by Dan Ketchum
If you’ve discovered Mistifi, there’s a good chance you’re either a cannabis connoisseur or a curious explorer on a journey toward curated, craft cannabis. Finding the weed that resonates with you — that process of researching, communicating, and exploring — can be one of the most exciting parts of your cannabis adventure. But just like the most iconic literary expeditions, there’s a holy grail at the end of this quest.
Or, in this case, 10 tantalizingly exotic weed strains that every connoisseur needs on their wish list.
Chocolate Haze
When you cross two exotic parent strains, it’s only natural that you end up with an exotic weed strain that’s alluring in its own right. That’s exactly the case with Chocolate Haze, which interestingly hybridizes O.G. Chocolate Thai with the perhaps unexpected Cannalope Haze. With potent landrace lineage (more on that later), Chocolate Haze is as delicious as its name implies, with all the fruity, chocolatey flavors you’d expect from its parents paired with a creative mind high.
And on the note of pairing, those mighty terpenes make this one of the absolute best exotic strains for cooking cannabis-infused treats.
Diablo
As Chocolate Haze proves, many exotic weed strains are coveted because their lineage makes them desirable — growers have handcrafted these strains by crossbreeding beloved classic strains (some of which are none too common themselves) to inherit their best qualities. Diablo crosses iconic Blueberry and Grapefruit strains to pack a high-THC punch that doesn’t get in the way of a full-bodied fruit flavor. You can get a taste of that lineage with the Blueberry Bomb featured in our relaxing Houdini triple-strain blend.
Mendocino Purps
If there really were a Holy Grail of craft cannabis, there’s a pretty good chance you’d find it in the Emerald Triangle. Enter Mendocino Purps, an award-winning strain that celebrates everything you love about classic purples. When it first appeared in the mid-2000s, this calming, woody strain was so popular that you’d be hard-pressed to find it at all. Its dazzling purple coloration, hard-hitting high, and coffee-esque flavor profile make it worth the effort, though. It’s like sipping a macchiato among the Mendocino pines.
NYC Diesel
Despite its name, NYC Diesel can actually be pretty tough to find in the US at all, as it’s mostly grown in the Netherlands. And that’s a shame for those of us outside of Europe, as this robust, citrusy hybrid produces a blissful, full-body sense of relaxation sans the feelings of paranoia that some reportedly experience when high.
Hindu Kush
Among the most exotic weed, you’ll often find landrace strains, which are cannabis strains with genetics that have remained unaltered over thousands of years (which is why they’re also sometimes called “original strains”). The indica landrace Hindu Kush looks strikingly hearty because it is, with the bitter climes of its rocky homeland in the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan causing it to develop a substantial coat of protective crystal trichomes. The smoke it provides is sweet, earthy, and soothing.
Royal AK
Speaking of landrace cannabis, Royal AK traces its parentage to highly exotic landrace strains from all over the globe, including varieties from Columbia, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Mexico (all locales famed for high-quality weed, you’ll notice). As Royal Queen Seeds puts it, “Most cultivators fall in love with this strain after seeing her flowers mature; big, frosty colas make her stand out in any grow room or garden.” You’ll fall in love with the dynamic blend of traits Royal AK inherits from its parents, making for a complexly fruity flavor profile and a powerfully contented mind high.
Platinum OG
When a pure indica has the word “platinum” in its name, you know you’re in for an exotic weed strain. And platinum OG is more than just talk — it genuinely does feature a high platinum content in its flower. Platinum OG doesn’t need to lean entirely on incredibly expensive rare earth metals, though. Its weighty body high is so legendary that it’s become almost mythical among cannabis enthusiasts — this one is definitely an experience best left to those with a high tolerance seeking the next plateau.
Sweet Tooth
A uniquely euphoric indica, Sweet Tooth isn’t really sweet to the taste, but it is pure eye candy. The eye-catching crystalline resin that envelops this flower is what makes it look downright sugar-coated, and the sweet aroma doesn’t hurt, either. This berry bouquet also took some serious hybridization to arrive, deriving from a precise combo of Nepalese, Hawaiian, and Afghani strains before it finally hits your lips to deliver a de-stressing pick-me-up.
Frisian Dew
Frisian Dew’s 50-50 split of indica and sativa makes it a sought-after hybrid, but that’s not necessarily what gives it a place among exotic strains. Uniquely, Dew has been bred specifically for an easygoing, low THC concentration (a unique combo with its piquant, pinene taste). Its breeding also results in dazzling purple specks and a one-of-a-kind flower shape that makes it truly rare. But just like the morning dew itself, this exotic strain can be quite fleeting.
Jellyfish
When cannabis connoisseurs talk about exotic strains, they often focus so much on THC that they don’t give enough lip service to its more chill cannabinoid cousin, CBD. Let’s change that. Jellyfish only has a THC content of 0.5 percent, but its 11.6-percent CBD content is immense. What’s more, this non-psychoactive, flowery bud features CBG cannabinoids that you don’t often come across.
Even better? You don’t have to move the earth to give it a try. You’ll find Jellyfish in our balancing CBD triple-strain pen, Phantom. And with shipping straight from our site, you won’t have to travel far to become a true curator of exotic strains.
Dan Ketchum splits his time between Dallas and LA as a freelance lifestyle, fashion, health, and food writer with more than a decade of experience. In cannabis, been fortunate enough to collaborate with Cannabis & Tech Today, FOCL, Vitagenne, Reign Together, Tough Mama, and more.