Leafly Buzz: 12 hot cannabis strains lighting up March 2022

My fellow millions of weed fans, it’s time to start preparing your lungs and tolerance now for the fast-approaching cannabis culture mega-holiday April 20.

Think of Leafly Buzz—our monthly fire flower round-up—as cross-fit training for the 4/20 Olympics. We’ve assembled 12 maximum-flavor, strength, and charisma strains available now in dispensaries across the US, but really in the weed innovation capital, the Western US of California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. How did we decide? We’re based in San Francisco, where we’re buying and smoking each new release, judging pot contests, parsing Leafly search and menu data, and stalking elite breeders and growers on Instagram and Discord. 

Get ready for stunning new crosses, including brilliant debuts from Alien Labs and Khalifa Kush. Here is Leafly Buzz for March 2022 and into April.

Data Grinder

Z Cube—up 26%

The Sacramento grower ‘Heisenbern’ took top honors at Feb. 26’s Transbay Challenge III with his version of the Zkittlez and OG Kush cross Z Cube. Heisenbern’s brand ‘Better Than Yours’ ‘Z’ is technically ZOZ x OZK. It’s complicated. But what you need to focus on is Zkittlez and OG crosses bred from stock by Dying Breed Seeds. Why? Deep, sweet, fruit, syrup smells and corner store candy-aisle rainbow flavors that stain the palate and perfume a room. For effects, Z Cube is strong yet versatile daytime or night, making almost anything you pair it with better. “Gleaming the Cube” on Z Cube? Why not. Award-winning Zkittlez and OG terps can’t stop shining.

Greasy Runtz—up 12.4%

The Runtz movement keeps rolling with this Washington-based Exotic Genetix cross of Grease Monkey x Runtz. We were floored at the size and color of our nug, grown by Sense cannabis, who took first on the Transbay Challenge III with their Pink Certz. It’s a muted, gassier, Runtz, that’s souped up with Gorilla Glue genes. It’ll sit you down and kill your pain, and goes great with a late-night movie, or a sesh to impress.

Lemon Cherry Gelato—up 15%

Lemon Cherry Gelato keeps trending because it’s got one of the top 5 flavors in cannabis right now: that exotic mix of sweet, tart, creamy, gas, and dank. No Jack Herer terps allowed. A cross of Sunset Sherbert x GSC, this cookie family member is grown by many, including Backpack Boyz, and Cannatique. It’s a mix of citrus, sweet, cookie, and gelato terpenes that pairs with post-work relaxation—whether that’s some ganja yoga, or bedtime vibing. When in doubt, grab what the designer indoor brand Backpack Boyz slang, and that’s Gelato crosses.

Chemdog—down 17%

Down a smidge this month, but never out, Chemdog is for GMO-lovers who want pure funk. It’s considered a sativa hybrid with a spacey, strong, daytime high for straight stoners. Chemdog smells like it’s named: chemmy, astringent, and also savory—even cheesy. This high-THC hybrid goes great with hobbies and friends, or a solo spelunk down into boring spreadsheets, or even house chores. Chemdog remains the stoned man (or woman’s) best friend.

New in the Leafly Strain Database

Babby Powder

The newest addition to the Cookies strain lineup slaps like the doctor slaps a newborn’s bottom. Khalifa Kush-branded Babby Powder—’brought to you by Cookies’—is a hybrid indica cross of the strains Khalifa Kush and Georgia Pie. It smells minty, floral, gassy, scrumptious, and on-trend for 2022. We got hybrid, active, engaged effects from this max-THC offering of Cookies’ intellectual property. Make sure to savor this screaming, hot zaza with another aficionado on a clean glass bubbler or in a party joint.

La Bomba

La Bomba took top honors at Spannabis 2022—a reminder to never count out new versions of the top strain Wedding Cake. This Compound Genetics cross of Wedding Cake and Jet Fuel Gelato smells gassy, sweet, vanilla, and dank, and tastes similar—which is what the people want. La Bomba comes on relaxing yet engaged, arousing, and hungry. It can’t hurt to try and consummate date night with this trendy dessert. This Spannabis 2022 award-winner is certified fuego. 

