Recently, we told you about strains to watch for 2025 and it got us thinking: Blueberry has come back into vogue. 

Blueberry first debuted in the ‘90s with DJ Short’s Blueberry, and really epitomized that era. Blueberry led to Blue Dream—a top-selling hybrid to this day. Now, Blueberry is back like ripped jeans and Nirvana T-shirts.

We reached out to some breeders, growers, and brands to see if they’re feeling the vibes. Here are some examples of why we think the Pantone for pot this year emits a brilliant shade of blue.

Blueberry Sugar—Blockhead Seeds

(Grape Cream Cake 2.1 x Blueberry Frosting)

Firstly, we checked in with Blockhead Seeds, breeder of Leafly Strain of the Year 2024 Super Boof (aka Blockberry), who told us about a gem they came up with using some Blueberry Frosting pollen from Party Time Farms in Santa Cruz, CA. The recipe for the male part of this consists of (Blueberry Cookies x Wedding Crasher). Blockhead told us the terps on these plants smell like a perfect blend of candy blueberries and gas. This Blueberry Sugar tastes so good, Blockhead also crossed it with their Halle Berry and the Block Berry.

Blueberry Caviar—Ridgeline Farms 

(LANTZ x Grape Gas)

Secondly, Ridgeline Farms bred their award-winning LANTZ strain with a few different big time fan favorites this last year. Now, they take another swing for the fences by crossing the formula of (Green Lantern x Ridgeline Runtz) with the super popular Compound Genetics strain Grape Gas (Grape Pie x Jet Fuel Gelato). Blueberry Caviar grows into big, purple buds with a crazy loud Blueberry candy smell that Ridgeline’s Jason Gellman told us is, “so insane they almost seem fake. When I break the bud up the smell is like a dessert that I can’t get enough of.” One of our 12 hot strains to watch in 2025.

Blueberry Cherry—Exotic Genetics

(Cherry Bang Bang x Blueberry Bang Bang)

Meanwhile, Exotic Genetics dropped this as part of their Blueberry Bang Bang seed collection and fans on Discord are already showing beautiful examples of the plants, looking to stock up on packs, and talking about the flavor of tart berries and gas or cream. Blueberry Cherry comes from Cherry Bang Bang x Blueberry Bang Bang—(Cherry Cosmo x Red Runtz) x (Blueberry x Cherry Bang Bang—essentially BBB back onto the Cosmo/Runtz combo. Another thing that makes this exciting: Red Runtz comes from Red Pop, a trending flavor we’ll hear more of in 2025. See also: Exotic Genetix Bluezy.

Blueberry Pancakes—Humboldt Seed Company

(Slurricane x PPD)

You’re probably familiar with Humboldt Seed Co.’s easy-to-grow all-star Blueberry Muffin strain. This takes things to the next level. Part of the 2023 seed drop, and the result of a three-generation search with Monterey County’s Wave Rider Nursery, this strips out the muffin and goes straight for the blueberry. HSC’s co-founder Ben Lind described the aroma as being outrageously sweet, “like blueberry faygo with a tiny hit of gas at the back end.” Moreover, we’re seeing home and commercial growers all over the country, producing their plants, putting up reviews, and emphatically giving this a big thumbs up.

DJ Short’s Blueberry

Finally, we can’t finish off this list without giving a moment to the strain that undeniably launched a thousand ships. Winner of the 2000 Cannabis Cup, released in 1981 and still being used in gardens around the world. Legendary breeder DJ Short wrote that he created this iconic strain by breeding together a Highland Thai called Juicy Fruit Thai, a Chocolate Thai x Oaxacan Gold called Purple Thai, and an Afghani. Considered the big bang for blueberry terps, DJ Short’s Blueberry can be found in the building blocks of countless strains that boast Blue in the flavor or aroma. Not long ago, Short released a batch of Blueberry f5 onto the market. Could this be part of why we’re seeing this oncoming wave? 

