“Nothing compares to the taste. You’ll be at a concert, tripping, thinking about passing the joint—but then that flavor hits, lingers on your palate, and you just reach back for it. It’s fiendish in the best way.”
BN: Let’s get right into it and start at the beginning. You’ve become synonymous with Sour Diesel. Can you tell us how you first came across the real Sour D cut, and what that experience was like for you?
UD: The first time I saw Sour Diesel was probably around 2006, but that was after a period from 2003 to 2005 when I was seeing numbered diesel strains No.1, No.2, etc. We had never seen anything with quite that sharp and gassy of a profile, and we were smitten. Those came from my brother’s friend’s mom’s neighbor in Newton Corner, a man they nicknamed “Diesel Bob.”
He was bringing them back from friends of his in New York. After a while those disappeared. The weed was undoubtedly diesel, but a lot of his story was pretty wild. He claimed he used to work for Royal Dutch Shell, constantly flying back and forth to Amsterdam, and later got busted with powders before ending up working at Whole Foods while on parole.
I actually met him while I was working there. When my brother came to pick me up after a shift one day, he couldn’t believe I was having a smoke with Diesel Bob. That’s when I realized who he really was. Haven’t seen him since 2009.
After that, Sour Diesel started appearing around 2006, but sporadically. You have to remember that around 2004 we stopped seeing moderately priced kind bud, and everything became either beasters or headies. Beasters BC bud was poor-quality, mass-produced hydro that sold for $20 to $40 an eighth, while headies were the small-batch top-shelf flower you wanted to keep all for your head.
That same “kind bud” that had once been $35 an eighth was now $50 to $70, and full units of the headies commanded $4,200 to $7,100 a pound, more than double the work weed. Within that backdrop, Sour Diesel began to emerge on the Massachusetts market.
I didn’t fall in love with it at first. We were smoking a lot of Chem D back then. But it wasn’t until the summer of 2008 at Gathering of The Vibes in Bridgeport, Connecticut that I experienced and fell in love with the cut of Sour Diesel we now call the “A.”
Back then it didn’t have that label, it was just Sour Diesel. My crew was camping with friends C.S. and N.D., who had gotten their sour from roommates D and I, Disco Biscuits kids, while we were mostly Deadheads. That’s how that particular cut made its way into our circle.
We’d head out from Lower Allston to Belchertown, link with them, and throw down on Sour they were getting from Brighton. Eventually, I got the cut directly from my friend M.B., whose brother had been grow partners with my old caregiver M.W. That same “A” cut became my all-time favorite smoke.
Most people never saw that exact version. We’d often get what we called Hunter Mountain Sour Diesel—the old AJ cut—a bit sweeter than the fuel-forward “A.” That stuff went for $400-plus all day.
There’s a lot of legend surrounding Sour Diesel, but you’ve lived it firsthand. What do you think made that strain so special—and why has it stood the test of time?
The smell and flavor define the experience. That’s the most important thing. But visually, it’s stunning too—the dark forest-green sugar leaves against the pale green buds and salmon-hued pistils. It’s almost camouflage-esque.
Still, nothing compares to the taste. You’ll be at a concert, tripping, thinking about passing the joint—but then that flavor hits, lingers on your palate, and you just reach back for it. It’s fiendish in the best way. Nothing else does that to me besides Sour.
You’ve gone from running that Diesel lineage to now collaborating with some of the best in the game. How did your partnership with Aficionado Estates come about, and what’s it like working alongside such an elite group of growers and breeders?
It’s a huge privilege to work with people operating at such a high level. Aficionado is a globally respected name, so it’s truly an honor. Leo and I met at The Harvest Cup at the DCU Center in Worcester in the fall of 2024. We hit it off right away; he even flew out to join us at the Kush N Sour Comp in Brooklyn a few weeks later.
That was a wild experience. It happened on my 40th birthday, during the last Super Moon for thirteen months, and we took home first place. My first big win at a major competition. I’m grateful for the abundance the universe has provided.
You recently bred a new line for Aficionado Estates. Can you break down that project—what genetics went into it, what inspired the direction, and what sets these strains apart from the rest of the market?
We’ve put out ten lines so far. The Sour Diesel BX 1.5 and Sour Diesel BX 2.5 are two I’m especially proud of. We started with Chem Fuego from Skunk VA/Lucky Dog Seed Co—((LA Kush Headband x Sour Diesel) x Chem 91 BX3) and used that to pollinate the Hunter Mountain Sour Diesel (AJ cut), creating Fire on the Mountain.
From there, a selected male from Fire on the Mountain was used to pollinate the “A” cut of Sour Diesel, producing Sour Diesel BX 1.5. A male from that generation was then used to hit the “A” cut again, resulting in Sour Diesel BX 2.5.
We also released Sour Animal F2s from 2009 Animal Cookies x Sour Diesel BX 1.5 which produced some incredible Sour Diesel phenos with an acetone backend.
Other releases include: Hunter Mountain Sour Diesel BX1 (Hunter Mtn x Fire on the Mountain); Scarlet Fire (Chemdog 91 x Fire on the Mountain); 30 Year Dog F2s (Chemdog 91 x Chem Fuego); GAS-GPT (GMO x 30 Year Dog); Sour GPT (GAS-GPT x Sour Animal); and Pure Animal (Pure Kush x Sour Animal) using the same Pure Kush mother traded for the Apollo 11.
For the heads who really follow the craft, what specific strains or drops should people be watching for from your new Aficionado line? Anything you’re personally most excited to share?
The Sour On Steroids (SOS) line is my favorite and the best seller so far. It’s Grease Band (Grease Monkey x 707 Headband) crossed with Sour Diesel BX 2.5.
The 707 Headband is Sour-dominant (OG Kush x Sour Diesel), so the SOS is like an easier-to-grow, more forgiving Hunter Mountain Sour Diesel. Roughly 75% of the population are sour leaners, and many phenos show near-complete mildew resistance especially valuable for outdoor growers in the Northeast. Hence the name SOS our answer to growers’ SOS.
When you look back from the Sour Diesel days to where you are now, what keeps your passion for the plant alive? What does it mean to you to preserve and evolve that original East Coast legacy through your work today?
It’s an obligation I take seriously. When I was given the cut, I was told I couldn’t pass it but when I asked if I could make seeds with it, my friend said there were no restrictions there. That became my mission.
While some breeders focus on multiple filial generations, I primarily do backcross work making outcrosses along the way with the males I select from those BX projects. It’s less flashy, but it’s like painting a landscape versus drawing a comic book. It’s steady, focused, and deeply intentional.
We’ve taken the Sour BX work a few more generations now, and we’re about to release some heavily refined new lines soon. I couldn’t be more excited to continue that evolution.
