Essential St. Patrick’s Day Strains

One of the best things about the wave of cannabis reform sweeping the country is that on every holiday more people get to enjoy cannabis without the fear of arrest, especially compared to any time the holiday has been celebrated before. When else is that possibly more fun than the American debauched pastime that is St. Patrick’s holy day?

This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a fabled Saturday. Yes, once one realizes March 17 falls on the weekend, the holiday becomes a whole ‘nother animal. Gone are the obligations of work and school, and in the 256 years of the holiday’s celebration in America — when New York City first honored the day with a parade — the cannabis has never been better!

We expect the festivities in cities such as Boston, Chicago and San Francisco to be intense this year, so whether you want to stay home or hit the streets as a puffing pacifist, this selection of fantastic buds should have you driving out the local snakes (as St. Patrick allegedly did in Ireland) in no time.

Gelato #33
Nothing summarizes Boston better than the emotional infrastructure basketball player Larry Bird provided in the 1980s as he led the Celtics to numerous NBA Championships. Bird wore the #33 jersey, which the Celtics have since retired, and this Gelato phenotype crafted by Sherbinski and Jigga all those years ago celebrates this venerated number. While not the most traditional Gelato pheno, this strain has an extra dash of pinene and hits the nose with more of a kush aroma than some of its siblings, which likely comes from an extra dash of the terpene caryophyllene.

24K
Any leprechaun would be pretty stoked to find the newest gem in DNA Genetics’ crown. The longtime award-winning breeders whipped up something really special with this 24K. They paired their uber-popular indica Kosher Kush with the legendary sativa Tangie. Tangie’s yield, availability and terpene profile make the strain a common occurrence across California to this day. We first encountered 24K at the 2016 Emerald Cup and we’ve kept an eye out for it since.

Mint Chocolate Chip F2
Exotic Genetix Mint Chocolate Chip hit two marks for us on our St. Patty’s Day checklist, given that it’s a cross of the always-popular Thin Mint and the strain Green Ribbon. Because the strain is an “F2” also means the original versions with the best traits were stabilized a bit more for this generation. The cup-winning breeders most famous for Cookies & Cream have another winner on their hands with this one, and it’s sure to go great with your Irish grandmother’s magic coffee!

Orange Ade
The pheno-hunting cultivators at CRAFT have long sought after ultra-elite strains to add to their in-house collection of cup winners already filling their menu, and Orange Ade is no exception. When we saw they were hunting down a house cut of Symbiotic Genetics’ new Purple Punch x Tangie cross, we were exceptionally excited at the prospects. As we noted with their Super Lemon Haze, the folks at CRAFT are well known for finding diamonds, but we’ll have to wait and see if Orange Ade ends up in their crown jewels.

Honorable Mention: Dosi Punch
While Dosi Punch isn’t directly related to St. Patrick’s Day, it’s so good that more people simply need to know about it. If you see it, buy it. We can assure you it’s that kind of special. Bred from parents Do-si-do and Purple Punch, who are both wildly popular these days, the Dosi Punch pairing produces a grape cotton candy aroma that’s hard to resist. After smoking Dosi Punch, expect a crisp, full-bodied experience that won’t stick you to the couch.

TELL US, what are you smoking this St. Patrick’s Day?