It’s high summer — time for a vibe check. Have you been spending your days lounging on the lakeside, laughing uncontrollably? Are your weekends awash in wild pursuit of the sun? Do you lay under the warm night sky, drawing constellations in the stars with your friends? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you haven’t been smoking enough weed. If summer is high, you should be too.
I personally believe there’s no better season to smoke weed than high summer (with deep winter being a close second), but it has to be the right kind of weed. My perfect summer weed is bright, exciting, and highly social. It’s picking a flower that gives you life instead of draining your energy. This kind of weed is up for anything and doesn’t drag you into a hot, sticky maze where your physical form feels daunting and you’re glued to the closest chair, couch, or bed.
Though it’s nearly the end of July, we still have a ton of warm days ahead — so you’ll need a lot of different social summer strains to choose from. There are a number of factors that can make flower social. Most of them depend on how your unique endocannabinoid system reacts to the chemicals produced by that specific plant. But there are some elements that, for me, surely do not make for social flower. For starters, unbalanced cannabinoid ratios with THC that is abnormally high can counteract your ability to be social and bring on paranoia or anxiety.
In short, the more balanced the cannabinoid and terpene profiles are, the easier this flower is going to be on your body and spirit, and the more fun you’re going to have. Especially if you don’t smoke weed all the time.
To help you bask blissfully in the radiance of the season, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite strains for summer vibes. These are the strains I’ve been smoking since the equinox. Now, let’s get stoned!
Lucy Lavender by Sohum Royal (Redwood Roots)
Lucy Lavender, grown by Humboldt legend Sohum Royal and available through Redwood Roots, is such a unique strain it felt wrong not to start this list with her. This weed is truly that bitch, a Rihanna-level superstar that cannot be imitated or duplicated.
Every sensory aspect of this sun-grown flower is killer, but the scent is beyond. High in terpinolene, caryophyllene and humulene, the complex smell conjures visions of gardens at midnight, blackberries, and fresh, piney earth. I also had in my notes that she smells like the color violet, which just somehow works.
The high is extremely versatile. It’s upbeat, social, and fun with a whimsical, psychedelic flair. This flower has harnessed some kind of otherworldly magic. She’s just plain special.
I love this strain for summer because it’s perfect for every activity. She can be chill and social at a barbeque, as well as bright and bubbly if the mood strikes to party. I also found it’s great for writing and creative work, as when you focus your energy inward, the strain becomes alert and focused, yet whimsical enough to make you think of cool shit.
Bottom line:
Perfect for stargazing, party hopping, and making art.
Buy it here: $27
#26 by Cannacountry Farms
Cannacountry’s #26 blows the mind of every single person I have ever shown it to for three reasons:
- It is so purple it’s almost black.
- It’s so purple it will dye the paper purple if you roll it in a joint.
- It smells like an electric berry smoothie, and feels like one too!
The word I use to describe #26 is ZINGY! A cross between Cherimoya and Forbidden Fruit, she sends chills down your spine with her wild electric energy in the best way possible. I’ve often described her as the naughty little sister of Whitethorn Rose, a famed offering from Huckleberry Hill Farms I’ve written about extensively that’s captivated Los Angeles from the hills of Humboldt over the past couple years.
Aside from #26’s optics, which are insane, the terpene profile is a rush of dark, lush fruits, and something a little spicy that knocks you back when you smell it. Even just a whiff of this flower will send electricity down your spine.
The high is perfect for being out and about, getting shit done, or having fun in the woods. Its lower THC percentage (15%) makes it perfect for daytime use, leaving you invigorated, not obliterated. Upbeat and dreamy, it’s the way I want to feel all the time, so I smoke it all of the time.
Bottom line:
Vibrant! Exciting! The opposite of what people who don’t smoke weed think weed does to you!
Buy it here: $25 per 1/8th
Moonana Wreck by Fig Farms
Fig Farms absolutely crushes the indoor game, regularly sweeping all the big weed award shows and blowing the minds of everyone all the time. They grow some of the most beautiful weed in the world, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would dispute that fact.
Moonana Wreck is truly a joy to behold. A cross between Banana Fig and Moondrops, this strain is high in terpinolene with a more balanced ratio of myrcene and limonene, making it an epic daytime smoke.
Crunchy, geometric nugs look like an MC Escher painting. Dark blue, violet, bright orange, light green, and completely covered in crystals. The nose is lush, mysterious, kind of like a Trainwreck profile with a minty hint of sage. Every time I smell it I audibly say mmmmmm after.
This is a great heavy hitter for daytime because you’re super stoned yet equally capable. I have really been enjoying hiking and exploring in nature with this strain, as well as going about my daily life because it makes everything sparkle.
Bottom line:
A powerful yet capable high that’s great for exploring.
Buy it here: $55
Mandarin Tart F2 by Sticky Fields
Sticky Fields flower gets you super fucking stoned in the best way possible. Grown by a charismatic dude named Sticky in the hills of Mendocino, Mandarin Tart F2 is upbeat, laid back, and makes everything hilarious. This flower conjures the fun, warm feelings that make you feel grateful to be alive.
Everything about this strain is warm. The nugs are bright orange and green, giving off an overall sunny appearance. The smell and taste are both mandarin explosions that knock you back out of the jar, like fresh tangerines and Meyer lemons spritzing from the rind.
I always say whatever experience the flower had growing is the experience you will have by smoking it, and this flower had a good fucking time growing up. The high feels like getting a hug. Lighthearted and super silly, it brings peace to your soul. It’s not the best for being productive, but for floating down a warm river glittering in the sunlight, this is your girl. This weed is for wandering, dreaming, and climbing trees, perfect for the dog days of summer ahead.
