by Shannon Dessi, Hashtag Fremont assistant manager & outreach lead

Flower is my favorite form of cannabis, and our most popular. Our budtenders try all the new hotness that comes into the shop so that we can give honest reviews to customers. We've got folks who dig strong sativas, and others that go for heavy-bodied indicas. Some love it all!

In the last year, we smoked a lot of killer strains, and we do have favorites! Here they are, our top five strains of flower we smoked in 2019.

#5

Plantworks, The True OG

Plantworks’ The True OG is a true favorite among our staff. We’ve voted this strain into our Top 5 Strains of the Year for the last three years in a row! In 2018, True OG was our #1 winning strain.

Stony, serene, and smooth!!! Clear although not focused. Engaged and relaxed, super great for a easy night in, doing errands around the house while I wind down from the day. —Carl, Hashtag Fremont budtender
Best strain in the shop. Super lazy and couch-locking if you smoke it at the end of the night, but not going to lay you out if you are out and about. Very happy and content high. Great for stress relief. These peeps know how to grow great weed. —Mike, Hashtag Fremont assistant manager
Love the True OG with its super good flavor. It’s got a great body high but also keeps your mood uplifted. The quality and effects are always great and help body soreness overall. Hope we can always get this one in when it’s around. —River, Hashtag Redmond inventory lead

#4

Lazy Bee Gardens, Grease Monkey

Another repeat winner! Lazy Bee Gardens placed 3rd in 2018 with the delicious and energetic sativa, Powderhound.

Here’s what our staff has to say about Lazy Bee’s excellent new strain, Grease Monkey:

Lazy Bee’s Grease Monkey is awesome! I hadn't tried a lot of Grease Monkey before, but now I see what all the hype is about. The flavor and the taste were all right, but the high was really where it was at. Super stoney and zoned-out, this flower got me higher than flower normally does off of just a few hits. Stoney baloney! —Andrew, Hashtag Fremont store manager
Love this product! It’s super stoney right from the first hit. The high is stupefying and giggly. The buds look very frosty for outdoor flower. Haven’t been this high in a while! —Shannon, Hashtag Fremont assistant manager

#3

Sweetwater Farms, Purple Punch

Sweetwater Farms won 4th Place in our Best Strains of 2018 with their indica flower, Huckleberry Pie. And it’s no surprise to see them here again with another wonderful indica—Purple Punch.

The beautiful purple buds and aroma of sweet grapes, blueberry muffins and fruit punch makes for a stoney, sedative, and deep body high. This creeper strain starts off with a light body buzz but quickly fades into a strong stoney high. Purple Punch is the sweet and sedating union of two indica-dominant classics, crossing Larry OG with Granddaddy Purple. The potency of this strain gives you a one-two punch to the head and body, so watch out! Enjoy this strain as a delicious dessert that is best suited for after dinner, when you can chill out and unwind.

This was the best Purple Punch I've smoked all year! The flavor profile really blew me away. It had all the notes of a typical Purple Punch with way more grape flavor! The packaging was also spot on with its flavor notes, effects, and suggested activities. —Jeremy, Hashtag Fremont budtender

#2

Phat Panda, Point Break Platinum

This strain from Phat Panda is the ultimate sativa. It’s stoney and happy, but functional. Perfect daytime smoke. Being a Tropicanna Cookies cross, it’s super citrusy and uplifting. The taste and flavor is incredibly bright and sunny. I feel like I’m on top of the world when I smoke this strain. Buds are a beautiful purple and green mix. One hit goes pretty hard, so you can take your time smoking this one. I like to do household chores, get creative, or walk my dog when I smoke this strain!

The flower itself is great! Super expressive citrus scents and equally delicious. —Jax, Hashtag Fremont assistant manager

#1

Pot of Gold, Sundae Driver

And this year’s very favorite flower strain at Hashtag is … Pot of Gold, Sundae Driver! You can follow them on Instagram, @potofgold502. Pot of Gold’s Orange Cream took 2nd place in 2018, and here, their Sundae Driver takes 1st place.

Sundae Driver is an incredibly relaxing, but not super sedating strain for me. I also just love how beautiful the buds are. Read on to learn why our staff love this indica-dominant cross of Fruity Pebbles and Grape Pie:

Love this strain. It’s in my personal top 3, along with True OG and Wonka Bars. Funky smell and sweet, fruity taste. Beautiful buds. Almost perfect. —Mike, Hashtag Fremont assistant manager
Pot of Gold is my favorite grower recently. Everything they put out is of extremely high quality for a ridiculously good price--this product is so easy to love and to sell as a budtender. The Sundae Driver is no exception--it’s one of my favorite indica-leaning hybrids for its taste and smell (sweet, smooth, and creamy). I also find it to have a nice, happy, uplifting feeling while still being very chill and relaxing, which I find to be more unique for an Indica strain like this. —Nicole, Hashtag Fremont budtender
These buds are super pretty and fat! The smell wasn’t super crazy when I opened the jar, but when I smoked it, it tasted so sweet. The high was very relaxing but not super heavy on the body. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who’s looking for a sleep aid, but would recommend it to someone who’s looking to just unwind and relax after a long day. Great movie time or video game weed in my opinion. —Jeremy, Hashtag Fremont budtender