Date night, friends over, a plate at a good restaurant, the old pair of wine and cheese. Thanks to the French (and maybe the Italian), it is a culinary staple, sometimes serving as just lunch or dinner. But with the mainstreaming of cannabis, could the new pairing be different? These marijuana and cheese pairings will blow your mind.
But if you can’t locate these strains, there are other ways to devise your own pair. Think of your favorite vape and the pair with it a soft cheese or one that brings out the flavors you want. Or maybe sparkling water, a gummy, a cheese plate and a favorite movie. The combinations are endless.
Much like oenophiles, weed connoisseurs are particular to the roots and background of their commodity. How and where the bud is grown, as well as aromas and flavor are as important to serious smokers as they are pertinent to a grape for wine experts. As marijuana becomes increasingly integrated into mainstream society, the cannabis and culinary worlds become further intertwined. Here are some ideas to start your journey.
The Bud: Durban Poison The Cheese: Fresh Ricotta Why it works: As one of the highest ranking sativas in the country, Durban Poison is best paired with an equally top quality cheese. This strain’s refreshing piney aroma and sweet floral flavor balances perfectly with the soft texture and mildness of fresh ricotta. This Italian whey cheese acts as a simple canvas for which the bold Durban Poison flavors shine.
The Bud: Super Silver Haze The Cheese: Garrotxa Why it works: Super Silver Haze, the child of Haze, Northern Lights and Skunk No.1, is an extremely popular bud. Known for a primarily citrus flavor, with sweet and earthy notes, there are many ways to pair this strain. Garrotxa, a firm-textured goat cheese from Catalonia, is also known for its earthy aromas and is often paired with citrus flavors.
The Bud: Blue Dream The Cheese: Smoked Manchego Why it works: Blue Dream is a sativa-dominant hybrid and California original. The bud is synonymous with its sweet berry aroma, reminiscent of its Blueberry parent. To complement the commanding sweetness, pair this strain with a strong smoked manchego. The sweet notes of berries, against the smokiness of the sheep’s cheese is a winning combination.
The Bud: Golden Goat The Cheese: Vermont Sharp Cheddar Why it works: This versatile bud may be earthy in flavor, but its fruity scent can be picked up from miles away. Golden Goat’s Hawaiian roots give it a unique light green and pink coloring. And while Hawaii and Vermont may not always be a natural pairing, there is something special about the way they work together in weed and cheese. Vermont Sharp Cheddar is best paired with earthy flavors, the ultimate match for a bud like Golden Goat.
The Bud: SAGE The Cheese: Aged Bra Why it works: S.A.G.E., or Sativa Afghani Genetic Equilibrium, is one of the spiciest strains you can get. With pine, sage and earthy flavors, this bud needs a smooth, light cheese to balance your palate. A slightly less firm cheese like aged bra will offset the potent spices find in SAGE. Together this bold pairing creates an unforgettable combo
Holy shinobi, Batman! Leafly HighLight has entered Year Three of celebrating all-star strains of American dispensaries. The Leafly HighLight Hall of Flame now boasts 24 entries!
So, where we do take it from here? Well, we run it back, and find another Top 200 strain on dispensary shelves you have to know about. Just in time to begin anew, we start with the undisputed champion of sales that’s also perfect for easing back into the work year: Blue Dream.
First timers—explore Blue Dream’s balanced hybrid effects that won’t make you loopy. Experienced smokers—don’t even hate. Respect the scoreboard. It’s the No. 1 most-ordered strain on Leafly in December for a reason. A population larger than the island of Guam has favorited Blue Dream on Leafly.
This classic ‘90s cross of DJ Short’s Blueberry x Haze mellows anxiety without sapping your energy or focus. Coming out of Santa Cruz, CA, Blue Dream offers the Cali Sober solution to Dry January’s stressors.
Leafly reviewers report getting creative, uplifted, and energetic on the Haze cross. Exemplars of the strain smell like an actual blueberry when you grind them—which is the damnedest thing.
One reviewer writes: “All of a sudden, I felt as if I was briskly cruising on a warm cloud, which was followed by an amazing burst of energy. Folks let me tell you, if you’d ever like to find out how an eagle feels when it spreads its majestic wings and takes to the air at 80 mph., this strain is a kickass tool to take you there.”
Who’s got Blue Dreams? Best Blue Dreams in the US
(David Downs/Leafly)
Blue Dream’s an undisputed beast in the garden and blankets the country in soft, grassy blueberry smells. But quality varies—which explains why Blue Dream sports an average score of 4.3 out of 5 after more than 14,500 ratings.