Bottom line:
Summertime in flower form, Mandarin reminds you that life can be fun if you let it. Go out and pick it!
Buy it here: $40
Stardust by Rebel Grown
Stardust by Rebel Grown is, in a word, interstellar. Rebel Grown is known for their extremely high-quality sun-grown flower grown off grid on a bio-diverse homestead in Humboldt. They crush award shows with their flower, and this year won the Emerald Cup.
Stardust has a dreamy, cosmic high led by limonene, caryophyllene, and myrcene, meaning it’s uplifting, relaxing, and frees you from worldly stressors like anxiety and pain. With an earthy lemon berry smell, the flavor is like fruit picked from the tree with hints of pepper and spice. I love the high of this flower because it gives you galactic insight and the ability to see beyond the boring veil of reality. The body high has a gravity-free quality, where you feel highly euphoric. As soon as you exhale the smoke it’s like you get 40 lbs lighter.
This flower is great for dancing and enjoying the sensory aspects of life. It makes you feel invigorated and ready for excitement if that’s your vibe, but can also be a fun chilling partner as well. I also think it’s a great alcohol replacement because it carries the same carefree, social buoyancy without all the gross energy that comes with binge drinking poison.
Bottom line:
Free yourself from the chains of existence with this cosmic flower!
Buy it here: $41
Sour Diesel Pack by Aster Farms x The Flower Shop
Sour Diesel is one of the most iconic strains of all time, a New York City classic known for its uplifting, focusing, and stress relieving qualities. Aster Farms, an eco-conscious sun-grown brand from Lake County, CA, knocks it out of the park with their cut of SD, which has long been one of my favorites on the market.
To celebrate the inherent New York-ness of Sour Diesel, Aster Farms has teamed up with NYC hot spot The Flower Shop and launched their killer cut in a super chic gold preroll pack that’s ready to go wherever you are in style.
While some cuts of Sour can air on the dreamy side, Aster Farms is particularly amazing for getting out there and killing it, whatever that means to you. For me, I like it equally for writing articles (I just smoked one of the joints, look at me go!), hiking, exploring, and narrowly circumventing my chronic road rage while driving around LA.
It has a perfect balance of excitement, purpose, and anxiety relief that works so well for coping with being alive and having to function in society. Sour and gassy with a touch of fruity pine, the high is immersive and upbeat, like a rave in the redwoods.
Bottom line:
Energizing, life-brightening, and existentially relaxing, this weed is as good for completing mundane tasks as it is for enjoying the sumptuous summer sun. Go get it and get out there!
Buy it here: $40
Log Cabin by THC Design
THC Design is a fantastic indoor cultivator that has been growing top-quality flower long before it was legal to do so. In the weed world, that means they’re legit as fuck, which is proven through their long line of hit-making cultivars. Their newest offering, Log Cabin, is no exception.
Log Cabin has super high THC, coming in at 34%, but its mellow terpene profile (led by myrcene and caryophyllene) balances out to a hyphy little high that isn’t at all overwhelming.
This flower has a really beautiful nose that continues to unfurl from spice to lemons to tart fruit and pine. The nugs are visually stunning, navy blue and bright orange on the outside, with lots of lime green. Like the smell, its flavor is tart-like lemons and dark fruit with a spicy, earthy finish. Deep forest vibes.
This is a cozy and relaxed yet upbeat high that is perfect for a dinner party or chill, intimate gathering. It’s mentally stimulating and physically exciting, but overall doesn’t make you want to hit the ground running. So much is happening with the mental high and the body euphoria that you find yourself totally content with whatever situation you find yourself in. This is a super social strain because it makes you think deeply and want to talk about it, making it great for hanging out.
Bottom line: Perfect for when it’s too hot to hit the hiking trails or for dinner parties at sunset.
Buy it here: $48
Runtz Cake by Lady Sativa Farm (Redwood Roots)
Runtz Cake by Lady Sativa Farm is perfect for getting down on summer nights. This flower hails from a mountaintop garden in Humboldt and has descended upon us to make the end of summer as magical as the beginning.
Her nugs are gorgeous, with hues of purple, olive, and blue. The overall tone of the flower is fruity, lush, and shrouded in mystery, like the hours between midnight and twilight when the moonflowers bloom.
High in caryophyllene, myrcene, and humulene, she has a fruity, minty quality, like licorice berry with a little pepper… It’s complex, you’ll have to try it for yourself.
The high is dreamy and relaxing like fog rolling down the hills. There is an immediate physical reaction when you consume this flower. Tension and stress literally melt off your body without making your mind heavy. This pronounced body high is great for sex, food, dancing, and music. It feels like walking through a party in an enchanted field of flowers with really good music and light projecting on the grass.
Obviously, I was super stoned on this flower when I wrote that, but regardless, that is the vibe. Another thing I had in my notes was phosphorescent lagoon energy which is also the vibe.
Bottom line:
Perfect for enjoying summer nights.
Buy it here: $40
Drew Martin: The Collection
While not exactly a strain, I wanted to end this list with Drew Martin’s mixed botanical preroll pack, The Collection, because it’s arguably the most social summer cannabis product one could ever imagine.
Not only is this beautifully designed pack a conversation piece in itself, but these low-dose prerolls are also blended with effect-specific botanicals and designed to make you your best self, as opposed to simply your most stoned self. Each joint in this pack is designed to make you feel a little something special in a different way. The flower is grown by Moonmade Farms, an incredible regenerative and woman-owned farm from Humboldt, so in addition to the subtle lifting effects of botanicals like rose, ginger, passion flower, etc, you have some really kick-ass sungrown weed that will raise your vibration, strengthen your aura, and make you the light of the party.
Bottom line:
Perfect for casual or novice users who want to dabble in public without feeling weird, and look good doing it.
Buy it here: $40