A running roundup of the hottest flower in legal America, pulled from recent High Times Strains of the Month and Terp Sherpa columns. Each pick is credited to the writer who made it and the month it ran. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.
You don’t have to know a guy anymore. Between David Downs’ new Terp Sherpa column and Jimi Devine’s Strains of the Month rundowns, our writers have been tracking the flower actually worth chasing across the legal states, the breeders the rest of the world envies and the cuts moving fastest off shelves. Here is a running list of the standouts, gathered in one place. Each entry notes who picked it and when, so you can dig into the full writeup if one calls your name.
Blueberry Caviar
Cookies (NM, CA) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
Debuting nationally this summer from Cookies affiliates, Blueberry Caviar delivers deep blueberry grape work that’s loud as hell, a new salvo in the ongoing blueberry wars. It comes from Ridgeline Farm’s Jason Gelman, who merged his LANTZ with an especially terpy selection of Compound Genetics’ Grape Gas. Two varieties emerged, the purpler Blackberry Caviar and the greener, more flavorful Blueberry Caviar. Gelman credits Berner for pushing it to the national level.
Brain Wash
Alien Labs (NY, CA, AZ) · Picked by Jimi Devine, August 2025 and David Downs, June 2026
A cross of OZ Kush and Z #18 that has been a hitter for months, candy-gas on candy. It came out of a 60-seed phenohunt at Alien Labs’ Sacramento facility, selected for an OG-like flavor that turns to candy Z and for the kind of impact that can be missing in Z crosses. “Its proximity to a true OG with something different inside the nug,” founder Ted Lidie told High Times. “Z is there but ephemeral. The OG really sticks with you.” It became Alien Labs’ top seller for months and is now the lead-off hitter for the brand’s new New York indoor grow, with bright green bud, lime taffy and refined fuel notes.
Chrome Dome
Maven Genetics x Compound Genetics (CA) · Picked by Jimi Devine, October 2025
The second drop from Maven and Compound’s pheno hunts together, and an absolute hitter. Maven started with three leading phenos and landed on the #6. “We landed on the phenos that hit consistently across multiple categories, structure, smell, potency, and flavor, with no major weaknesses,” Maven’s COO Mike Corvington told High Times. Expect grapefruit, citrus and candy on the nose, an uplifting but not racy effect, and the kind of spectacular sticky resin a lot of rec flower is missing.
Cinnamon Milk
Snowtill (CA) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
Bred by Powerzzzup and Cookies and grown in living soil by Snowtill indoors in San Francisco, this cross of Cereal A La Mode and (Sherb x Z) sat at the top of the heap during SF’s April 20 week. It’s got creamy cinnamon milk terps that are loud as hell, dark purple and green bud icy with trichomes, a go-to for when it’s time to zonk out. “She smells absolutely phenomenal in the garden, and grows beautiful and vigorous,” said Joe Snowtill. Not officially released yet, but coming soon.
Fabulosa
Fig Farms (CA) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
Out of the full Fig Farms lineup, Fabulosa is the one Downs kept returning to. It looked stunning, smelled like the sweet indica-hybrid wheelhouse, and the effect stood out, a perfect adjunct to any day or night without ever knocking you out or giving you The Fear. It’s a cross of Umami Seed Co.’s Zabuza and Fig’s in-house classic Dark Karma. Look for it in Fig Farms’ new holographic boxes.
Glacier
Preferred Gardens (FL) · Picked by Jimi Devine, October 2025
Florida is in store for a banger. Glacier pairs the wildly popular Permanent Marker with Lazer Gun, the product of a years-long breeding project and a 100-seed pheno hunt. Founder David Polley calls the winner an outlier, the most unique of the pack. “I find when I breed with Permanent Marker, you get a bunch of versions of Permanent Marker. I was looking for something different and found it with the Glacier,” he told High Times. Expect a candy and sherbet aroma built for the Florida market.
Happy Hour
Bosky (CA) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
Wizard Trees fans waited in line two weeks for the June seed drop at Mary Jane Berlin. Skip the plane ticket and grab California grower Bosky’s selection of Happy Hour instead, hunted from packs of the Tea Time x Zangria cross. Green bud with a mild smell in the jar but a loud tropical candy grind and an even tastier finish, a lovely hybrid for lounging around the pool.
