Leafly Buzz: 13 top weed strains of May

West Coast cannabis flower smokers: Prep your lungs for a long, hot, intense summer

This May, Kush Mints went Platinum. Chem Dog offspring like GMOG, Dawg Breath, and The Judge intimidate with both their bark and bite. And Archive Seed Bank takes your garden over the rainbow with their next-generation Zkittlez cross, Moonbow #112 IX.

Impress the session with this flood of crazy-strong, flavorful pot just sitting there on store shelves and delivery warehouses.

That’s right, it’s time for Leafly’s essential, monthly, West Coast fire flower round-up, Leafly Buzz. Let’s frickin’ go.

Trending weed strains in the west

Krypto Chronic

⬆ 43.4%

Prepare to orbit Earth and ponder the black hole at the center of the Milky Way via Krypto Chronic—the OG and Cookies cross popularized by Alien Labs of California. We got a crazy cut of it from Fig Farms, a big winner at May 15th’s the Emerald Cup Awards 2022. If big Fig invested the time to grow Krypto, we’re damn sure game to smoke it. This hybrid doesn’t have a clear breeder attached to it, but it’s a Fruity Pebbles OG crossed to Alien Cookies, then Jet Fuel Gelato. It’s fruity, berry, sweet, creamy, fuel funk and complex, bitter-sweet taste made Leafly readers report coffee, plum, and even tobacco notes. Expect super-high THC effects for advanced users, who might get energetic, happy, and relaxed all at once. Some patients turn to the Krypto Chronic to manage anxiety, pain, or depression. Krypto Chronic jumps up 43.4% month over month in search interest.

Slapz

⬆ 35.6%

Exotic Genetix’s cross of Runtz x Grease Monkey surges into May thanks to its hard-hitting aroma and dizzying, hybrid-indica effects. Slapz jumped up 35.6% in monthly searches as more growers tried out this recent creation from the leader breeder of Washington. Genetics from Zkittlez, Gelato, Original Glue, and GSC give this strain a face-smacking skunk, diesel, and pine, smell, and taste. Reviewers report getting aroused, creative, and hungry on Slapz, but newbies should watch out. Those mega-high THC levels can make novices anxious, and dry their mouth out.

Area 41

 ⬇ 21.8%

Lemon Fuel OG and Gelato 41 combine in Area 41, a staple strain from Alien Labs. Area 41 fell off 21.18% in monthly interest as fans sought out newer flavors. Still, those gas and gelato terpenes stain the palate with flavors of lemon and earth. The effect? Lovely, high-THC hybrid vibes for a workday afternoon into night, or a weekend day spent all turnt up. Reviewers report getting chatty and aroused as Area 41 zapped their pain and stress.

OG Kush

⬆ 17.5%

Fans of the legendary, undefeated OG Kush nudged this West Coast classic up 17.48% in monthly search volume. Since the ’90s, OG Kush has delivered tasty lemon, pine, and fuel smells with a woody, earthy finish no one can deny or diminish. But where the real OGs even at these days? Well, The Real OG brand cannabis in California delivered on the brand promise for us. We got a jar from the Sunset Pipeline dispensary in San Francisco, just south of Golden Gate Park—proof that it takes OGs to grow and source OGs. After a day of dealing with work challenges, OG Kush never fails to supply high-THC, hybrid effects that’ll make you hungry, relaxed, giggly, and stress-free. OG Kush goes great with weekday afternoons and evenings and works all day on weekends. Pre-game for those new Dr. Dre missions in GTA Online with the real OG this month.

New in the Leafly Strain Database

Platinum Kush Mints

Seed Junky Genetics Kush Mints might become the Leafly strain of the year 2022. Literal tons of crosses of the strain are in production in the west. Popping up on our radar—Platinum Kush Mints. It’s not just some premium cut of the original Seed Junky Genetics strain. Instead, breeder/seed seller In-House Genetics crossed a Platinum OG Kush to Kush Mints. We got a beautiful nug of it from award-winning growers Sense Cannabis in SF that tasted like earthy, fuel, minty, doughy, funk. Save this stratosphere-level high-THC strain for after you finish work and chores for the day, or they’re not getting done until tomorrow.

Beaver Tail

Speaking of Kush Mints crosses, the Canada brand Burb has brought their A-game to California’s hyper-competitive market with Beaver Tail, a cross of Pink Gelato x Kush Mints #11. Roots Genetics in Los Angeles bred the strain for Burb, and the two have grown it for eight months. Beaver Tail has an exquisite, icy-dark look, with that tasty, iconic gelato smell of creamy berry, fuel, and earth. Beaver Tail slaps fools with a 26-31% THC scores, and its heavy, relaxing body high effect goes great with a weekend weed nap, or killing your work week insomnia. Beaver Tail smacked us silly like we got on the wrong side of a semi-aquatic rodent.

Dawg Breath

Who let the Dawg Breath out? Award-winning California growers Green Dawg did. This Chem Dog offspring has serious bark and bite. Green Dawg crossed Motorbreath #15 to Motorbreath #15 F3—which means a whole heck of a lot of Chemdog and SFV OG genes expressing that chemmy, spicy, sour earth funk smell, and taste. This Doberman of a strain is a strong AF hybrid that works best as an after-work treat for getting super-lit and scarfing down. If you love Chem, OG, and GMO—meet your new best friend. Green Dawg sells Dawg Breath as ‘Puppies’—smaller buds with just as much ferociousness as the bigger dawgs.