You see Blue Dream a lot in vape cartridges and commodity crops that don’t always showcase the classic. Growing top-shelf Blue Dream is a labor of love at California brands like Ember Valley and Korova.
In December, we bought superb Blue Dream in California grown by Seven Leaves at Moe Greens in San Francisco. Defying critics, the brand Dream exhibited at The Ego Clash 2023 with phenomenal jars of Blue Dream sitting right alongside hype cultivars Uva and Cherry Gas.
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Pax sells it in a live rosin pod, while Raw Garden sells it in live resin.
Portlanders in Oregon have 353 Blue Dream options with grams hitting $3. In Seattle, there are 656 options, and Have a Heart alone sells 34 Blue Dream SKUs. Denverites in Colorado have 313 options, including joints starting at $5 and edible aphrodisiac Love Beans. Chicagoans have 249 Blue Dream choices—nearly all carts. Detroiters have 126 options—mostly carts. Even newly legal New Yorkers have 103 Blue Dream options, including the gold standard Pax Live Rosin pod.
Blue Dream seeds
Blue Dream Bx on Oct. 4 finishing late in Sebastopol, CA. (David Downs/Leafly)
The Blue Dream seed game is a global free-for-all, and gardeners have their pick from outlets all across the reputability spectrum.
Like a weed Lebron James, King Blue Dream keeps putting up wins in the roaring 2020s. A Blue Dream took bronze in Maryland in 2023. A Blue Dream live rosin pod with diamonds from PAX took home a gold in 2022. A Blue Dream HHC pen from 3CHI took a first in 2022. Blue Dream live resin gummies from Kiva/Camino/Lost Farm took gold in 2020, and silver in 2021. The wins stretch back for decades: 2014, 2017 and on.
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Blue Dream terpenes
Where does the smell of Blue Dream come from? The average results from lab samples labeled ‘Blue Dream’ indicate a lot of myrcene plus pinene and caryophyllene. We see the same top three terps in Blueberry and its cousins and vape juice formulations.
Other highlights this January
Bored of Blue Dream already? Here are three more go-to flavors for sticking to fitness goals in 2024.
Lemon Thai
Lemon Thai from UpNorth. (David Downs/Leafly)
Kick it even more old school and energetic with some Lemon Thai—a citrusy sativa with a similarly mild taste as Blue Dream. A cross of Thai and Hawaiian.
Mimosa
Mimosa. Hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)
Keep it Cali Sober with the balanced Sunday morning strain Mimosa—the perfect mix of orangey and effervescent. A cross of Clementine and Purple Punch.
Attention all gas lovers—smoke this before you crush a strength training workout. So goodbye to boredom when you put on your minty, diesely, potent Animal Face. A cross of Face-off OG and Animal Mints.
And that’s the January 2024 Leafly HighLight. We’re stoked for a huge year of celebrating the all-stars of the cannabis cosmos, so download the app, and put the weed in the basket.
So hey, what’s ‘Leafly HighLight’?
Cannabis dispensaries can sell more than 200 types of flower. It’s overwhelming. Leafly HighLight cures choice paralysis with a monthly deep dive into a popular, national cannabis strain you should know. We combine:
Leafly Strain Database search data
dispensary menu data
dispensary visits
and smoke sessions
Then we select one cultivar that pairs with the season and mood. That’s Leafly HighLight.
In a sea of nearly 6,000 strains, what merits the best? If you flip through an old copy of High Times, or ask an OG smoker about their favorite strains of yesteryear, you’ll get a much different answer than from a 2023 member of Leafly nation. Weed is like wine, fashion, and food—every region has their preferences, their unique styles, their legacies and trends. And what might be called Michelin-starred or haute couture isn’t necessarily what keeps the people puffing.
We’ve named Permanent Marker our 2023 Strain of the Year for pushing the envelope of Gelato-family genetics and its national, titanic wave in popularity. But that doesn’t mean weed tastemakers and hype beasts have forgotten the stalwart classics of cannabis creation and culture. The best-selling strains of 2023, based on a review of a lot (a lot) of dispensary sales data, indicate that Leafly nation has a fondness for both the old and the new.
There are some universal truths we must accept. Everyone, at some point in their life, has bought a pair of Air Force 1s, has eaten at Cheesecake Factory, and has smoked Blue Dream. Created in 2003 in Santa Cruz, CA, this Blueberry x Haze cross is nearly old enough to buy an eighth of itself at the local dispo, though its heyday winning cannabis cup titles has passed. It endures because it offers growers of the medical industry solid returns, and soothed a large spectrum of patients’ symptoms.
