Franco's Lemon Cheese Strain Review: The Tribute Strain to a Lost Breeder

Franco Loja died in the Congo in January 2017. He was the head breeder at Green House Seeds, the creative partner behind most of the company's cup-winning releases from the 2000s and 2010s, and one half of the duo (with Arjan Roskam) that built the Strain Hunters series into a global landrace documentation project. He was 42 years old. His death hit the cannabis community hard because almost everyone who had touched Green House genetics in the previous decade had touched something Franco had worked on, and because by most accounts he was a genuinely likeable person in an industry that is not always kind to its creatives.

Franco's Lemon Cheese is the strain Green House released to honour him. It is a cross of the two plants he loved most: Super Lemon Haze, his multiple-cup-winning sativa that took first place at the High Times Cannabis Cup in both 2008 and 2009, and Exodus Cheese, the UK clone-only phenotype that has been one of Europe's most beloved genetics since the early 1990s. Franco had been working on the cross before his death, and the breeding team finished the project afterwards as a memorial. A portion of every sale of this strain goes to the Franco Loja Fund, which supports his children's education.

That backstory matters because it gives the strain a weight that most cannabis products do not carry. But the strain also has to be worth growing on its own terms, and it is.

Genetics and origins

The cross is Super Lemon Haze x Exodus Cheese, and the resulting plant leans around 60 percent sativa and 40 percent indica. Both parents are famous for their flavour profiles and both won serious acclaim in their own right, so the genetic pedigree is about as strong as it gets for a tribute release.

Super Lemon Haze brings the zesty terpinolene-heavy citrus character that made it a coffeeshop staple and the long cerebral lift that earned it two consecutive Cannabis Cups. Exodus Cheese brings the funky, savoury, aged-cheddar aroma that UK growers have been obsessed with for three decades, along with a more balanced hybrid effect that grounds the Haze side. Together they produce a plant with an unusual flavour profile that sits somewhere between a lemon-forward sativa and an old-school European indica.

The strain won first place at ExpoGrow Irún in 2012 and second at Spannabis in 2013, which tells you Franco had already been testing and refining this cross for years before the tribute release.

Aroma and flavour

The smell is the thing people remember first. The dominant note is sharp lemon, almost zest-like, with a creamy cheese funk underneath that becomes more pronounced as the buds cure. One grower on GrowDiaries described the smell during week six of flower as "walking into a bakery making lemon zest pastries with a hint of aged gouda," which is a more accurate description than I could come up with on my own. The combination sounds odd and it occasionally is, but most people who grow it come to love the contrast.

On the smoke, the lemon hits first and the cheese follows on the exhale. A Leafly reviewer described it as "a distinct lemon smell" with "a cheese finish," which matches what most people report. The exhale is where the Exodus Cheese parent really makes itself known, with a creamy, slightly funky note that lingers on the palate for a while. The dominant terpenes are myrcene, linalool, and D-limonene, which is an unusual combination that produces a profile most modern hybrids cannot replicate.

Different phenotypes lean different ways. Some plants come out more Haze-dominant with the cheese as a background note. Others lean into the Exodus Cheese parent and produce buds that smell almost more like old-school UK Cheese than like a Haze cross. One CocoForCannabis forum reviewer reported a phenotype that was so indica-leaning the stretch was only 40 percent and the plant matured in 63 days, which is unusually fast for a strain with this lineage. Phenotype lottery is real with this one, and running multiple seeds is worth considering.

Effects

The high is described by Green House as a slow creeper. The onset is fast and energising, with a social and uplifting cerebral push that some reviewers call similar to Super Lemon Haze on its own. After 20 or 30 minutes the Exodus Cheese side comes through and the experience shifts into something more relaxed and grounded. THC tests around 21 to 23.5 percent depending on the batch, with slightly higher CBD than most modern hybrids (around 0.6 percent).

The effect lasts a long time. Most reviewers describe two to three hours of solid headspace before the comedown begins. Several Leafly users have called it one of their go-to daytime strains because the social lift does not tip into anxiety the way pure Haze descendants sometimes do, and the body component keeps the experience grounded enough for conversation and light physical activity.

One Leafly reviewer summed up the split nicely: "The ratio of SLH and Exodus Cheese is perfect for a nice mellow buzz that does not make you accidentally day nap." Another added that the strain was useful for managing PTSD symptoms and kept them uplifted without the jittery edge that harder sativas produce. Medical patients have reported using it for pain, appetite stimulation, and mood, though the moderate THC content means it is not the first choice for severe chronic conditions.

Growing Franco's Lemon Cheese

Franco's Lemon Cheese is a tall, branchy plant with vine-like growth and a significant stretch during early flower. Most growers report that the plant at least doubles in height during the first two weeks of bloom, so plan vegetative time accordingly and be ready to train aggressively if you have limited vertical space. SCROG and LST both work well, and several experienced growers have recommended topping early to control the canopy.

Indoor flowering takes 9 to 11 weeks depending on phenotype, with most growers pulling the trigger around week 9. Yields under good conditions can reach 750 to 800 grams per square metre, which is strong for a strain with this kind of sativa character. The buds are dense and heavily coated in resin, which is a useful trait for anyone who wants to make extracts or concentrates. The terpene profile is complex enough that this is one of the Green House strains most often recommended for hash rosin or live resin production.

Outdoor plants want a warm climate. Mediterranean, equatorial, and subtropical conditions all work. Harvest happens at the end of September in the Northern Hemisphere, with yields up to 800 grams per plant in ideal conditions. The plants grow tall outdoors and will need staking or trellising during the late flower stretch because the buds get heavy enough to bend unsupported branches.

The main growing issue is the smell. This strain is loud during flower, and the combination of lemon and cheese terpenes is distinctive enough that no neighbour is going to miss it. Carbon filtration is a requirement, not a suggestion, if stealth matters at all.

Why Franco's Lemon Cheese matters

Most tribute strains are marketing exercises. This one is not. Franco Loja actually bred this cross himself, using the two plants he cared about most, and the Green House team finished and released it as a memorial rather than as a new commercial product. The proceeds genuinely fund his children's education through the Franco Loja Fund. You are not just buying a bag of weed when you grow this strain, and that makes the experience a little different even before you get to the flavour and the effects.

Beyond the backstory, the strain is also just good. The flavour is unusual in a market that has been flattening toward candy-sweet cookies descendants for years. The high is functional and long-lasting. The yields are strong. If Franco had released this cross commercially before he died, it would have been another Green House hit on its own merits. The tribute framing adds meaning rather than substituting for quality.

For more on the seed bank and the breeders behind it, see our profile of Arjan Roskam, the King of Cannabis.

Quick Stats

• Type: Sativa-dominant hybrid (60/40)
• Genetics: Super Lemon Haze x Exodus Cheese
• Breeder: Green House Seeds (Franco Loja's final cross)
• THC: 21 to 23.5 percent
• CBD: Around 0.6 percent
• Flowering Time: 9 to 11 weeks
• Indoor Yield: Up to 750 to 800 g/m²
• Outdoor Yield: Up to 800 g/plant
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Best For: Social use, daytime activity, extract production, anyone who wants something different from the cookies lineage
• Awards: 1st place ExpoGrow Irún 2012, 2nd place Spannabis 2013

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