Nuketown

A Humboldt County, CA budtender at High Tides recommended this sativa during a spring camping trip to Gualala, CA. We had to buy it, because of the reference to the famous Call of Duty multiplayer map Nuketown, and suspected roots in old-school Chernobyl. Sure enough, Flight Time Genetics of Denver crossed two classics—Chernobyl and MK Ultra—to make this hybrid. It’s got a 90s weed flavor–a bit sweet, grassy, hashy, and chocolatey. The high-THC hybrid proved versatile—whether it’s getting headshots in online multiplayer, or just soaking up rays watching the waves break on the rugged shoreline.

Fresh in stores this month

New on shelves

The Judge

from Claybourne Co., CA

Very few strains make us uncomfortably high in 2022, so take your hat off in the courtroom of The Judge, Claybourne Co’s highest-testing strain ever. This indica reeked of Chemdog or GMO when we popped the jar, so we knew an intense time awaited us. Indeed, Claybourne Co. reports they bred a Chem Dog-related strain that’s exclusive and unique. Expect a pungent, major diesel smell with a flavor that can evoke bitter coffee or rich plum. When your schedule opens up, put your phone on airplane mode and strap in for an intense, off-hours experience. Take a time out—this Judge is stern but fair.

Rocketing up the charts:

Super Boof

bred by Mobile Jay, Cultivated by Virgin Leaf, OR

For those unfamiliar with the term “boof,” it’s an all-encompassing term that simply means the herb isn’t up to snuff. Breeder Mobile Jay must have known he had a winner on his hands when he gave this cross of Black Cherry Punch and Tropicana Cookies the cheeky moniker Super Boof. This batch from Virgin Leaf Cannabis does a great job proving it’s anything but. The Punch in this cross gives this flower incredible bag appeal, with pops of midnight purple offset against silvery calyxes. While the Tropicanna bolsters the pronounced effect for a surprisingly sedative head change. Those familiar clean citrus top notes from the Tropicana are present in the jar. They smell like a sun-warmed roadside citrus stand the instant the buds hit the grinder.

Best-sellers

Ball out

Apples to Apples

by Cream of the Crop Gardens, CA

Cream of the Crop Gardens returns to the top of their game with this sativa-leaning offspring of the hit strain Apple Fritter. Apples to Apples crosses Sour Apple and Animal Cookies—a hybrid with a sativa lean that makes for a relaxing, fun party weed splurge. Apples to Apples has a tart, apple smell that comes from its diesel roots. It tastes like a scrumptious cookie with a sour apple note, delivering hybrid effects.

Ballin on a budget

GMOG

from Autumn Brands, CA

Roll fat, guilt-free party joints of GMOG from Autumn Brands for a tasty, potent, inflation-proof smoke this May. This hybrid indica combo of GMO and Legend OG comes from the breeder Cannarado and smells and tastes like fuel, and earth, with that must-have GMO funk. It’s also 30% THC, with euphoric, relaxing effects. Autumn Brands grows year-round in greenhouses and has a line of 14-gram jars of ‘Premium Smalls’—industry slang for ‘small buds,’ instead of big ones. Smalls can deliver all the flavor and potency of big nugs, just without the bulked-out size, and stem weight. GMOG smalls from Autumn prove it’s not the size of the nug that matters, it’s the satisfaction.

High Note

Moonbow #112 IX

from Archive Seed Bank

There’s still time to take your home garden to the top of the rainbow this growing season. On May 15, top seed breeder and seller Archive Seed Bank based in Oregon debuted regular seeds of Moonbow #112 IX. It promises the best of the Zkittlez genetic optimized for size, bling, smell, effect, and agronomy. Archive Seeds’ Fletch (aka The Librarian) distinguishes himself in the breeding world by growing out hundreds of varieties, and actually smoking, and refining the crosses to something new, more stable, and optimal. Moonbow #112 IX comes from three years of work. The original Moonbow mixed Zkittlez and Do-Si-Dos. The number #112 plant of the Moonbow breeding project became a highly sought-after variety available in clone-only form. To get the Moonbow #112 into seed form, Fletch bred it to itself and make repeated selections he actually finished and smoked. The result drips with blackberry currant and zingy, lime zkittlez terps, he says. Moonbow #112 IX has some phenotypes that make great hash, but it’s optimized for flower gardens and flower lovers. Buy these seeds, grow them out, and enjoy a super-fine contemporary connoisseur smoke on fresh glass. But beware: This high-THC hybrid may give you neon visual tracers and leave you floating after you farm them.

And that’s it for Leafly Buzz May. See you next month in June for more of the hottest flowers ever bred and sold, including the national flower round-up Strains of Summer 2022, as well as the next Buzz hit list for the western US.

Oregon freelance journalist Ryan Herron contributed to this post.

How did we do this month? Leave a nice comment below.

David Downs

David Downs directs news and lifestyle coverage as the California Bureau Chief for Leafly.com. He’s written for WIRED, Rolling Stone and Billboard, and is the former cannabis editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as the author of several cannabis books including ‘Marijuana Harvest’ by Ed Rosenthal and David Downs. He co-hosts The Hash podcast. TW: @davidrdowns | IG @daviddowns

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