As former Leafly contributor and EIC of High Times Ellen Holland wrote in our Blue Dream strain history in 2021, “New cultivars quickly rise and fall, but, whether you like it or not, Blue Dream will rip eternal.”
Not to toot our own horn, but do we not know how to pick em? Wedding Cake, the first Seed of Junky Genetics’ creations that we crowned Strain of the Year back in 2019, remains beloved by cannabis lovers for its striking balance of flavor and effect. Its genetics of Animal Mints x Triangle Kush created the winning blueprint for 2022 and 2023 SOTY winners Jealousy and Permanent Marker—big healthy buds that ooze that mix of sweet and sharp terps coupled with effects that offer euphoria without paranoia. We wrote back in 2019 that Wedding Cake.
I think former Leafly Subject Matter Expert Danté Jordan said it best: “The smell? Loud. The taste? Sweet. Gassy. The smoke? Smooth. Wondrous. It’s a combination of everything good that comes from cannabis, all in one strain, like a cannabis Captain Planet.” You can’t have a cannabis sesh, let alone a cannabis conversation, without Gelato coming up; Sherbinksi was in his bag when he crossed Thin Mint GSC x Sunset Sherbet all those years ago. At this point, our 2018 Strain of the Year winner has so many cup trophies, rap song name drops, and progeny strains that it has nothing more to prove.
Trends are cyclical, just like cannabis cultivation. Purple weed in all its forms, from Lavender to Mendocino Purps, were in high demand given their unique pigment, grape flavors, and bone-deep pain relief. In a landscape dominated by Cookies crosses and whatever Seed Junky comes up with next, Grandaddy Purple, or just GDP, keeps the love for the purp alive. It’s a deeply indica strain with generations of history; here’s to hoping it stays en vogue for the next generation.
Surprised? As the “youngest” strain on this list, Lumpy’s Sour Apple x Animal Cookies cross Apple Fritter has taken its place among the people’s favorite buy. It’s a unique pick—apple tartness mingles with the gassy dough of Cookies and even notes of cheese to create a brain-tingling hybrid. We noted its dominance last fall in a HighLight column, and it’s clear that 2023 has been a strong year even as more and more boutique strains hit dispensary shelves.
At our recent New York City linkup with Sour progenitor Asshole Joe, the classic strain beloved on the East Coast is actually more a hybrid than straight sativa—and we moved with the quickness to make sure our strain database reflects this. Sour Diesel offers consumers a profile seldom seen in cannabis—turpentine sour funk. And it seems poised for a revival, with new collaborations and competition showings telling us that the more terps change, the more they stay the same.
We’re not talking about the mid-aughts Seth Rogen stoner comedy, but there’s plenty of overlap with fans of this tropical sativa strain. Sativas are tricky—not everyone likes a cerebral headrush, and they tend towards more sour, citrus, or chem-like flavors. Pineapple Express wins because it offers energy without anxiety, and a tang that soothes the sting of a straight Trainwreck. And probably, because it reminds us of a movie with plenty of laughs.
Call it a weed nepo baby. Ice Cream Cake combines Wedding Cake and Gelato #33, a pheno also referred to as Larry Bird, for a generational Cup winner bursting with vanilla, berry, and diesel goodness that put its consumer at immediate ease. This is another Seed Junky homerun, proving that the legendary breeders can create strains that appeal to in-industry tastemakers and the everyday consumer.
Strap in, Leafly nation—this one is going to be a doozy. Everyone in cannabis, as in any other industry or field, wants to be the best—but how do you tell who is actually the best? Well, look at the awards. With tens of thousands of strains and products available in your area (we hope), how do you choose where to spend your hard-earned Benjamins? We can tell you that.
Cannabis competitions are back like they never left, and more state legalizations means higher bars to clear to call your stash fire. From the Bay to the Big Apple, and many detours in between, these are the buds that struck gold (and silver) at esteemed cannabis competitions and cups in 2023. Did we miss any? Let us know for 2024!
High as eagles balls: The Ego Clash barn and meadow from above. (David Downs/Leafly)
Golden State, gold standard. California, despite its market quirks, continues to set weed trends, and the world takes notes. This year was a particularly rich outing.
We begin (where else?) with the Emerald Cup. The Oscars of California weed and their expert judges have sampled thousands of flower entries over the years from cultivators looking for glory and recognition. With four commercial flower categories and 20 slots for each—that’s a lot of weed!
Blue Face. (Photo by Demetrius Daniels, courtesy of Fig Farms)
The California dispensary Greenwolf has been winning awards of their own for years, and now they dish them out. Their latest California Zalympix puts the golden taste of the Golden State in perspective. The Ten Co and Zushi teamed up with Blue Zushi to nab Best Overall, Best Taste, and second for Best Terps.
