Whether you’re looking to go on an adventure in the great outdoors or you just want to relax with some friends and get festive, having a stacked list of cozy cannabis strains will keep your spirits high until the chillier months are over. Flore believes you should be able to access great weed all year round, and we’ve got an awesome selection of strains to keep you happy and hazy when the frost comes. Check out this winter weed guide for our strain recommendations and tips on storing your weed for maximum freshness in the wintertime!
What’s the Best Weed for Winter?
As all seasoned tokers know, what makes the ‘best weed’ is all about personal preference. While there are common criteria and certain qualities required to be considered a ‘best’ strain, once you check those boxes, it comes down to what you like. In our opinion, what makes the best winter weed is more about the general mood it helps to create.
If you tend to feel sluggish or lethargic during the cold season, consider a stimulating Sativa strain for an energizing boost to help get you through the days when the winter chill is bogging you down. Looking for a way to soothe the stress when the shorter days are getting to you? Try a relaxing Indica strain to take the edge off and enjoy a cozy evening on the couch.
For the best of both worlds, grab a Hybrid strain to get those creative juices flowing while feeling cool, calm and collected. In essence, lean towards the Sativa side of the spectrum for more cerebral and stimulating effects, and slide over to the Indica side for a mellow, mood-enhancing sedation. There’s no shortage of strains to choose from these days. Just remember to trust your nose and know what effect and mood you’re looking to create!
Flore’s Top 6 Winter Weed Strains
What better way to start the search for some dank herbs than some strain recommendations? To give you a head start, we have compiled a list of our favorite winter weed strains and what makes them perfect companions in the cold season.
Snow Dream by A Golden State (26-28% THC) — Indica
An excellent example of the quality provided by our fellow Northern Californians, A Golden State cultivators have this strain looking like a blizzard struck it! Perfect for unwinding after a long day, the calming terpenes in Snow Dream include limonene, linalool, and trans-nerolidol, giving it a mossy aroma that reminds us of the forest after a fresh rainfall. The flavors are a mix of earthy coffee and smooth vanilla, and the effects are wonderful for a relaxing body high.
Frosted Pear Plum by Pastry’s (25% THC) Indica-dominant Hybrid
The specialist cultivators at Pastry’s grow some of Santa Rosa’s finest flower, and their Frosted Pear Plum is a delicious demonstration of what they offer. A great strain for relaxing with friends on a winter evening, this tasty strain features a sweet, citrusy flavobalancedut with an herbal note on the exhale. Coated in trichomes, these dense, purple nugs will have you stoned but not stuck, easing tension in both mind and body.
Blueberry by Flore (28% THC) Indica
One of our in-house favorites was originally developed by DJ Short when crossing varieties of Purple Thai. With a terpene profile featuring Caryophyllene, Myrcene and Humulene, this sedating strain is perfect for a powerful couchlock or drifting off to deep sleep. When you feel like hibernating, and winter is overwhelming, take in the relaxing effects of the aptly named Blueberry, with its classic berry aroma and flavor providing a satisfyingly heavy smoke.
Red Eye Diesel by Talking Trees (26% THC) Sativa
The Humboldt stalwarts at Talking Trees combine GMO and Red Pop to create Red Eye Diesel, which we love for its invigorating buzz and gassy flavors. The depth of flavor is a testament to the living soil these plants are grown in, and the effect is an extremely functional high that leaves you feeling focused yet relaxed. Great for those cold days when you need a little extra thrust to get going!
Something Good by Flore (31% THC) Hybrid
For all fans of sour-tasting strains, the cultivation gang at Flore have whipped up this tangy delicacy, known simply as Something Good. Crossing two sour strains with Strawberry Diesel gives this strain a heady punch while comforting the body. If winter has your body feeling beat and sore, this is a great daytime strain to keep the aches at bay while allowing your mind to stay clear enough to cross tasks off your to-do list.
Durban Poison by Up North (28% THC) Sativa
Another favorite of ours and a staple from the team at Up North, these Humboldt county veterans have kept one of the world’s most famous ‘pure’ Sativas alive and thriving. As the name implies, this strain was originally found in South Africa and is renowned for its sweet flavor and uplifting effects.
One of the best strains we’ve come across for being productive and a top-tier hiking strain, the sweet, citrusy taste of Durban Poison is complemented by a distinct piney flavor that gives way to an energetic and alert sensation. Enjoy a clear-headed high and feel charged up throughout a busy winter day with the electric effects of this legendary strain.
