Millions of cannabis consumers, prepare for an overabundance of chronic.
Thousands of metric tons of outdoor-grown marijuana are drying in cool, dark rooms as you read this, and the country’s world-class ganja farmers have hundreds of metric tons of sun-grown cannabis hanging from the ceiling. This fall and into 2022, thousands of sun-grown types will confound dispensary browsers’ minds.
Cannabis is a summer-sown, fast-growing, low-maintenance plant that’s harvested in late October. Growers have been forced to go indoors for decades because of prohibition, but now outdoor and greenhouse-grown bud are just as good as indoor. Outdoors, too, the cost is significantly less.
“There’s a lot of fruit out there,” Daniel Hendricks of the major HendRx Farm nursery in Humboldt County, California, remarked. “The sun shines brightly here.” When you combine legalisation with excellent breeders, producers, and good weather, you’ve got yourself a winner.
What are the quintessential, 11 greatest cannabis cultivars of the 2021 harvest, and what will they look like? The trendsetters and exemplars? Who are the key players in this $18.3 billion legal market? What tastes did outdoor and greenhouses farmers produce because customers demanded them?
We’re free and independent, and we produce, grind, and package bowls every day. We secret shop, conduct interviews, explore conferences, check Instagram accounts, and peruse search data on the sly on a daily basis.
The last of the harvest, destined for your bubblers on Thanksgiving, is presented here. Look for these 11 strains and their close relatives to infuse you with that distinctive fire in your life.
Get ready, America’s millions of cannabis enthusiasts, for an overabundance of chronic.
Thousands of metric tons of outdoor-grown marijuana are drying in cool, dark rooms as you read this, while the country’s top ganja farmers have hundreds of metric tons. This fall and into 2022, thousands of sun-grown varieties will bewildle dispensary consumers’ minds.
Cannabis is an annual, fast-growing plant that is grown in the spring and chopped by October. For decades, prohibition drove cannabis producers indoors, but today’s outdoor and greenhouse-grown bud rivals the best indoor. Outdoor cultivation also reduces costs considerably.
With the help of skilled breeders, cultivators, and perfect weather, here’s what you get: “There’s a huge harvest out there,” said Daniel Hendricks at the renowned HendRx Farm nursery in California’s cannabis capital Humboldt County.
In Calaveras County, California, the harvest team at Rimrock Farms hangs cannabis flower branches to dry. (Photo courtesy Rimrock Farms)
What are the essential, 11 finest cannabis cultivars of the 2021 harvest? Who are the trendsetters and models? What characters in this $18.3 billion legal sector deserve to be named MVPs? What aromas did outdoor and greenhouse farmers produce in abundance because consumers demand them?
We’re free from corporate influence, and we create, grind, and package bowls every day. We secret shop, conduct interviews, trawl conferences, lurk Instagram, and search engine data for research.
Here are the best of the harvest, all set to be served in your bubblers by Danksgiving. Look for these 11 strains and their closest relatives for that unmistakable passion in your life.
Strains highlighted in this article:
- Ice Cream Cake
- Kush Mints
- Tropic Runtz
- Modified Grapes
- Marshmallow OG
- Mimosa #3
- Sour Tangie
- Prayer Pupil
- Hella Jelly
- Pennywise
- MAC Tyson
Ice Cream Cake and crosses
Don’t hate the Cake, hate the game. Ganja farmers grew literal tons of Ice Cream Cake and its kin, because smokers coast-to-coast love it day or night.
The soft, sweet vanilla smell; the rich, fragrant smoke melting into notes of dank gas—Ice Cream Cake runs high in THC yet won’t give you The Fear.
It’s on the shoulders of giants, with Wedding Cake crossed with Gelato #33, a creation by the best Seed Junky Genetics.
In 2019, the Emerald Cup, sponsored by the International Cannabis Competition, was held in a glass greenhouse. This crowd-pleaser flourishes indoors or out and is one of Leafly’s top three most coveted strains in 2021 in the United States.