In conclusion—don’t snooze on these new blues.

Crazy, exotic candy flavors. Dramatic, blingy looks. Knockout effects.

The next hot cannabis strains of the culture stand ready for your taste buds.

Every January, the Leafly Buzz flower column widens its lens from the West Coast to predict the next winners across the US for the new year.

Leafly Buzz’s 12 hot strains to smoke in 2025 collects the all-stars of the garden and the bag. They’re refinements and remixes of our favorite hit strain families like Z, Sherbert, OG Kush, Cookies, Runtz, and more.

Candy gas? Of course. Smells of Jello? Yes, please. Hints of newly upholstered vinyl? We’re game. So let’s get to it.

Zoap

Zoap keeps winning with smokers and budtenders alike thanks to its (OG Kush x Z) x Sherbert roots. First reviewed in 2021, people get giggly, relaxed, and hungry with this indica hybrid bred by Deo Farms. The best bags add that chemical lye note to rainbow sherbert flavors including apricot and apple. Growers like Doja, Lumpy’s, and Alien Labs sell it in the California market. Zoap seems to have escaped into the wild and made its way as far as the Mississippi medical market. Will 2025 see the Zoap wave fully crest? Only the sales and awards will tell.

Cap Junky

Guaranteed to flatten you, Cap Junky keeps charging into 2025 thanks to the powerhouse breeders behind it: Capulator and Seed Junky Genetics. Cap Junky marries each breeder’s champion: Alien Cookies x Kush Mints #11. Completely sleeted with resin, its effects hit hybrid, and strong, “right between the eyes, deep in the head,” reviews say. The smell defies expectations—with some reporting mango yogurt and others tasting apricot, apple, and mint.

Gello Shotz

As we enter deeper into 2025 on our eternal quest for the heat, Gello Shotz from Seed Junky Genetics must appear on the radar of anyone who loves terps. The wild pedigree pairs a cross of Z and Animal Cookies Bx2 with the same strain crossed to Leafly Strain of the Year 2023 Permanent Marker. Across the lineage, you see a trio of strains that have left their mark on history. Original Z is arguably the most legendary hash strain of all time. Animal Cookies was the highest-impact dessert weed at the peak of the wave. And Permanent Marker is here to stay! The best-case expression for Gello Shotz offers a bit of the Z terp with the impact of Permanent Marker. —Jimi Devine

Blue Nerds

Lemon Cherry Gelato stays undefeated, but an update comes in the form of the surging strain Blue Nerds. The breeder Global Genetics mixed LCG with the Original Z for this hit hybrid, which emits apple, blueberry and apricot notes. Different growers at different times seemed to have settled on this name, but whatever the cross, a Blue Nerds wave keeps building.

Candy Fumez

Bloom Seed Co’s Candy Fumez sizzles in the genetic hype zone of Z x Sherbanger. New in the database since 2023, this berry, blueberry, chemical-smelling hybrid indica leaves folks focused, creative, and happy. Grown to elite levels by Green Dawg in California. See also: Sherbanger.

Dante’s Inferno

Embrace your dank side. Super-dramatic, dark icy weed wins in this hard charger—Dante’s Inferno, a cross of Oreoz x Devil Driver. Step out of the candy aisle, this hybrid indica offers ammonia, pepper, and tea notes. Reviewers first scored Dante’s Inferno in 2022, and it comes from Clearwater Genetics and Tiki Madman.

Cadillac Rainbow

Michigan throttles into the pole position with this cross of Pure Michigan x Runtz. Cadillac Rainbow from 3rd Coast Genetics offers a counterpoint to the “candy-gas” craze with weed that smells like re-stored vinyl upholstery (diesel, ammonia, and earthy.) Cadillac Rainbow hits like an indica hybrid Escalade.

