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The sun is out, temperatures are rising and the long weekend is in full swing… it sounds to us like the perfect recipe for a summer BBQ! A great BBQ requires a good appetite and chill vibe, which is why when we plan for a ‘Q, we always strategize the perfect cannabis pairings to go along with it.
Cannabis pros over at Leafly – the leading destination to learn about, find and order cannabis – recently published their hotly anticipated 2022 Golden Strains of Summer guide. This guide covers all the best today’s world of cannabis has to offer, including the ideal strain pairings to make you the hero of your BBQ.
“We’re in a verified golden age for weed breeding and enjoyment. Champion-grade ganja blankets the country in 2022. Nineteen states have legalized it. The $25B legal industry ranks as America’s 5th largest cash crop. Modern weed blasts out designer flavors never before tasted, with higher, deeper effects never before felt.” writes Leafly contributing author David Downs. It’s a summer of nostalgia, with ‘90s OG gas coming back in a big way, and a season for taste thanks to scrumptious new dessert strains and candy-aisle, connoisseur terps – and we are here for it.
Hands down, our favorite strains for getting high this Fourth of July are Leafly’s 2022 Golden Strains of Summer. These best-selling, award-winning and on-trend flower strains were chosen based on their sales data, search rankings, breeder reputation, and of course, taste, buzz, and benefits. As strong as they are incredible, this flower is no joke, so be ready for the smoke! If you want to make your summer get together a BBQ for the books, Downs recommends trying these:
Dream Cake – For Hunger
Take home a new Wedding Cake or Ice Cream Cake cross this summer for a guaranteed good time. Stoners keep Wedding Cake in the top 5 most searched this summer because the strain looks so icy, smells so inviting, and feels so yummy. People get relaxed, aroused, and hungry on Wedding Cakes—three feelings we could all use more of in the tense, hot months.
The easiest win? Order up Dream Cake (Wedding Cake x Sunset Sherbert) from Foxy Cannabis for delivery in LA and across California. Foxy’s team picks out and jars up only the most unique, iconic, fresh, small batches of LA indoor hydro; like, 100 pounds of each strain, or less.
Double OG Chem – Relax To The Max
Break out the ripped denim—late ‘90s OG Kush, Sour Diesel and Chemdog have roared back, baby. Rebel Grown Seeds’ Double OG Chem swept up at the Emerald Cup Awards 2022 in downtown LA, May 14. The all-star industry judges could not deny the classic lemon, pine, and fuel bite of OGs, and that heavy, high-THC, after-work, blast-off effect.
Double OG Chem is “two-thirds OG, one-third Chem with a dash of Sour,” says Rebel Grown breeder Dan Pomerantz, and will make you hungry, giggly, and relaxed. Exactly what we need amid the grim realities out there. Rebel Grown’s breeder carries forward the legacy of Humboldt County greatness into the legal age. Four of the top 10 strains at The Emerald Cup featured Dan’s work. “It felt great,” he said. “I felt really honored and validated.”
Woody Harrelson’s new weed shop in LA opened with Double OG Chem, and dozens of other Cali stores have it, too. Double OG Chem seeds are in commercial gardens big and small across the US—sometimes under a different name. So if you love OGs, Chems, Sours, and Glues, follow your nose to those terps and take home a bag.
Animal Face – Get As High As Your Kite
Sometimes you need to orbit the earth so high you can only hear heavy breathing and your pulse in your ears. Lunatics smoke Animal Face and go beast mode in a gym. Us mortals can enjoy this winner alone on the couch when ready to take our faces off for the night.
Animal Face crosses Face-Off OG to Animal Mints, and we’ve celebrated the Seed Junky Genetics strain since it jumped out of the bag and bit us in December. The Leafy strain grew into a Leafly Strain of 420 ‘22 and stays hot into summer, thanks to a first place finish in the indoor flower category at The Emerald Cup 2022.
Winning grower Fig Farms says they have a bunch of it this summer, so all of us mere mortals can bask in the glow of the judges’ favorite: expert-level, maximum fuel bite, dank-cookie back notes, and scorching high-THC effects.
Georgia Pie – Strong Relief For Experts
This summer, America has developed a distinct craving for Seed Junky Genetics’ Georgia Pie (Gellati x Kush Mints). The crew at Real Eve Farms in Oregon are making a name for themselves on this cultivar alone. At this year’s Oregon Leaf Bowl, their Georgia Pie took home the gold in the mixed-light category.
With big fruit flavors and a fresh-baked bread scent, it’s easy to see why. A rough trim shows the dense trichomes coating both the buds and sugar leaves. The origin of the fruity peach scents? Anyone’s guess. But there’s certainly plenty of those bright and sweet scents to go around.
Lighting up a J is the best way to enjoy the big kush notes on the inhale and a pronounced effect that leaves you as baked as a pie fresh out of the oven.
Purple Octane – For The Purists
Some folks will not buy weed unless it’s purple, and those folks buy a lot of weed – especially from leading breeder/grower, Seed Junky Genetics. LA’s cannabis lovers have their purple grass on tap this summer by the name of Purple Octane.
It’s got a tank full of GSC genes that grow out grapey, gassy, and cookie, hitting purple gas lovers right in the nostrils and pinning them to the back of their seat with maximum THC scores. “This is a strain that’s been picking up a lot of traction in the market due to its coloring as well as its nose,” the SJG team tells us. “We’ve had it on our menu here and there, but expect to keep the volume up through the summer.”
When it comes to strain recommendations, there is no source we trust more than Leafly to give us the facts. Make your upcoming BBQ a blast with these incredible picks!
Learn more about the hottest strains near you and order them directly to your door on Leafly.
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