The best Cookies cannabis strains of all time
Year after year, the Cookies team stamps new strains that become all-time greats. From GSC to Gary Payton, here are Cookies’ most legendary contributions to the larger cannabis gene pool.
Jai “Jigga” Chang, Head of Genetics at Cookies, mostly stays behind the scenes despite the worldwide popularity of Cookies. With 58 stores in 18 markets across six countries, AdAge named Cookies one of America’s Hottest Brands of 2021. Supporting the hype are Chang’s pioneering strains like Gelato, Gary Payton, and the strain that went by the brand name GSC (short for Girl Scout Cookies).
Cookies strains and their progeny rank among Leafly’s top 10 most searched strains year after year. In 2017, GSC and Gelato began to chart nationally among all-timers like Blue Dream and Sour Diesel. By 2022, Jealousy and Gary Payton joined the long line of Cookies Fam genetics to crack Leafly’s 10 most wanted strains. A staggering 70% of Leafly’s 10 most searched strains in 2023 can be traced back to Chang’s genetics.
From classic kushes to rare exotics, here are the Cookies cannabis strains that continue to change the game.
F1 Durban Venom
Chang’s Hall of Fame cultivation career began with F1 Durban Poison, which he began growing in 1998. The strain is considered the foundation of the entire Cookies family tree.
cherrycake
Chang crossed his exclusive stock of F1 Durban Poison with GDP (Grandaddy Purple) to create Cherry Pie. These sweet genetics continue to power heavyweights today.
In the early 2000s, before there was a legal cannabis market, Chang’s team wanted to push the boundaries of modern Kush while working from a growhouse in San Francisco’s Sunset District. There they are said to have perfected Cherry Pie and GSC.
At the time, Chang was working in healthcare, providing cherry pie to HIV/AIDS patients. At the same time, Chang and the Cookies gang flooded the streets with the original strain, Girls Scout Cookies, also known as GSC. More than two decades later, GSC and its most famous descendants continue to dominate both legal and unlicensed markets, setting a standard for cannabis connoisseurs worldwide.
GSC (Scout Cookies)
Cookies’ first hit strain got big around 2011, thanks to shouts from rappers like Wiz Khalifa and Cookies CEO Berner. But Chang says the original GSC genetics have been on the streets since around 2005.
GSC, also known as “Girl Scout Cookies”, is an indica-dominant hybrid marijuana strain made by crossing OG Kush with Durban Poison. This popular strain is known for inducing euphoric effects followed by waves of full-body relaxation. GSC is renowned for its pungent, dessert-like aroma and flavor profile with bold notes of mint, sweet cherry and lemon. As GSC has achieved legendary status throughout the cannabis community, many variations of this coveted strain can be found, including Thin Mint (aka Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies) and Platinum GSC (aka Platinum Girl Scout Cookies).
“We knew straight away. The smell was unique, she had the shiniest, densest buds, and she retained her flavor,” Chang said of the first GSC harvest. People agreed, and GSC became so legendary that US girl scouts even claimed brand misappropriation. The simple solution was to omit the GS and just use “cookies” to indicate the variety and brand.
Scherbert
Just as Cookies was going mainstream, Chang’s team made another big leap with Sherbet, which helped set the standard for sweeter dessert flavors that continue to make waves in the market today. ‘Sherbet’, also known as ‘Sherbert OG’ and ‘Sunset Sherbet’, is an indica-dominant hybrid cannabis strain that is a cross between Girl Scout Cookies and Pink Panties.
This strain produces powerful full-body effects that are amplified by a burst of cerebral energy and a carefree state of mind. The dessert-like flavor profile lives on in today’s Gelato, Jealousy, and many other candy-sweet varieties. Sherbert was originally bred by Mr. Sherbinski, who bred the strain to inherit the genetic lineage of parent strain Girl Scout Cookies.
ice cream
This collaboration with Mario “Mr. Sherbinski’s Guzman by Sherbinskis continues to define the “exotic” terpene profile for many cannabis connoisseurs today. In 2021, Leafly’s Danté Jordan said it was the best strain he’d ever tasted, and many smokers agree.