Another collaboration, Limitedtreesgenetics x Flavor Design, won Best Terps with Versace, and second overall. Maven Genetics’ French Laundry won Best Looking and Most Unique, with The Hydro Boys winning Heaviest Hitting with Blue Gotti Sapphire and Sour Power by Kush Company taking Gassiest. Alien Labs made the podium for Best Overall and Best Terps with a classic Zkittlez.
Now for some math. The California State Fair Cannabis Awards crunch the numbers across cannabinoids and terpenes. A number of last year’s winners returned to show out, along with some new contenders. Mercy Grown swept three Best of California awards with John Lemmon (THCa), and Pie Scream (Myrcene and Total Terpenes); Greenshock Farms’ Passion Orange Guava took Ocimene gold once again, while Esensia, MOCA Humboldt and Talking Trees Farm won with new offerings Maracuya (THCa), Caffeine (Limonene), and Rainbow Beltz (Caryophyllene), respectively. For something funky, check out Prism, the CBGa winner by Nimbus Cannabis.
Leafly contributor and one of the headiest journalists on the weed beat Jimi Devine keeps climbing with the latest Transbay Challenge V, which held four qualifier events before the ultimate competition in October. Hawaiian Snowcone by Moon Valley Cannabis, one of our SOTY alternatives, took the ultimate honors, with (again!) Maven Genetics’ French Laundry and Moonbeam by A Golden State rounded out the top three. Greendawg got an honorable mention for Candy Fumez.
Top Shelf Cultivation’s Whoa-Si-Whoa (Courtesy Top Shelf Cultivation)
The people of SoCal have spoken, and they have bougie tastes too. For the High Times People’s Choice Cup, we saw many familiar, and winning, faces. Fig Farms hit a double whammy for Best Indica Flower and Hybrid Flower with Blue Face and Animal Face, while Maven Genetics’s Orange Bellini reigning over the sativas.
Last but not least, the 2023 Ego Clash saw Eddy’s Lemons by Anudai Farms (A New Day) take indoor flower gold, with Blue Lobster and Zkittlez not far behind. For outdoor, it was Lemon Cherry Gelato by Terp Mansion, followed by two other winning strains of 2023, LANTZ and Hawaiian Snowcone.
Denver’s Connoisseur Cup brings legacy and licensed operators together under OG scrutiny. The industry side showed loyalty to enduring favorites, including Super Lemon Haze (Super Farm), Gelato (DenRec), and Animal Face Mints (Meraki Brands), while pointing to newer classics like Top Fuel Cherries, Purple Monkey Face Slap, and Grape Cream 2.1. MAC, Zkittlez, and GG#4 also made it to the winners circle.
Golden Leaf’s Candy Fumez (Courtesy THC Classic)
Golden Leaf’s Lemonhead Delight (Courtesy THC Classic)
Rooster Magazine and Media’s THC Classic also scoured hundreds of entries to parse out the fire. Golden Leaf blew the competition away, winning with Lemonhead Delight, Black Maple #22, and Candy Fumez.
The ninth annual Oregon Growers Cup showcases one of the most pot-prolific state’s best greenery. They give laurels to sungrown, indoor, and greenhouse flowers, with a wide range of cultivars in the winners’ circles. For Outdoor, Alter Farms wins with Strawberry Fizz; Artisan Grown cinched Indoor with Candy Rain; Hash Burger grown by Cannassentials sweeps Greenhouse.
Trop Cherry. Sativa hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)
The Oregon Leaf Bowl took it a step further with winners designated by terpene profile (Fuel/OG, Purps/Dessert, Exotic Fruit, Citrus, Open) within the three cultivation categories. For Sungrown, WM Ranch won for Fuel and Dessert with Trop Cherry and Ice Cream Cake; Left Coast Standard also doubled up wins in Citrus and Exotic Fruit with Orange Blossom and Juicy Fruit. Greasy Runtz by TrueCare Farms was the wild card.
For indoor flower, we see a Sherbet (Slims/Conception nursery), Tropicana Cherry (Verdant Leaf), Biscotti Pie (High Noon Cult), Garlic Budder (Green Clover Farms), and Grape Stank (LUVLI) rise above the rest. And with mixed light, Real Eve won all but one category with their Super Boof, Chem-lato, Sherb Cake, and Hash Burger; Bald Peak Farm and Chalice Farms nabbed a win with Blueberry Octane.
See also: After a couple years’ hiatus, the High Times Cannabis Cup Oregon: People’s Choice Edition has returned to Oregon—tune in mid-January for the winners!
