It’s that time of year again when we rub our resin-sticky hands together with anticipation of the newest cannabis cultivars due to hit the market.

Nathaniel Pennington and his team at Humboldt Seed Company (HSC) recently conducted a phenotype mega-hunt to search through thousands of plants which generated more than a few “Unicorns” of the cannabis genome. We caught up with Pennington to go through their newest strains that we’re excited to see in 2019.

The Bling

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but the Bling will be your farm’s best bud. This strain is productive and fast growing, pest and mold resistant that boasts both insane trichomes and a heavy dose of THC. “Seriously though, this strain is no joke,” said Pennington. “Productive is an understatement and the trichome density on this beauty outshined the rest in a greenhouse with 3k unique seed plants at Happy Dreams Farm, who practices sustainable agriculture in beautiful Humboldt County”.

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company/Happy Dreams Farms
• Genetics: Humboldt Frost x Reserve OG x Humboldt Gelato
• % Indica/Sativa: 75% 25%
• Type: Indica Hybrid
• Smell:  Gassy but also sweet and floral with hints of lime
• Flavors: Alpha-Pinene, Myrcene, Limonene
• Appearance: Silver/Green with hints of purples
• Effects: Potent and intense, more ethereal than sedative

Willy G’s Lebanese CBD

Willy G’s Lebanese is taking the CBD cannabis world by storm. “From the legendary Bakka Valley in Lebanon through our product tester and cannabinoid specialist William Watson aka Willy G,” said Pennington. Originating as a landrace, it’s fascinating to think of the historic uses for this cannabinoid profile.

Upon discovering the unique cannabinoid make-up of this strain, HSC bred, phenotype hunted and selected four times to stabilize the cannabinoid levels of this silk road masterpiece of a medical breakthrough. This strain is incredibly unique and Willy G is a wonderful person who uses cannabis to help with the effects of his cerebral palsy.

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company
• Genetics: Lebanese Landrace x Willy G’s #8 x Willy G’s #2
• % Indica/Sativa: 20% 80%
• Type: Sativa CBD
• Smell: Terpinolene forward with a floral finish, hints of concord grape
• Flavors: Very rich in terpenes for a CBD strain, some say jasmine or dill
• Appearance:  Frosty lime green flowers with speckled with purple
• Effects: Highly medicinal, many say muscle relaxant, anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory

Vanilla Frosting

The genetics of this strain are an improvement on what we’ve seen coming from the common various Gelato lines over the past few years. “Vanilla Frosting steers away from the short squat flowers of Gelato and heads to the skies,” said Pennington. Strong stalks leading to less breakage from the heavy dense buds that will fill your 1/8 jars or pipes for days… months, years.

The huge, proud trichome-covered buds with perfect gaps between the nodes lead to easy hand or machine trimming. An uncanny sweet vanilla nose at first followed by a straightforward fuel finish and often a 30%+THC producer.

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company x Happy Dreams
• Genetics: Humboldt Frost OG x Humboldt Gelato Bx3
• % Indica/Sativa: 65% 35%
• Type: Hybrid
• Smell: Creamy Vanilla with a Heavy Fuel Finish
• Flavors: Oddly Vanilla but OG at the same time
• Appearance: Silver/Green Flowers with Purple Tones
• Effects: A lofty high that’s super potent

Lemongrass

“Lemongrass is a new strain that we are extremely excited to share with the world,” said Pennington. With high THC levels complimented by juicy terpenes just gushing with lemon flavor, you won’t be left wondering why it’s called Lemongrass! The plants are huge and display hybrid vigor, meaning disease, mildew and mold resistance is high and flower structure is perfect for machine or hand trimming.