“It’s also rather re-namable,” Hendricks added in Humboldt. “I don’t believe everything is sold as ‘Ice Cream Cake.’”
Kush Mints and kin
The chiefs have spoken. They enjoy their Cookies strains minty and powerful for a red-eyed evening snack. For the past 18 months, this Animal Mints x Bubba Kush elite cross has been clawing its way into the top 25 strains in the United States on Leafly.
Kush Mints was bred indoors by Seed Junky Genetics of Los Angeles, who brought it out into the fields to get it on with other top strains, resulting in enormous cross-breeds like Gush Mints. Sploosh.
Allen Hackett, a Gelato x Kush Mints greenhouse grower in Salinas, California, adores growing the plant because it’s robust and full.
Tropic Runtz and friends
Runtz crosses like White Runtz, Pink Runtz, and Blue Runtz; exclusives like Ridgeline Farms’ LANTZ; and, of course, phony Runtz will all be released in coming months.
In 2020, we dubbed the Zkittlez and Gelato strain the Strain of the Year, so farmers doubled down in 2021. This fall, delve into all of them, including Exotic Genetix’ Tropic Runtz (Tropicana Cookies x Mint Chocolate Chip).
“Tropic Runtz has one of the most insane, mind-numbing citrus odors I’ve ever smelled in cannabis,” according to Ben Caldwell, F5 Farms’ cultivation director in Tulsa, OK. If it’s a Zkittlez and cookies cross, smoke it!
Modified Grapes and other GMOs
This year has been a banner year for the delicious cannabis movement, which includes GMO (aka Garlic Cookies) and other unusual Breaths like Peanut Butter Breath.
Keep an eye on all of the GMO crosses throughout the autumn season—they’re very pungent and powerful, to say the least.
In order to create Modified Grapes, Symbiotic Genetics’ top executives mixed Purple Punch into GMO. It’s a relatively new variety that’s just being embraced by outdoor farmers on the coast. In Santa Cruz, Coastal Sun Farm produced a batch of it.
“There’s a lot of attention on it. My guys keep asking when we’re going to get the Modified Grapes in the library,” Hendricks added.
Consider grilling something daring and pairing it with this indica hybrid. Just remember to turn off the burners.
Marshmallow OG
An OG Kush cross is required every fall. This year—marshmallow. Why not?
The taste is extremely delicious, it’s OG yet marshmallowy, and it contains Chemdog D, Triangle Kush, and Jet Fuel Gelato. It’s highly appreciated by OG enthusiasts.
Compound Genetics bred HendRx Nursery’s Marshmallow OG, which was grown by Node Labs. Marshmallow OG is cultivated across the United States and is ready for your after-work, indica-hybrid relaxation session.
Mimosa #3
Purple lovers are also in need of affection. I’m talking about purple strains that look, smell, and have traditional purple DNA.
Pick up some of the latest stylish purples, like as all the Mimosa crosses, including Mimosa #3, produced organically at Booney Acres in California. Symbiotic Genetics’ Mimosa (Clementine x Purple Punch) has spread across the world in only three years.
The breed’s versatility is demonstrated by his adaptability to a wide range of foods. The thick, fruity tastes from Mimosa and her relatives make fantastic hash.
Watch the hash flower producers to determine where flavors are heading; they set broader strain trends. The psychedelic, Sasquatch-loving Booney Acres crew, for example, cultivates flower for Papa’s Select’s solventless hash line.
“Booney is really talented,” Hendricks added. “He journeys from world to world, I believe. His feet never touch the ground.”
Sour Tangie
Flabbergasted by these newfangled weeds? A Sour Tangie will take you back to the fruit’s origin.
Sour Tangie is a sativa-dominant hybrid strain created by crossing two legendary sativa strains, East Coast Sour Diesel and Crockett’s Tangie.
‘Sour Tangie’ is a strong competitor in the sour category, with its unbeatable rowdiness going toe-to-toe against any of the new breeds on the market. Redwood Remedies won an Emerald Cup for 2020 greenhouse plants in April 2021.