John Truffolta
Alpine Agronomy (NY, CO, UT) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
If you loved Super Boof, don’t sleep on breeder Blockhead’s newest jam. It smells and tastes like Hawaiian Punch poured over an angry skunk. Craft growers Alpine Agronomy from the Adirondacks placed seventh in The Billy Awards with it in April. The genetics are Truffaloha S1 #5 x Blueberry Sugar. Blockhead just dropped the seeds and they’re selling quickly, so look out for it in New York, Colorado, Utah and beyond.
LANTZ
Hytek (MI) · Picked by Jimi Devine, October 2025 and David Downs, June 2026
A Ridgeline Runtz x Green Lantern cross originally bred in the hills of Humboldt by Ridgeline Farms, where it took Best in Show and the Breeders’ Cup at The Emerald Cup. Michigan grower Hytek brought it home and rode it to the top spot at the 2025 Michigan Zalympix. “It’s not just sweet, it’s not just gas, it’s layers and layers of flavor, and it translates so well,” Hytek’s head cultivator Tyler said. Months later it’s still a solid bet, a creamy, key-limey, butterscotchy candy that keeps the look the street wants. You can also find LANTZ crosses from Ridgeline on the seed bank Tangled Roots.
Lobster OG
Maine Trees (ME), Umma Sonoma (CA), The Flowery (FL) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
One of the biggest strains of the last few years is back with a new cross to something old-school and gassy. Lobster OG crosses the multi-award-winning Blue Lobster with (Sour Best Shit Ever x Apples and Bananas), winning the arms race for blingy strains while adding more stank and bite than the original. The OG LA Affie and SAGE remix the terps to a loud new level. Hitting right now from Umma Sonoma in California, Maine Trees in Maine and other grows in other states.
Pink Dirt
Jeu Green · Picked by Jimi Devine, August 2025
Jeu Green, who took top honors at The Billys in New York, started this phenohunt on a quest to find pink flower, chasing a hometown legend from a bag his father once had. He popped just 12 seeds and found it, pink pistils and tight structure on a gas-forward profile with pink lemonade undertones and a sour mouth coat. “Everything I do is DIRT and she is the pink one like Kimberly, the pink Power Ranger,” Green said. He’s the only one in possession of the cut.
Skunk Gas
Garcia Hand Picked (CA) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
Garcia Hand Picked has relaunched in California with retailer Solful doing the picking, collaborating with some of the best small farms in Northern California. The Skunk Gas comes from multi-award-winning Greenshock Farms, grown in Willits in living soil and sun-grown. Expect heavy skunk-diesel-menthol aggression, a real, authentic, divisive choice for the relaunch. The candy kids can kick rocks this time.
Toad Venom
Green Dragon (CA, various) · Picked by David Downs, June 2026
The most hyped, hated strain in the game is just getting started. Once impossible to find, you’re about to see Toad Venom everywhere thanks to twin clone drops from breeder Ronin Seeds via GOAT Global and selector Green Dragon in L.A. It’s Sin Mintz x Animal Face, Sin Mint Cookies crossed with Z and extra gas, with a cookie, mint, loud gas and lime finish. Hunt for the authentic Toad through Green Dragon’s distributor KSS Distro, one of the fastest-moving strains in their warehouse. Beware, she’s hard to catch.
Zangbanger
Wizard Trees · Picked by Jimi Devine, August 2025
Wizard Trees turned into one of the most sought-after breeders on the planet, confirmed by the massive lines in Barcelona and Berlin. Zangbanger is a Sherbanger #22 x Zangria selection made purely on smoke quality, beating top-tier keepers like Gas Gimlet and Zoza. It’s been testing at a consistent 4.5% to 5% terpenes, a massive number that even Wizard Trees’ best strains rarely hit, with an insane candy-blueberry nose that stains your mouth more than Z.
Zunicorn
Zero Gravity Exotics (CA) · Picked by Jimi Devine, August 2025
A standout pheno of World War Z, bred by Bloom Seed Co. and grown by Zero Gravity Exotics in Oakland. In a world where new Z crosses pop up monthly, the Zunicorn jumps out of the jar with an even sweeter, louder nose than the original Z, thanks to the Candy Fumez in its lineage. The Zero Gravity team picked up the seeds at Ego Clash 2025, hunted through just six, and found the unicorn of the pack.
Photos courtesy of their respective growers. For the full writeups, see High Times’ Strains of the Month and Terp Sherpa columns.