Gelato’s genetic profile is a cross between Sunset Sherbert and Thin Mint GSC. “It tastes like a hash-grape flavored ice cream cone without the calories,” says Jordan. In 2014, Mario Guzman (Mr. Sherbinski) collaborated with Chang (aka Jigga) to produce Gelato’s dense buds with accents of purple and orange.
runt
Leafly’s 2020 Strain of the Year was the perfect storm of fire genetics and brilliant marketing. She rocketed to the top of Leafly’s strain database lookup charts in late 2020 and has barely broken the top 10 since then. The meteoric rise came after Yung LB, Ray Bama, and the Runtz gang debuted the strain at the 2020 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball. The rest is history.
The Cookies Fam created Runtz genetics by crossing Zkittlez with Gelato. The resulting fruity flavor profile smells like a bag of the popular fruit-shaped candy. Growers say this strain has resin-soaked buds that range in color from rich purple to lime green, and smokers rave about her creamy smoke that’s smooth and inviting. This cannabis strain produces euphoric highs and uplifting effects that are known to be long-lasting. Purple Caper Seeds released the same hybrid under the name Gelato Zkittlez.
Gary Payton
This strain will stick to your brain like a glove. And it’s named after a basketball legend who doesn’t even smoke weed. In 2019, this super sticky masterpiece proved in a big way that OGs still matter. This supremely funky Kush ticks all the boxes for classic smokers who want bright greens and sour skunkiness, not the sweet purple “zaza” profile that many breeders are now chasing.
Payton’s genetic lineage runs deep. It started as a collaboration between Cookies and Powerzzz Genetics. Thanks to the dynamic combination of the Y and Snowman breeds, it quickly became a hit. Keep in mind that GP contains high levels of THC and almost no CBD, but is known for a balanced and relaxed high that’s consistently satisfying.
apples and bananas
Released in 2019, Apples and Bananas is a hybrid weed strain created from a genetic cross between Blue Power and Gelatti. Leafly customers tell us that the effects of apples and bananas include happiness and euphoria, and medical marijuana patients often choose apples and bananas when struggling with symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and stress. Bred by Cookies and Compound Genetics, Apples and Bananas features aromas of apple, pear and tree fruit and is brimming with the terpene known as myrcene.
The soap
Here’s what a Leafly verified user had to say about The Soap: “This strain could also be called ‘the cleaner’. It removes all old residue from previously smoked strains. Top notch high and no fear or panic. Smoker for over 25 years. Tried well over a hundred varieties. This is one of my (my) favorites of all time. Like a gentler dreamer.”
A cross between Animal Mints 9 and Kush Mints 11, The Soap is one of Cookies’ most legendary strains. It smells a bit soapy but sweet. The head high can be great for daytime smokers. “The tastiest flower I’ve had in 18 years of smoking. Stops every box,” said another Leafly reviewer. “Smell, look, taste, smoothness high[have]everything that comes with smoking.”
London pound cake
London Pound Cake, also known as “Pound Cake”, is an indica-dominant marijuana strain created by crossing Sunset Sherbert with an unknown, heavy-hitting indica. The original by Cookies has legendary pocket appeal. Her iconic Queen Elizabeth-inspired imagery is featured on the Cookies NYC store mural, and her fat, fiery buds will tempt your nose, eyes, and fingers.
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Genetically, London Pound Cake offers a loud berry and grape flavor backed by tart lemon and citrus overtones. In terms of effects, you can expect a head and body high that will leave you blissfully couch-locked. Medical marijuana patients tell Leafly that they often turn to London Pound Cake to relieve symptoms associated with fatigue and depression.
grain milk
Cereal Milk is a hybrid marijuana strain by Cookies. The Cereal Milk strain is created by crossing Y Life (Girl Scout Cookies x Cherry Pie) and Snowman, a sativa-dominant Cookies phenotype. Cereal Milk has a loud flavor with a sweet milk and ice cream nose that will keep you digging into your stash again and again. You can expect dense, high-quality buds that are dripping with trichomes and a powerful high.
Congo cashmere
Looking for the next Cookies strain with Hall of Fame potential? Not much is known about Congo-Kashmir for the time being. But Berner recently told Pothead University that this is currently his favorite strain to puff on. Pre-Rolls can be found at Berner’s Merced in California and other select locations.
We don’t have many details about the genetic profile yet, but we can already see hype developing around Congo Kashmir based on the Big Bern co-sign and the exotic name alone.
Keep an eye out for updates on this next evolution of the legendary line of Cookies.
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