Leafly Buzz: 12 hot strains to smoke in 2024

America’s 40 million monthly weed smokers keep pushing the limits of flavor and awesomeness in 2024.

We reviewed the data for 7,514 strains and more than 6,000 menus, and we gotta say—we’re proud of you, Leafly Nation. We see you buying up and puffing surging new strains—sending a signal to stores to buy more, growers to plant more, and breeders to keep selecting.

Every January, the Leafly Buzz column widens its lens from West Coast flower hype to scan what is set to triumph across the US in the new year. We made a short list of hot grower and smoker-tested all-stars.

Leafly Buzz’s 12 hot strains to smoke in 2024 all shine in the garden and in the bag. They’re contemporary extensions of popular trends. They’re the hyper-refined and remixed latest from strain families like Cookies, Z, OG Kush, Blueberry, Sour D, and Tangie.

Get ready for a Wonka-esque journey through gardens of candy, fuel, fruit, funk, dessert, and even hamburger. Here are Leafly Buzz’s 12 hot strains to smoke in 2024.

Blue Lobster

Blue Lobster shows off on both coasts in 2024—really holding it down for maximally-pretty weed with taste and strength. Chris Lynch of Cipher Genetics (formerly Compound Genetics) bred this cross of Eye Candy and Apples and Bananas (aka Facade). Maine Trees selected it. Blue Lobster buttered up judges on both coast in 2023—from the East Coast Zalympix to The Ego Clash in Mendocino. Grown at scale by Umma Sonoma, snap up this coveted top-shelf. It’s going to fetch top dollar globally this year.

“She’s a beautiful cultivar and a joy for us to grow,” said Giancarlo at Umma in Santa Rosa, CA.

Tropical Burst

Behold, Leafly Ratings’ first ever 100-point strain—Tropical Burst from Seed Junky Genetics, maker of Leafly Strain of the Year 2023 Permanent Marker. It’s Z perfected through a cross of (Orange Push Pop x Banana Cream Cake) to Zkittlez bx2. Read the full Rating notes. See also: Giraffe P #2.

Tea Time

In 2024, LA breeder Wizard Trees keeps conjuring confectionary bliss with Tea Time, a cross of Leafly Strain of the Year 2023 runner-upRS11 and Z. Tea Time entices with tea, spice, tropical hard candy, and creamy sherbet notes backed by fuel. The strong hybrid effects go great midday into evening with hobbies and fun. Wizard Trees releases multiple strains in flower in California and their seeds ship internationally. Tea Time sold itself when we visited the zaza flower-only shop GOAT Global in Westwood.

Pablo’s Revenge

Everyone loves Wedding Cake and Kush Mints. For something trendier in 2024, seek out Pablo’s Revenge, breeder Tiki Madman’s cross of Animal Mints x Sherb Cake. It’s surging in strain page traffic, but just starting to get into legal grows. This 25%+ THC indica hybrid took home gold in Michigan in 2023, and three awards in 2022. Expect minty and cakey smells and tastes that hit way harder than the 25% THC on the bag. Tiki Madman says they’ve sold out of multiple seed lines of Pablo’s Revenge—the F1, the Bx, and the Fems. More are coming for summer 2024. See also: Devil Driver, Tiger Cake.

Chimera

Tulsa, OK, breeder Beleaf’s crazy-frosty cross of White Truffle and The Creature is called Chimera, and it’s coming to more and more stores in 2024. We love that it’s working with Leafly Strain of the Year 2023 runner-up White Truffle (a Peanut Butter Breath and Glue project from Fresh Coast Genetics). BeLeaf comes widely respected and co-signed across the industry. Beloved in Colorado, Chimera growers say it hits hybrid with notes of port wine, orange Tic-Tacs, and butter scotch. 

Hawaiian Snowcone

Expect to hear a lot more about Hawaiian Snowcone after its back to back wins at The Transbay Challenge Finals in LA in October and The Ego Clash 2023 in Mendocino County in December. This Tiki Madman and Big Al’s Exotics project brings together a ton of goodness: Z and Lemon Cherry Gelato on one side, and Hawaiian Plushers (Peach Ringz x Lemon Gushers) on the other. Moon Valley Cannabis crushes small batches of soil-grown indoor, while Xotic Flavorz pumps out big batches grown in hoop houses. See also: Lemon Cherry Gelato, Zatix Blue Guava.

