The 12 Best Gelato Crossroads of All Time
Rarely does a cannabis strain break through the weeds and become as much a part of international culture as gelato. Our first strain of the year in 2018 has just gained enough traction that Gelato is no longer just a strain – it's a cannabis dynasty. Breeder Mario “Sherbinski” Guzman crossed Sunset Sherbet with Thin Mint Cookies over 10 years ago, and since then the world has been starving, producing hundreds of phenotypes and offspring.
You may know them by their number names or by the more delicious names. they deserve it. For example, Gelato 47 is Mochi Gelato, while Gelato 33 is the groundbreaking Larry Bird. Bacio Gelato is Gelato 41 and Gelato 43 is Gello Gelato. This list continues and will continue to grow as long as Gelato continues to give people what they want.
Nearly 2,500 reviewers reached out to Leafly to talk about their love for Gelato, giving it a 4.6 out of 5 star rating. Some call gelato “my favorite flower for relieving my chronic pain” and produces “complete euphoria and relaxation” that feels like you've just gotten a hug from a unicorn.
Gelato now graces the menu of almost every pharmacy nationwide and has probably lent its genes to a cup winner or Sesh favorite. Whether you're a fan of number 47, 33, 41, 25, or 43, smokers around the world continue to be captivated by the creamy gas terps and calming euphoria of gelato.
Gelato tops our list of strains to watch in 2024, including Donut Shop (Holy Moly! x Gelato 41) from Fig Farms, Cheetah Piss from Cookies, and Candy Rain. To honor a legend, here are 12 of the strongest branches of this famous family tree.
12. Bubblegum gelato
Bubblegum Gelato, also known as Bubblelato, is a strain made popular by the zeitgeist hunters Backpack Boyz. (There is also a Bubblegum Bacio from Cannarado, namely (Gelato 41 x (Indiana Bubblegum x Biscotti)) Bubbalato tastes like bubblegum flavored cake frosting and when you light it on fire. Leafly reviews show that people get the giggles along with a super talkative feeling experience, but that smoking too much made you feel like you were too high to go to the store.
11. Biscotti
Named by Berner, created by Connected and released by Cookies Fam Genetics, this is one of those strains that has been making waves on the celebrity scene. The taste of biscotti isn't far from its namesake: semi-sweet and earthy with a nutty, smoky finish that coats your entire mouth. A creeper strain that helps many people with feelings of anxiety and depression – and one of the first offshoots of the gelato movement. This Bay Area staple smells like airline cookies and cheap cologne, but when you dig into the nugs, fumes of rubber cement cling to your fingers.
10. Gelonade
Californian company Connected Cannabis went into the proverbial lab and created a gelato hybrid with citrus and sativa leanings. Gelonade stirs the classic, light-hearted Lemon Tree strain into a large bowl of Gelato 41. Humboldt's Hendrx Nursery described this as “the second wave of artisanal cannabis masterpieces” with “the taste of a tropical snow cone.” Gelonade is the kind I always reach for when I need to feel calm and collected. This strain also won Best Sativa Flower at the 2018 High Times Cannabis Cup.
Compound Genetics gave us this amazing plant that smells like a car repair shop. It also plays a big role in the development of newer favorites like their popular Jokerz strain. We reached out to Compound to ask about the exact lineage. The recipe contains Gelato 45 x (High Octane x Jet Fuel). Many Leafly users reported feeling a boost of energy when they first started. Compound has a fruity, herbal scent and described the taste as “a combination of the sweet, dessert-like taste of gelato with the diesel aroma of jet fuel.”
The Bay Area is a gelato hotbed. Grandiflora Genetics' collaboration with Cookies has produced some killer strains like E85, Project 4516, Red Velvet and Ya Hemi. This Grandi Guava is a doubling of two different gelatos, including Guava Gelato (Pheno 25). Gasoline accompanied by berries and cheese—that's how one Leafly reviewer described this flower's pungent, enticing aroma. Sweet and spicy with those cheesy notes, the flavor has the profile of a guava cheese cookie.
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7. Dolato
Bred by PNW powerhouse Archive Genetics, Dolato (also referred to as Dosilato) calls the classic purple gelato formula or the “modern candy cannabis.” Blending with doughy creaminess, Skunky has those visual flecks of lavender that drive consumers crazy. Leafly recommends this powerful body high for relaxing at home or turning off your brain for the night.
“It's very easy to get comfortable, but it also doesn't cause you to go into a coma. Motivated, but only a little. Maybe I'll make boxed brownies. But I definitely won’t make cheesecake.”
Most people know this variety by its other name (think popular brand of fruit snacks with a juicy center), but for copyright reasons we'll call it TK41. This follows so many others on this list with its own spin-off series such as Pink, Blue, Poison and Tropical. Sour fruits, cookies, gasoline and cream – this is how many people describe the aroma of this variety. This is a fast-acting strain that won't overwhelm you, which is why Leafly reviews recommend it for a daytime smoke.
5. Ice cream cake
Also part of our recent wedding cake article: Ice Cream Cake does double duty as part of the gelato dynasty and as a big name in the seed junky scene. A mix of Gelato 33 x Wedding Cake and Ice Cream Cake has that vanilla and dough flavor. Over a thousand Leafly reviewers gave Ice Cream Cake a rating of 4.6 out of 5, describing vaping, dabbing, and smoking this strain as a heavy and relaxing high-body high that comes with a big dose of cravings.
Backpack Boyz is no stranger to gelato. You'll find peanut butter, cherry, and apple versions in their collection, but we all know the crown goes to lemon cherry gelato. Fruity, citrusy and with a twist, these rock-like buds were on the rise from the start until every brand seemed to grow their own variant or version of LCG. Backpack Boyz even teamed up with Dutch seed bank Barney's Farm this year to donate seeds to the European community.
3. Permanent marker
Although Permanent Marker is not a direct cross, this Gelato grandson has been involved in two other strains on this list and is Leafly's current reigning Strain of the Year. Bred by Seed Junky Genetics and selected by Doja Pak, while some smell the telltale smell of ink marker, others have more of a soapy or floral scent mixed with sweet candy. Biscotti with a Sherb backcross then crossed with Jealousy is a prime example of modern good weed.
2. Jealousy
Could Seed Junky have known that backcrossing a Sunset Sherbet and mixing it with Gelato 41 would create a robust, very floral strain that would make others jealous? Our 2022 Strain of the Year (and February highlight), Jealousy, took off like a rocket, spawning its own series of valuable crosses such as London Pound Cake and Banana Cream Pie. Jealousy is known to spice up almost anything she is crossed with. It has a crisp, sweet and spicy flavor that dominates most combinations.
1. Runtz
Runtz has spent the last seven years creating his own dynasty of different flavors and variations such as Pink, Purple, Hawaiian and Peach Cobbler. But at its core, it's a Z-crossed Gelato. With a glossy coating of sugar and a candy flavor that's sweeter than eating an entire candy chain in one go, Runtz tops this list when it comes to how prolific it has become on the global cannabis market stage. Like Gelato, Runtz is easy to find on any preroll, vape, or flower menu in some form.
Thanks for checking out our favorite gelatos of all time. What's yours? Leave a comment below.
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