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company
• Genetics: Lemon Kush Bx5 x Humboldt Gelato Bx3
• % Indica/Sativa: 70% 30%
• Type: Indica
• Smell: Lemon Drops, Sour, Fuel
• Flavors: Sweet Juicy Lemons with Vanilla and Fuel Finish
• Appearance:  Frosty Lime Green and covered in Trichromes
• Effects: Extremely potent but uplifting

Banana Mango

With dominant banana and mango aromas, this strain packs a punch that might leave you on a tropical beach soaking up the sun for a little while longer than usual. “The terpene profiles that come together to make these unique seeds are relatively rare in our experience,” said Pennington. Huge plants and amazing vigor are another feature that you will certainly appreciate. THC levels are around 22% and trichome production is high. But it’s the nose that makes this strain so special!

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company
• Genetics: Mango Trees x Banana OG x Blueberry Muffin
• % Indica/Sativa: 25% 75%
• Type: Sativa
• Smell: Bananas and Mangos with a hint of Terpinolene
• Flavors: Banana Candy and Mango Nectar
• Appearance:  Frosty Lime Green and covered in Trichromes
• Effects: Many claim that this is an excellent medical strain and calms nerves

Magic Melon

“Many inappropriate names were tossed around for these gorgeous melons before we settled on a tame alliteration. We couldn’t help it, it’s uncanny how these buds smell like a luscious honeydew or cantaloupe, said Pennington.

Get ready to feel the magic when you take a toke of Magic Melon because this one hits hard and may bring out the philosopher in you. When it comes to growth and vigor this strain may be the largest growing most productive plant you’ve ever see. The THC levels are not bad, around 22% with around 1-2% CBD on average. The entourage effect of the cannabinoids has great potential to cure whatever ails you.

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company
• Genetics: Mango Trees x Honeydew Melon x Mango Sherbert
• % Indica/Sativa: 40% 60%
• Type: Sativa Hybrid
• Smell: Literally smells like sweet cantaloupe/watermelon with a gas finish
• Flavors: Uncanny Melon Flavors
• Appearance:  Lime Green with hints of purples, orange hairs, frosty
• Effects: Potent and intense, many say sedating

Very Cherry

“Very Cherry produced record amounts of terpenes in extraction and is literally one of the best smelling varieties that we have ever created,” said Pennington. “That says a lot considering that we created the Blueberry Muffins!”

The strain is likely to only produce around 18% THC but it’s incredibly loud and very unique. Bred it from seeds that were passed to HSC by a local old-timer several years back. One plant from that population smelled just like cherry cough drops and they have continued working that into this sweet cherry blossom masterpiece over the last few years. Simply for flower or definitely for sauce or terpene forward projects, this strain will not disappoint the discerning nose.

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company
• Genetics: Old Timer Seed x Lemon Kush Bx3
• % Indica/Sativa: 30% 70%
• Type: Sativa
• Smell: Intense Sweet Cherries and Jasmine
• Flavors: Slightly tangy with a floral finish
• Appearance:  Frosty Lime Green and covered in Trichromes
• Effects: A lofty high that won’t debilitate you. Great mid-afternoon smoke

Caramel Cream

A Phenotype Mega-Hunt winner, meaning that this plant stood out in a sea of 10k plant, scoring a perfect ten in the scent category. This one was a terpene forward selection although the growth, bud structure, disease, pest, and mold resistance were good. “We were so glad that we captured this terpene anomaly in clone form,” said Pennington. “For some reason, the smell captivates you and brings you back wanting more and more, it’s an oddly habit-forming smell.”

Naming this strain wasn’t as easy as naming something like our Blueberry Muffin though, it’s not fruity, it’s a bit fuelly, and it’s a bit nutty, but mostly it’s rich with uncanny salted caramel and cream flavor. Just like it’s namesake candy, it will have you gorging on it again and again.

• Breeder: Humboldt Seed Company
• Genetics: Humboldt Reserve OG x Royal Highness x Old School Cookies
• % Indica/Sativa: 60% 40%
• Type: Indica Hybrid
• Smell: Salted Caramel and a Fuel Finish, Very high terpene content!
• Flavors: Literally smells like Caramel… with a salty finish
• Appearance:  Silver and Green Frosty, Purple under leaves at harvest
• Effects: Really strong but still uplifting