bright citrus, and that splash of gas, this landrace cultivar perfectly captures the cool gulf breezes and blazing Mexican sun of the 60s.