Glitter Bomb

Compound Genetics’ 2022 cross of Grape Gas #10 x OGKB Blueberry Headband keeps surging to new heights nationally. It grows great indoors, in greenhouses, and outside, with crazy size and bling. Nothing can stop Grape Gas on its own, or in other strains including GastroPop and Blueberry Caviar (below). The indica hybrid offers notes of pear, plum, and blueberry and will leave you tingly, giggly, and relaxed.

Pink Lemonade

Over on the East Coast and in Canada, Pink Lemonade by 34 Street Seed Co follows the trend of more sativa-leaning hash strains. The genetics: Pink Kush x Lemon Skunk, and while those seem old hat in the world of high yields and modern flavors, the dense and resinous nugs keep up with the times. The flavor dances on the palate and waxes nostalgic for pink lemonade Crystal Light powder, and the mouth-coating taste hits no matter how you smoke it. These highly stimulating, cerebral variety flowers in only 8 weeks, and grows well indoors and outdoors, and we think Alberta has positioned growers for fruitful harvests. —Max Blick

Moroccan Peaches

A peach ring candy wave arrives! Created by California’s Purple City Genetics for a hash collection, Moroccan Peaches expresses big, jammy peach preserves with secondary notes of orange and fuel. Moroccan Peaches marries the original peach that blasted off in Spain, Barbara Bud, with some Lemon Tree Skorange (combining old-school California classics, Lemon Tree, Cali-O, and OG Kush.) The hash masters at Arcata Fire took home multiple awards for Moroccan Peaches rosin at the 2024 Emerald Cup. Purple City Genetics crossed two versions of its Barbara Bud—Spanish Barbara and Peaches—to create a bunch of other fruity bangers to hunt in 2025, including Peach Panther and Marrakech. —Ellen Holland

John Connor

Light it up if you want to live. John Connor from Team Elite Genetics in California offers an outstanding smoke—worthy of these strange times. The new flavor first hit California shelves in January 2025. It’s an underdog, a dark horse if you will. And it’s the perfect cultivar to accompany 2025’s other horsemen of the apocalypse. If your world is aflame, you might as well smoke the best weed possible. Its seductively layered flavor profile showcases sour, petrol, with hints of coffee and sweet cream. As a potent indica, John Connor’s effects tranquilize and comfort. It encapsulates the best of its parent cultivars: Team Elite’s award-winning Styrofoam Cup #2 and Sh3rb3t. Its purple, light green, and white trichome-covered nugs smell respectably loud. You’ll need John Connor to survive this year. —Lindsey Bartlett

Blueberry Caviar

Rounding out our dozen: Blueberry Caviar bred by California’s winningest grower Ridgeline Farms for weed mogul Berner’s Cookies brand. Blueberry Caviar satisfies the toughest critics. It’s extremely purple, large, glittering, and roaring loud—which is how you get to the winner’s circle in today’s flavor chase. The dank blueberry aroma lunges out of the bag and translates to a lovely, indelible taste, with chill indica hybrid effects that never agitate. Ridgeline’s Jason calls it “my new favorite,” and if you can find a bag this year—it may become yours as well.

We must stop at 12, but we know even more greatness will surprise us amid ganja’s golden age.

Here are a few more strains to watch in 2025. Plus—submit your own below:

Does the weight of a new year make you a bit nervous or bummed out?

Big cannabis flavor chasers should hit the weed shop for a trending star of dispensaries this January. All across the US, the three-year-old hype strain Rainbow Sherbert #11 (RS-11) is surging onto hundreds more menus.

Available as top-shelf flower, bargain ounces, dabs, vapes and even tinctures, RS-11 delivers big, tropical Kerns nectar juice flavors and versatile fun effects. RS-11 has gotten so big it’s become our Leafly HighLight strain for January 2025.

Reviewers say RS-11 gives off notes of apricot, peach, and citrus. It makes them focused, giggly, and relaxed—which sounds pretty perfect for gaming or hobby time.

A sibling to Zoap, RS-11 is ranked No. 30 in traffic on Leafly Strains. It’s now a top 300 strain nationally in stores, with hundreds of stores adding it this year. 