In neighboring New Mexico, The Growers Circle did double duty, winning Best Indica Flower and Sativa Flower with Homage and Trop Cherries; hvst’s El Chivo #11 took the hybrid crown. Seed Junky made multiple top-three appearances with Pineapple Fruz and Purple Push Pop, a close relative to our 2023 Strain of the Year winner, Permanent Marker.
See also: Judging is currently underway for their 2023 High Times People’s Cup, so stay tuned for the February 5 winners announcement.
New York’s legal cannabis rollout isn’t quite ready for a High Times Cup of their own. But they did host their second annual New York Growers Cup, where dozens of legacy growers competed across a handful of flavor profile categories: Gas, Sweet, Haze, Sour, and Exotic. We saw many strains that we lauded as winning-material take home trophies; Trop Cherry Gas and Tropical Trufflez tied for the Sweet category, with a Sherb x Biscotti x Animal Mints clearing the Gas lane. Green Haze won for its eponymous group, while Sour Royale got the Sour crown, and Kaboom was dubbed the most Exotic.
The Zalympix also landed on the East Coast this year to survey the Northeast’s best buds; a few frontrunners emerged. Zkittles x Zoap by Gotti was best in show, though Maine Trees’ Blue Lobster won Gassiest, Best Terps, and Best Taste. Marijuantauk Gardens won heaviest hitting with Cap Junky (no surprise there), and Sherbanger by Rugged Roots won Best Looking and runner-up for taste. Apples & Bananas was also in the mix.
Blue Lobster. (Courtesy of Maine Trees)
A perfect indoor flower of Compound Genetics Jokerz. Indica hybrid. Fig Farms-grown. (David Downs)
NECANN has grown from a multistate expo to a regional competition, with cups held in Maine and Boston this year. In Maine, homegrown heroes Maine Trees placed first for Indica Flower with Blue Lobster, while our 2023 Strain of the Year, Permanent Marker, won Indica Flower gold for High Road LLC. Shamanic Roots’ Peach Milano won the sativa category. The best of Boston’s buds went to Northeast Alternatives’ King Garlic Cookies, Ideal Craft Cannabis’ Jokerz, and AMP’s Turbo Diesel.
The first Maryland Home Growers Cup showed us that the Old Line State likes old school cannabis, with the top winner, Orange Velvet, followed by a Northern Lights cross, and—surprise!—Blue Dream.
See also: Results from Massachusetts’ next annual High Times Cannabis Cup People’s Choice Edition are out in January.
(Courtesy Zalympix)
Michiganders like their weed savory and fruity. Their High Times Cup was two-pronged for medical and adult use, which means twice the winners. MI Loud Farms won on both sides, with Garlic Cocktail and Kush Mints. Blue Skunk by High Level Health, Society C’s Spritzer, New Lyfe’s Gogurtz, and Dutch Touch Genetics’ Mr. Clean took flower gold as well. Cap Junky and Moonbow #12 were also in the mix.
Greenwolf’s Zalympix came to Detroit this year to sniff out the fire. Rkive’s Candy Fumes won Best Overall and Best Tasting, and Lightsky Farms’s Titty Sprinkles, third overall, also nabbed both Gassiest and Best Terps. Sherb Pie by Peninsula Gardens was the Best runner-up, with their Cap Junky hitting the heaviest.
Also in the Midwest, Illinois’ High Times Cannabis Cup (People’ Choice) showcased a mix of national and niche, with winners that spanned from Jack Herer (RYTHM) to Cobra Milk (nuEra), and Slapz (also RYTHM).
Cannabis in the middle of the United States is anything but mid. Missouri hit the ground running with their adult-use industry, primed to judge the best of the best. The Missouri Growers Cup chose Blueberry Muffin by Green Thumb Grow Pro for the Grow Master award, with Elevate’s Gary Poppins winning best flower, and Tropicana Cherries emerging as the Home Grown winner.
The ironically named Super Boof. Boof is slang for low-grade. Grown by Triple 7, CA. Hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)
In Oklahoma, the judges of the Cowboy Cup crowned Mac 1 by Savage Organics and Very Good Grows’ Candy Apple for best sungrown and indoor flower, respectively, with some Kush Mints and Larry Bird (that’s Gelato) runners up; finalists include Tropicana Cherry, Super Boof, Pure Michigan, and Jungle Pie. Over in Montana, Cup Fest judges chose 710 MT’s Mega Runtz as Best in Show and Best Hybrid flower; Collective Elevation won Indica with Donny Burger and Awesome Blossom’s Fruity Pebbles OG was crowned Best Sativa.
Winners Circle—All 2023 US cannabis contest winners