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Triple Burger

The savory burger strain wave goes strong in 2024 and we’re seeing sizzling performance from Triple Burger—breeder Skunkhouse Genetics’ cross of GMO and Double Burger. I’d expect this bag to smell like burnt brakes and gristle in the best way possible. These burgers, as well as GMOs, really harken back to Chem and Skunk. Very relaxing and hard-hitting—do not operate heavy machinery on this 25%+THC indica hybrid.

Blueberry Cupcake

Fans of the top-selling strain Blue Dream need some love, too. For 2024, hit the Blueberry Cupcake—Humboldt Seed Co’s cross of the easy-growing Blueberry Muffin and top-selling Wedding Cake. Bred by Humboldt County, CA’s HendRx Farm nursery, it’s gonna grow great and taste like an actual Blueberry Cupcake, and it’s coming to hundreds more dispensaries in the coming months.

Gary Payton and crosses

Gary Payton achieves Hall of Flame status while still very much in the peak of its career in 2024. Breeder Powerzzzup’s 2019 cross of The Y and Snowman offers premium GSC work that the brand Cookies is bringing to every corner of the globe. From the small, indoor living-soil batches to mega-runs, Gary Payton puts up numbers.

“This plant was an absolute joy to grow,” said indoor soil grower Joe Snow at Snowtill, who just added Gary Payton to his lineup.

Gary Payton is now the 11th most viewed strain page on Leafly. Eight hundred and seven stores added GP in 2023, and in 2024 we forecast 1,000 more.

Super Boof

For fans of Tangie, we cannot deny the impact of breeder Blockhead’s Blockberry (aka Super Boof). This Trop Cookies project introduces a whole new generation to orange tangie terps, but with a cookie back—like when you dip Chips Ahoy in orange juice. It also grows like a champ, which is why it’s taking over. We made Super Boof a strain to watch in 2023, and a Leafly Strain of the Year 2023 runner-up. Super Boof ranks 9th in traffic growth since January 2023. Will 2024 see Super Boof triumph over all? We’re watching the Cannabis Cup winners and sales charts.

Cap Junky

Here you go, gas fans. Another hot strain in 2023 that became a runner-up for the best—Seed Junky Genetics releases fresh clones of Cap Junky in Michigan this winter, pouring fuel on a fire cross of Capulator’s Alien Cookies and Seed Junky’s Kush Mints. For lovers of Sour Diesel, and Animal Face—Cap Junky maxes out the THC resin and can reek a loud, sour, strawberry opening note and sticky, piney buds. It grinds sweet and pungent like fresh-peeled rind, and smokes smooth on your throat with a mean, biting taste of Pledge and Pine Sol. Cap Junky has 10x’d its store presence to over 1,000 in a year, so now it’s your turn to ride the rocket.

And that’s a dozen strains destined to pop in 2024. We’re rooting for even more, of course. Glitter Bomb, Zoap, Sherbanger, and Mule Fuel are blowing up. Help us make it a baker’s dozen 13 hot strains to watch by filling out this one survey question.

Reader’s choice strain: Zoap

We got one more strain to make Leafly Buzz’s annual hot strain outlook a baker’s dozen. We counted the votes and the tropical, candy, chemmy Zoap has won a spot on the list. Deo Farms of Oakland, CA’s Zoap is an OZ Kush project that started with several packs from Dying Breed Seeds. Deo bred his OZ Kush selection dubbed Pink Guava to a Sunset Sherbert to start the RS (that’s Rainbow Sherbert) line. Multiple winners in the RS line have surged: Zoap, RS#11, and RS#54. Once closely held, Zoap genetics keep making their way into the wild, and the Zoap wave continues to build in 2024. Reviewers note Zoap’s fruity, floral, and lye soap smell and taste and its potent hybrid sativa effects. A third of reviewers use it to manage anxiety.

“It is the best for date night or social events,” said one reviewer.

Thank you for voting, Leafly Nation!