This strain has a strong, sour aroma with a dank bottom. It gets us through the day—not racy or sweaty, just cheerful and active. It’s a great afternoon smoke for a party.
Prayer Pupil
It’s no biggie; we’ll take care of it. It was like that when we first started making calls (and to this day).
Prepare for a spiritual encounter—Mass Medical Seeds’ Prayer Pupil is soaring to the sky, coast to coast.
Let’s begin by looking at the reputations of its parents: Star Pupil and Prayer Tower.
- The Star Pupil is a cross between Thai and Afghani landraces, which is wonderful. Groovy.
- Prayer Tower is a Lemon Thai variety bred by mythical, mystifying breeder Bodhi Seeds.
Are you dripping with sweat and tripping yet? When you smoke this 30 percent THC, soapy, hashy, creamy, lavender-tasting bud, you’ll be drenched in a matter of moments.
“Psychedelic and many users reported closed-eye visuals,” according to the Mass Medical Seeds catalog.
“It can be a little overwhelming, fluttering or racing at first, but it gradually fades into a more euphoric sensation,” says Matt Armbruster of Common Roots Cannabis in Washington.
Hella Jelly
Let’s plant the flag and declare that Hella Jelly is the next groundbreaking sativa hybrid.
The one-year-old Very Cherry and Notorious THC potent, delectably sweet, and active combination is as yet unrivaled.
Hella Jelly will be a hot commodity in dispensaries for the next two decades, according to Hendricks.
“So many people are testing it and adore it. We love it—it’s very distinctive. It’s really distinct in a way that works in a big, heavy, mega-producing facility,” he added.
The plants were acquired from a reputable breeder, who concurred with us. Helly Jelly is vigorous and produces copious, frosty, resinous green nuggets that sparkle in the air with notes of blue cotton candy, strawberry, and grapes. It also tests exceptionally high in THC—like sweeping your kitchen at 11:30 p.m., stoned.
Farmers are developing Hella Jelly fields, some of which are developed on reclaimed prison land in Coalinga, CA, and others on Damian Marley’s Evidence brand farm in Ventura County.
Pennywise
Why trust sketchy internet suppliers when you may get high-quality, lab-tested hemp from world-class marijuana producers? Switch to a terpene-rich, top-tier type 2 plant this harvest rather than the standard truck stop CBD.
We’ve placed our bets on Pennywise, a delectable, award-winning 1:1 CBD:THC cultivar from Subcool /TGA Genetics. Subcool lost his genetics in a fire in Santa Rosa, CA, and subsequently died in 2020. His life’s work continues to live on in the piney, sweet, dank, lemony, woody, peppery, and floral bud’s relaxing ability.
Pennywise has taken root in top North American gardens thanks to his Harlequin and Jack the Ripper parents. The Mendocino, CA-based Esensia Gardens won 2nd place in CBD flower at the 2021 Emerald Cup with its own local line of it.
MAC Tyson and team
You may also want to take a rest. You might require the services of a MAC cross.
The grower capulator developed MAC (Miracle Alien Cookies) for indoor gardens, but fresh crosses of MAC designed for outdoor just failed to chunk in the fields this season.
In Oregon, Decibel Farms combined MAC with the outdoor workhorse Purple Punch. The sturdy, chunky purple face-smasher MAC Tyson is the result. These indica-dominant buds have a strong sweet fragrance that smells like cookies or purple paint. MAC’s like Dynamite are notorious for striking lightly; Purple Punch is no exception.
“It’s incredibly loud and delicious,” noted Shawn Bishop of Decibel Farms in Oregon, America’s second-largest cannabis producing state.
MAC Tyson is an excellent match for some retro gaming on the SNES. This fall, boot up all of the MAC cross variants.
That is the 11 finest strains of the 2021 harvest, as chosen by High Times. Thank you to all of the marijuana producers large and small!