Leafly reviewers give RS-11 a 4.4 out of 5 after 140 ratings, and 6,966 have bookmarked it as a favorite.

About a fifth of Leafly reviewers say RS-11 helps calm them, treat pain, or lift their blues.

RS-11’s parents include this cross of OG Kush and Z dubbed “Pink Guava” after the juice of the same name. Oakland, CA breeder DEO Farms crossed his Pink Guava to a Sunset Sherbert, and all those flavors can be found in the offspring.

Leafly “reviewers rave: “The candy guava sour citrus flavor profile is one of the best for flavor I’ve had in 30 years puffin bud.”

RS-11 has versatile effects that lie near the center between calming and energetic. If you’re getting creative, RS11 might quiet your inner critic.

A “reviewer writes: “If you create art, try this strain. Mentally energetic but without any tension or anxiety. RS11 has a place in art heaven.”

Where is the best RS-11 in the US?

Growers and extractors have blanketed the US in RS-11 flower, vapes, dabs, and even edibles. Over 1,600 stores in the country with menus on Leafly sell the cultivar.

In Los Angeles, go for the Mountain Man Melts Tropical RS-11 live rosin. Or the Friendly Brand RS-11 tincture, or Cold Fire’s cartridge.

Manhattan, New York’s nascent market has Electraleaf flower that runs $18 per gram.

By contrast, Portland, OR grams of RS-11 flower have hit just $3, while rosin is $23 per gram.

In Seattle, WA, your best bet is the Torus pre-roll, Mama J’s rosin, or Freddy’s Fuego flower.

Phoenix, AZ is for stoners—with RS-11 live rosin by 22Red, and RS-11 flower by Connected.

Detroiters in Michigan have 74 RS-11 options nearby, including live rosin all-in-ones for $40.

Where to buy RS-11 seeds

Deo Farms made RS-11 by crossing the OZ Kush project “Pink Guava” with a Sunset Sherbert. That led to the strain Zoap. The LA brand Wizard Trees took on two siblings to Zoap, the Rainbow Sherbert child numbers 11 and 54; hence RS-11 and RS-54.

Wizard Trees is heavily working this line, with a slew of RS-11 crosses like 11:11, which is RS-11 crossed back to itself to try and improve it.

Meanwhile, Barney’s Farm and DOJA Exclusive have released RS11x Banana OG. 

Unofficial RS-11 seeds abound from seed-makers and seed banks worldwide, but their quality or authenticity will vary widely.

What awards has RS-11 won?

RS-11 has a lot of winners in her from the OG Kush, Z, and Sherbert parentage. RS-11 is a Leafly Strain of the Year runner-up in 2023. Her niece, Zoap, is a Budtender’s Choice strain of 2024 across the US. An RS-11 cross Magic Marker took the strongest strain in the Zalympix contest in Michigan in 2024.

What terpenes are in RS-11?

Weed’s smell comes from flavor molecules including terpenes. If you average out the lab tests of flowers labeled ‘RS-11’ they test relatively high in caryophyllene, limonene, and humulene. These terpenes and other lesser ones as well as other flavor molecules combine to give RS-11 its loud, tree fruit juice, citrus, and fuel nose.

Other highlights this January

If you can’t find RS-11 near you, look for strains in the wheelhouse—including:

Zoap

The niece to RS-11. Zoap comes from crossing two RS plants and selecting an offspring that has a distinctly detergent or ‘soapy’ terp.

RS-54

Wizard Trees has also popularized this similar sister to RS-11. When you need a rainbow inside your skull, RS-54 offers similar results.

Rainbow Belts

Archive Seeds took the tropical candy taffy grandparent of RS-11, known as The Original Z, and improved on it immensely to create the Rainbow Belts line.

OK, that’s your Leafly Highlight for January 2025. Good luck with your fitness goals and New Year’s resolutions. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is ever out of reach, but you can enjoy the heck out of the journey with RS-11.