Yellow Mermaid - Bungludetch Farms
For the last year or so, I’ve been seeing an unreal amount of hype for Yellow Mermaid, bred by rising star Flavor Designer, the house genetics out of Pheno Addicts. So when DC Source hit me with the opportunity to check out this despite the buzz about Bungludetch’s business situation, I was psyched to finally see what’s what.
Blueberry Sour (Rosin) - Misty’s Melts
Generally when I see something from ABF Genetics, my hype factor goes way up, so when I see one of my favorite hash producers running something from one of my favorite breeders, my ears immediately perk up. Misty’s Melts took a chance with Blueberry Sour, which is a selection from ABF’s (Blueberry Kush x Chemdog Sour Diesel), with the pollen donor being Chem D x Sour Diesel from Reservoir Seeds, which is a recipe for success.
Cherry Bomb - Puff Tuff
Another day with another new brand, this time Puff Tuff is on the chopping block, courtesy of Charas, with their Cherry Bomb. It’s a Cherry Pie hybrid with a ton of kerosene flavor to it, and I would say it’s a very strong note to start on.
Rainbow Wrecker - Misty’s Melts
It’s not much of a secret that I’ve been super impressed with Misty’s Melts since the brand debuted, but Rainbow Wrecker is a totally new genetic from her that has a lot of appeal to many kinds of smokers.
Wrank - Gobshop
Every time Gobs comes to town, he surprises me with some dank flowers from his homegrow, or in this case, Wrank. The one other time he brought Ethos Genetics flowers, I was impressed with the expressions, despite my general lack of faith in their seeds, and he’s done it again with his selection of Wrank.
GMO - Alchemy Studios DC
I’ve been grateful to know and work with Drue Downs at Alchemy Studios the last couple years, so when he asked me to check out his GMO grown in-house it was an instant yes. Even though I’m a bit biased towards the strain, getting to try an elite clone-only genetic from an elite competiton-winning grower is a no-brainer.
Kosher Kush V2 - Dorsia
I’m a huge fan of Kosher Kush, to the point it may be my favorite OG. Dorsia, in my opinion, is the guy to pay attention to when it comes to fuel and gas, so it’s no surprise that this version of Kosher made it to the menu.
Blue Zushi - Untouchable Genetics
There’s been a lot of talk on the weed net about who has the real Blue Zushi and who got fake cuts, and while I’m sure there are tons of fake cuts out there, this one from Untouchable Genetics is not one of them. This is not only the real deal, but it’s frankly the strongest version of this strain I’ve had in years.
Zoap - Pleasant Effects
It’s been a good long while since I’ve had a batch of Zoap that was worth anything, so naturally my hype for another batch from Pleasant Effects was through the roof. Many previous batches of their Zoap had been specifically siloed off for the Fear and Zoaping drops with The Book Club, so it was an extra treat to get some down in my local market.
The Swirl - Dorsia
If you’re on hyperniche corners of the internet for weed, you’ve seen people from coast to coast freaking out about Dorsia’s drops the last few months, and The Swirl got even more fanfare than normal. It’s a brand new flavor in the lineup with a killer blend of deep fruit and light gas that sits in front of quite the wallop in effects.
OG - Traditional
Hardcore enthusiasts have been arguing about OG Kush since time immemorial (1991), but almost 25 years later the debate has shifted back to who actually has fire OG. Traditional has been rolling out a whole lineup with a great variety of flavors and OG seems to be the centerpiece of the whole lineup, and I have some mixed feelings about this.
LemonZZZ - Dorsia
Dorsia’s store mostly focuses on sour, funk and gas, but he and I have spoken many times about how great it is when you can supply truly elite candy. Lokiños is a hybrid of Watermelon Zkittlez x Runtz, and this stuff has me excited like it’s 2022 again. Zkittlez x Runtz was always something I wanted to try from Seven Leaves, and when I opened this jar it impressed past three years of hype.
Apples & Bananas - Pleasant Effects
I’ve gone on record to say that I’m the biggest fan of Apples & Bananas in the world, and if there’s one I could smoke forever it would be Pleasant Effects’ version. This was one of the first strains I smoked from Pleasant Effects a couple of years ago, and while the planned final tour was a way for the strain to go out with a bang, I’m really glad it’s back.
GMO x G41 - Blueprint
It’s been a little while since we’ve had Blueprint on the docket, but they’ve been pretty consistent all year, and this is no different. I find it particularly interesting that Blueprint is able to achieve so much success with so many different types of genetics, but this GMO x G41 has the type of gas I want to see from them.
Crunch Berries - Pleasant Effects
It’s not a secret that I’ve been pretty impressed with Funk House Farms’ work over the last year or so, and being honest I thought that streak might end with Death Star x Skunk Dog because the eye appeal is just not in the same league as Runtz or Black Maple. That is, at least on the outside of the nugs, which if they weren’t large, golf-ball dense and geode-esque on the innards, would be in scrungly territory.
Wedding Pie - Living Matter
Wedding Pie is something of a staple amongst Maine cultivators, and there are few who do it on this level. Heads from the western side of the country may be trired of this strain from the inundation of hash and flower coming from the Pyxy Styx cut. The Wedding Pie cut is generally attributed to Living Matter as the keeper of the flame, and at this point the cut has propagated quite far.
Khalifa Kush - Eugreen
Today, we see Khalifa Kush as just another celebrity brand, but before the brand and before the collaboration with Cookies for the rec market debut, the genetics birthed a legend. While this story is a bit more cultural mythology than documented fact, Khalifa Kush from Eugreen is smoke worthy of the legend and is an excellent value on Beast Coast Terps’ menu.
Zen Master - Harbor Headstash house cultivation
Last time I smoked Harbor Headstash, I noted that it was a super unique flavor profile, and that continues with his Zen Master. Xeno Seed Co has been making some frankly insane hybrids, and this is no exception. Zen Master is a hybrid of (Hi-Octane/Permanent Marker x Black Bubblegum), and even folks who’ve smoked a lot of Permanent Marker or bubblegum terps will find the flavor combination to be quite novel.
Wedding Fuel - JarCo.
By all accounts I should absolutely hate this strain considering I basically refuse to smoke MAC and have gone on record thinking Papaya is kind of mid. Maybe the mix of them sort of cancels out the traits I find mid or maybe this hybrid just has undeniable game.
Pop Smoke - Harbor Headstash house cultivation
As long as I’ve known Harbor Headstash, he’s been trying to grow his own fire flower, and after a few years of hard work, we’ve arrived at a menu ready batch of Pop Smoke. The genetics remind me of a lot of the things I was smoking in 2022 but with the benefit of being grown in the same state I live in.