Bonus strains:
Marshmallow OG
Packing a punch at almost 29% THC, this balanced hybrid is aptly named, with a sweet, creamy flavor that is backed up by a gassy kush note. A highly wallet-friendly strain that delivers on effects and taste.
Wild Seed Wakanda
This powerhouse cross combines OG Kush, Girl Scout Cookies and GG4 for a skunky flavor and uplifting effect. Regularly testing at 32% THC, this is a favorite of our more experienced smokers and is great at crushing negative thoughts, it’s good vibes only with the Wild Seed!
OMG
The Flore gang’s version of GMO crosses select cuts of Girl Scout Cookies and Chemdawg to create this funky hybrid. Our keeper phenotype has an earthy, pungent scent and an unmistakable Cookies flavor. Breaking the 30% THC barrier, this is an awesome strain that will leave you feeling happily sedated each and every time.
Tips for Storing Weed in the Winter
One of the main problems weed smokers face in the winter is keeping their buds fresh. Fresh weed is the best weed because it means it is still full of all the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids we enjoy so much. Winter can be cruel to cannabis lovers, with conditions that typically dry buds out, making them lose potency and flavor. As the temperature drops and the air gets drier, you may need to take some extra steps to keep your weed pristine for as long as possible.
Store in airtight containers
The gold standard for storing your weed is in an airtight glass container, such as a mason jar. Using airtight containers prevents your precious trees from coming into contact with oxygen, which degrades THC and ages trichomes, which then dries out the weed. Glass is preferable to other surfaces as it is static-free and won’t knock trichomes off your frosty buds.
Humidity matters
No one wants damp weed, but you certainly don’t want weed that has become too dry and crumbly. It makes for a harsher smoke, and that’s the exact opposite of what you want when you’re already breathing in the cold winter air.
When you purchase your weed, inspect the nugs and make a note of whether they are dry or sticky. If the nugs are dry, you can add a bit of humidity to keep them from drying out further. This can be easily accomplished by adding some Boveda humidification packs to your container. These little 2-way humidity packs ensure that whatever level of moisture and humidity you need is maintained in your storage container.
Aim for room temperature
Once you’ve found an airtight storage solution and a way to manage humidity, the next thing to be aware of is keeping your weed somewhere that won’t get any warmer than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This room temperature provides the ideal environment for storing your flower without degrading the potency or flavor.
If in doubt, keep your jars somewhere relatively cool and away from any obvious sources of heat in your home. When weed gets too hot, especially inside a container, condensation can develop from the moisture inside the buds. This moisture can get trapped in the jar and potentially ruin your weed, so managing the temperature is key to keeping it fresh.
Keep jars out of the light
Be sure to store your weed somewhere where it won’t be exposed to too much light. Not only will direct light dry out your weed, but exposure to UV rays can actually impair the potency of your buds. Even if you are storing it in an airtight container, keep it tucked away somewhere where there isn’t any chance of direct sunlight or bright lights affecting it.
Identifying weed gone bad
In the unfortunate case that you have any issues with your weed storage, there are a couple of ways to check if your weed is still safe to consume.
Bud that has developed mold may smell off-putting and have a scent of mildew, in which case it has gone bad and must be discarded. Issues with humidity can also result in visible mold that looks like spider webs between buds and even inside buds, so if you suspect this has happened, look very closely at your weed before consuming it.
To identify any issues with weed and its freshness, you can also gently squeeze a bud between your fingers. If it is still moist and soft, it is probably okay to consume, but if it has become dry and brittle or crumbly, you may want to discard it.
Get Cozy with Cannabis from Flore Dispensary
Now that you’ve got the full rundown on how to get the most out of your winter weed and some awesome strains to check out, all that’s left to do is get cozy with some cannabis! Flore is proud to provide all kinds of options for your winter desires, with an emphasis on supporting farmers who cultivate sun-grown cannabis in Humboldt county.
We are also blessed to have an amazing team of cultivators growing flower specifically for Flore, and they are always coming up with exciting new crosses and flavor profiles.
With daily deals, it’s a perfect time to stock up on your favorite flower or check out some new strains. Head on over to Flore and check out our stacked menu, where you can find the best cannabis Northern California has to offer, with all the fire needed to keep you warm all winter! Happy winter smoking, everyone! Stay warm and stay high.