Garlotti

GSC and Chemdog genes mix in this hotty, Garlotti. It’s a high-THC indica hybrid from Colorado’s masterful breeder Cannarado, who crossed Chem D to Cookies’ Gelatti. Expect a chemmy, astringent initial smell with a cookie finish. It should taste sweet, gassy, scrumptious, spicy, and even creamy. Garlotti’s Rocky Mountain high-THC hybrid effects go great before watching Robert Pattinson brood and battle in The Batman, preferably at a theater that serves fried chicken sandwiches and IPAs. Time to tuck in!

Donny Burger

Skip the dishes and chillax on this backyard barbecue strain. The famous Skunk House Genetics crosses GMO Cookies and Han Solo Burger for this indica-dominant hybrid.

Join the savory weed movement with the pungent, umami, funk of Donny Burger. Just don’t even think of bringing a low tolerance to a Donny Burger sesh, or you’re going to have an intense time.

Fresh in stores this March

New on shelves: Alien Labs Gemini

Alien Labs‘ new OG cross Gemini has the right stuff. Just hitting stores, it’s a hybrid mix of 2Face OG x Area 41 that’s set to win future pot contests—you watch. Gemini smells wonderfully complex and earthy, with an aggressive OG funk. It looks like the best 2022 pot has to offer: ample; icy; purple; green; and fresh. Our tester bag from Alien Labs’ Ted felt dense and perfectly dried, and tasted gassy, dank, and sweet with a candied grape “dust” flavor. Gemini’s stratospheric, energetic highs are for true psychonauts. We smoke it to brave the briny deep of sci-fi scuba survival video game Subnautica—on hardcore mode. Blast off.

Rocketing up the charts: Insane Hindu Phunk

Get back to your roots with this pure indica Hindu Kush cross from Cypress Hill brand ‘Insane.’ We’re talking: falling asleep while sitting up watching TV weed. Hindu Phunk nugs come ridiculously huge like an old-school indica, but with crazy, iced-out, modern bag appeal. The smell is a nostalgic hash plant, but we were floored at how much modern ‘mints’ flavor the Phunk delivered. Get ready to feel heavy, sleepy, and hungry. Pure indica sleep mode, engage.

Ballin Out

PDX Organics Zelato Cake

Oregon has mastered its mixes of zkittlez with gelato and cake. Just buy PDX Organics’ fancy Zelato Cake, a hybrid indica cross of Gelato 33 x Zkittlez Cakes. It’s sweet, fruity, creamy, gassy, and complex, and causes maximum-THC relaxation. I’d vibe out to the best of Animal Collective’s records, or some other live music, on this chill hybrid indica.

Ballin on a Budget

Midzotics White Fruntz

Fight the inflation blues with affordable, sungrown fire all day from this top Northern California brand. Midzotics has killer branding, combining ‘mids’ (as in middling weed) with exotics. Here they took the Runtz type White Runtz and rebranded it White Fruntz. We love that Midzotics has a sense of humor, but that they also deliver good weed. White Fruntz smells bright, fruity, and inviting, with depth. It tastes sweet, light, and tropical, with a functional, high-THC hybrid effect that’s great for an outing like a comedy show, or getting lost in a bookstore or art gallery.

TerphogZ Seeds

The first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere hit on March 20, which means it’s time to start germinating seeds for an epic outdoor run through summer and into fall. Perfect timing, then, that the popularizer of the zkittlez strain, Terphogz, is ready to legally deliver new crosses to your house for your garden. Look around dispensary seed racks—Terphogz seeds in 2022 come in various elite hybrid types, and tropical, and berry flavors. But they’re all pretty world-class, and award-winning. Get ready for the biggest, sweetest, candy-aisle terps in modern, hash-focused, strain breeding. You’re won’t want to hog these terps—you’re going to want to brag.

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