Updated Sept. 30
Cannabis sales remain strong into October, stores report, as anxieties mount from the pandemic, unemployment, the election, various natural disasters, and the cancellation of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
No worries. America’s $10.3 billion legal herb industry keeps cooking up just what the pot doctor ordered: beautiful, flavorful, potent, and freshly lab-tested ganja flowers.
Independently reported without fear or favor, Leafly Buzz highlights the top of the crop west of the Rockies. This month, connoisseurs avoid a‘rona reception by enjoying Wedding Cake at home. Plus, the creamy, citrus daytime strain Orange Julius brightens up your brunch session, and mountains of Magic Melon are under $200 a legal ounce.
Pull up!
Data grinder
Wedding Cake at home
Weddings and other large gatherings are out. Skip straight to the Wedding Cake—a trendy, sweet, icy indica-hybrid for October. Search interest is up 3% month over month at Leafly.
The gassy, biting OGs are also on the move. Alien OG is up 8% and SFV OG up 5%. See who’s got the fire cut. Meanwhile, longtime chart-topper Blue Dream takes a nap; down 18%. And the tart, effervescent hybrid Mimosa endures a hangover; down 16%.
Here’s the full ticker:
Find legal cannabis nearby. Order on Leafly, pickup today
New in the Leafly strain database
A spot in the Leafly database cannot be bought—only earned through quality, notoriety, search and sale interest, and pedigree. Each of these recent additions to Leafly is more gorgeous than the last.
Pink Runtz
Runtz reigns supreme in 2020 thanks to its unity of Zkittlez and Gelato. Syrupy sweet with a cookie finish—cross Pink Runtz adds some color to the mix. Found across legal markets.
MAC 1
Mega-potent and gorgeous, MAC 1 comes from breeder Capulator. He pumped up Alien Cookies with a mystery sativa called Miracle—it’s sweet, fruity, peppery, and complex.
Banana Punch
Two great strains—Banana OG and Purple Punch—come together in Symbiotic Genetics’ Banana Punch. Expect soft banana notes mixed with fruit, tart, and OG gas.
Strain highlights of October
Brand new on shelves—Orange Julius, Wyllow
New woman-owned California cannabis brand Wyllow debuts with two varietals that know their demographic: Mimosa and Orange Julius.
Both are perfect Sunday brunch cultivars—gorgeous to look at and amazing to smell, with moderate strengths that leave you buzzing, but engaged. Orange Julius has a creamy, sweet, citrus flavor—a rare cross of Agent Orange and Keebler.
Rocketing up the charts—GMO Cookies
This not-so-new cookies cross is extra pungent and potent, making it a favorite for hashmaking. A cross of Cookies with Chemdog—GMO Cookies is surging in flower form, as well as extracts like live resin and rosin. Why “GMO”? The strain can smell like savory Garlic Mushroom Onion! Crazy!
Best-sellers
Ballin’ out—Gary Payton from Cookies of Washington, Oregon, and California
All-star NBA player Gary Payton lends his name to this elite hybrid from the West Coast. Cash registers are ringing in California, Oregon, and Washington as Gary Payton combines the latest and greatest in Cookies brand genetics—the Y (Cookies x Cherry Pie) and Snowman (a cookies sativa)—for an earthy, gassy, Cookies taste and very high THC effects.
As one Leafly reviewer writes: “This sh*t is synonymous with Gary Payton’s career in the NBA. Hall Of F*ckn Fame💪🏾😎🌳🏀 🏆.”
Ballin’ on a budget—Magic Melon from Union Electric, CA
New farm-to-delivery service Union Electric aims for sub-$200 legal California ounces year-round, and that includes truckloads of Magic Melon priced to move this October.
Magic Melon is a mild honeydew-smelling hybrid from Humboldt Seed Co. that has become very popular to grow because of its smell, potency, and huge yields. That drives prices down, down, down in the legal market; it’s the Purple Punch of 2020.
See also: Old Pal Purple Punch ounces at $178, and Ready To Roll Pre-Ground Hybrid at $50 for 7 grams; Pacific Stone Wedding Cake, 7 grams for $34.75.
High note: New Pax 3 colors; Stundenglass Gravity Bong
Special shoutout to flower vapes this month. With coronavirus, wildfires, smoke, and flu season approaching, all of our lungs could use a break. Flower vapes gently heat herbs to release their active ingredients instead of burning them. The result is a much smoother, lighter puff, with less throat irritation, and just as much highness.
The $200 Pax 3 is the world’s leading flower vape solution—it’s easy to use, with major refinements hiding underneath.
This fall, the two-year-old Pax 3 model adds four new colors while remaining ever-intuitive to use. For experts, Pax 3’s Android app can dial in certain temperatures or vape session styles. And, the flower oven also converts to vape extracts. That makes the Pax 3 just as powerful, and more versatile than the Puffco Peak, and at a better price.
See also: The handheld CRAFTY+ ($279)— from German medical-device-makers Storz & Bickel, makers of the popular luxury Volcano vaporizer.
Bonus: Stundenglass Gravity Hookah
Yes, yes, yes—healthy flower vaping is cool and practical and all, but sometimes you need a little novelty to take the edge off 2020. In walks the portable gravity bong Stundenglass for $499.95, and maximum, fun times.
Assemble the five-pound tabletop beast, then add water, weed, and fire—and watch your cares vanish in mirthful smoke bubbles blasted straight into your face. Pair with the new South Park Pandemic Special for not a care in this broken world.
Leafly Buzzes past
Missed last month’s Buzz? Here are our faves from September:
- Peanut Butter Breath
- Apples & Bananas
- Vanilla Frosting
- Kush Mintz
- Han Solo Burger
- Alien Labs Cosmic Crisp live rosin
What goes into Leafly Buzz?
Who decides what’s in the Buzz? Not money or compliments. Each month’s Leafly Buzz picks come from:
- Secret shopping in stores
- Leafly staff and reader tips
- Talking to the biggest brands
- Deep dives into Leafly search data
- Lurking breeders on Instagram
Growers, breeders, brands, stores—got buzz for Leafly? We’re all ears. Email us at buzz@leafly.com.
