Mint #13
A GMO-leaning cultivar from Symbiotic Genetics that helped popularize the gassy, savory 'mint' flavor profile in modern hybrids.
Mint #13 is a real, breeder-documented cut from Symbiotic Genetics, not a folk strain. It's become a workhorse parent — you'll find it behind a lot of the 'mints' and gassy-cookie crosses on dispensary shelves. Beyond pedigree, almost everything you read about its effects is anecdotal. There are no clinical studies on Mint #13 specifically, and the chemistry numbers floating around come from scattered lab COAs, not systematic testing. Treat reported THC ranges and terpene profiles as ballpark, not gospel.
Overview
Mint #13 is a selected phenotype released by Symbiotic Genetics, the breeder also known for Wedding Cake and Modified Grapes [1]. It rose to prominence in the late 2010s and early 2020s as a parent in a wave of 'mints'-flavored hybrids — flowers and concentrates described as gassy, savory, slightly herbal, with a cookie backbone. The cut itself was distributed through clone networks and licensed cultivators rather than widely sold as seed, which is part of why authentic Mint #13 is rarer than the many crosses bearing the 'mints' name.
The '13' is a pheno number — Symbiotic ran a pack and selected number 13 as the keeper. That's standard breeder practice, not a quality grade Strong evidence.
Chemistry: cannabinoids and terpenes
Public lab COAs for flower labeled Mint #13 typically show THC in the low-to-mid 20s percent range, with negligible CBD and modest THCV Weak / limited. These numbers come from individual dispensary testing, not aggregated peer-reviewed datasets, so they reflect grow conditions and lab variance as much as genetics [2].
Reported terpene profiles lean caryophyllene-dominant, often with limonene and humulene secondary, and small amounts of linalool that may explain the 'minty' descriptor more than any actual menthol-type compound — cannabis does not produce menthol Strong evidence [3]. The 'mint' in the name is a flavor impression, not a chemical fact.
The popular claim that any single terpene at a given percentage 'causes' a specific effect — for instance the often-repeated 'myrcene above 0.5% makes a strain indica' — is marketing folklore, not pharmacology Disputed [4].
Reported effects
User reports describe Mint #13 as heavy, relaxing, and appetite-stimulating, with a slower onset than its THC number would suggest Anecdote. There are no clinical trials on Mint #13 specifically, and effectively none on any named cannabis cultivar at this level of granularity No data.
What the science actually supports: total THC dose, route of administration, tolerance, set, and setting predict subjective effects far more reliably than strain name or indica/sativa label [5][6]. A 2022 analysis of thousands of commercial cannabis samples found that the indica/sativa/hybrid labeling system does not meaningfully correspond to chemical composition [7]. So if a budtender tells you Mint #13 will do X because it's 'indica,' that's not a claim with evidence behind it.
Lineage
Symbiotic Genetics has described Mint #13's parentage as Animal Mints crossed with SinMint Cookies [1]. Animal Mints itself is generally credited to Seed Junky Genetics as (Animal Cookies x SinMint Cookies) — meaning Mint #13 sits inside a tight cookies-family gene pool, which is consistent with its flavor and structure.
Lineage in cannabis is frequently disputed Disputed. Without DNA verification — which is rarely published for commercial cuts — pedigrees rest on breeder statements. Multiple unrelated cuts have been sold as 'Mint #13' through clone markets, and crosses labeled 'Mints' may use the real cut, a different selection, or simply borrow the name. If pedigree matters to you, source from a license holder that traces back to Symbiotic.
Cultivation basics
Growers report Mint #13 as a medium-height plant with cookies-typical structure: stout, branchy, responsive to topping and light defoliation. Flowering time is reported around 63–70 days indoors Anecdote. Yields are described as medium — not a commercial yield monster, which is part of why it shows up more as a breeding parent than as a standalone production strain.
Like most cookies descendants, it reportedly prefers moderate feeding (heavy nitrogen will cause issues in late veg) and benefits from good airflow because the dense cola structure can hold humidity. None of this is Mint #13-specific science; it's general cookies-line grower consensus Weak / limited.
Marketing vs. reality
What's real:
- Mint #13 is a documented selection from a known breeder [1].
- It is a meaningful parent in a recognizable family of 'mints' crosses on the market.
- Its flavor signature — gassy, savory, with a cool herbal note — is reproducible enough that experienced consumers can often identify it blind.
What's marketing:
- Specific THC percentages on packaging. Lab shopping and inflation are well-documented industry problems [2][8].
- 'Indica' or 'hybrid' labels predicting your experience. The chemistry-label mismatch is established [7].
- Claims that Mint #13 specifically treats anxiety, insomnia, or pain. No strain-level clinical evidence exists No data.
- Any product labeled 'Mint #13' without breeder or clone-source provenance. The name travels faster than the genetics.
Sources
- Practitioner Symbiotic Genetics. Breeder catalog and public statements regarding the Mints line and Mint #13 selection.
- Reported Jikomes, N. 'The Cannabis Potency Problem.' Leafly Science, ongoing coverage of THC label inflation and lab variance.
- Peer-reviewed Booth, J.K., Bohlmann, J. (2019). Terpenes in Cannabis sativa – From plant genome to humans. Plant Science, 284, 67–72.
- Peer-reviewed Russo, E.B. (2011). Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7), 1344–1364.
- Peer-reviewed Spindle, T.R., et al. (2019). Acute effects of smoked and vaporized cannabis in healthy adults who infrequently use cannabis. JAMA Network Open, 2(11), e1916067.
- Peer-reviewed MacCallum, C.A., Russo, E.B. (2018). Practical considerations in medical cannabis administration and dosing. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 49, 12–19.
- Peer-reviewed Smith, C.J., Vergara, D., Keegan, B., Jikomes, N. (2022). The phytochemical diversity of commercial Cannabis in the United States. PLOS ONE, 17(5), e0267498.
- Peer-reviewed Schwabe, A.L., Johnson, V., Harrelson, J., McGlaughlin, M.E. (2023). Uncomfortably high: Testing reveals inflated THC potency on retail Cannabis labels. PLOS ONE, 18(4), e0282396.
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