From Vancouver and beyond, the best of the best in BC
The Pacific Northwest has been known as a Canada cannabis cultivation mecca for decades. The area’s unique climate conditions (and a healthy supply of rain year round) have helped to shape some of the best-known strains in the market, and they thrive there like nowhere else.
With wine, this is known as terroir, which refers to the way that environmental factors impact the plants grown in a designated region, causing them to develop signature traits. It’s the same process that originally shaped and differentiated indicas from sativas.
British Columbia’s special blend of goodness has produced epic strains like BC God Bud, and also makes the region ideal growing conditions for many strains from abroad, especially indicas. That’s not to say that indicas are the only game around, as you can see from our list, BC residents are quite fond of their sativas as well. If you’re really fond of any of these strains, live in BC, and are of legal age, you can click the link on each entry to find where it’s available near you!
Blueberry Seagal
This new kid on the block is making a lot of noise, and Canada cannabis consumers are liking what they hear. Blueberry Seagal is a custom creation of Color Cannabis, making it a true Canadian original that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.
Blueberry Seagal is known for its intense blueberry aroma and flavor, and is even said to outshine other famous blueberry strains, such as Blueberry Yum Yum. This is a large factor in why it’s selling like (blueberry) hotcakes. Canada cannabis Consumers love fruity terpenes, and when they are present in a superior cultivar, those terpenes turn it into a megastar. Look to strains like Strawnana for an example, or the two peach-leaning strains that also made this list.
Beyond the amazing taste, the strain is best described as a hybrid indica that will certainly stay on the indica side of that split, but without being overly heavy. Think of it like a waking dream without the fogginess. Truly functional indicas are a prized rarity in the cannabis market, and the data proves that Color Cannabis has created an excellent new one.
Flo
Again, a strain whose name tells you everything you need to know about its effects. Flo is prized among creatives, and makes for a great social strain as well. A unique light, floral, slightly citric and sweet bouquet welcomes you into a pillowy high that starts soft before raising up to the creative vibe, then tapers off to a quiet calm.
Flo’s ability to pair well with a wide range of things is likely at the heart of its popularity. As a functional, soft sativa, it offers the spark most Canada cannabis consumers are looking for without the buzzy, hard-to-steer feeling that more intense sativas can have. While Ghost Train Haze might be better for a high-energy concert, Flo is more for a jam session with the band.
Ghost Train Haze
Ghost Train Haze holds a special place in the Canada cannabis pantheon as one of the most reliably buzzy sativas around. The “haze” in the name is true to its effects, so don’t plan on doing anything that requires a lot of focus. However, if you’re planning some activities that don’t require a lot of focus, this is a beloved go-to. Ghost train haze is great for concerts, sporting events, exercise (this author is quite fond of it for an afternoon run), and anything else that might pair well with some added zippiness.
It’s easy to see why this strain makes the top 10 list as a standout sativa among the many. Much like NYC Diesel, consumers return to it time and again for its dependable boost. If you’ve consumed Ghost Train Haze before, it’s likely you already know what we’re talking about, but if it’s your first time trying it you’re in for a train trip racing down the tracks with only a ghost as a conductor, it may be hard to control, but it’s quite the ride!
Peach Ringz
Another wonderfully fruity indica, Peach Ringz is all about flavor and calm. It’s a big indica to be sure, but it’s a smooth ride, without some of the heaviness that others can have — it will certainly make you sleepy, but leaning more towards normal tiredness instead of fatigue.
Peach Ringz is your rare uplifting indica. It’s very manageable and pleasant, followed by some easeful rest. This makes it perfect for an afternoon or evening toke, allowing you to still enjoy your evening relaxing instead of being lost in the couch. Let’s not bury the lead here though, Peach Ringz fruit notes are very pronounced. This is one tasty strain, there’s nothing subtle here. That fact that it makes you feel peachy-keen is almost an afterthought, but a truly delightful one. It’s easy to see why this one has been flying off dispensary shelves.
Northern Lights
A strain bred across the pond but perfectly honed to thrive in the Pacific Northwest, Northern Lights excels in the humid, chilly air of BC. This time-honored strain is known for its excellent trichome production, sedative, happy high and powerful body effects. A true indica, this one will weigh you down in the best way, and thus it’s the perfect companion for an end-of-the day toke.
Northern Lights is a very potent strain when grown well, which means a little goes a long way (another likely reason for its stellar sales and popularity). And wow is it popular! Northern Lights is among the most-known cannabis strains in the world. It’s so intensely ingrained in popular culture that it even made a cameo on The Office back in 2006. It’s been a star for that long, and according to Canada cannabis consumers, it’s still some of the best bud around.
MAC-1
The beloved Miracle Alien Cookies (aka MAC) has been taken one step further in MAC-1. This powerhouse hybrid is all the rage with cannabis consumers of many different types, from casual to connoisseur. A nearly perfect 50-50 split, expect to go through the full range of cannabis effects with MAC-1, starting with an engaging sativa-like boost that evens off into a calm, balanced high, then finally winds down into a classic indica-relaxation.
MAC-1 is also known for its potency, a key factor in its popularity, and thus a likely reason for how it wound up on our list. If you’re comparing it to FLO (another excellent hybrid on our list below), we’d say it’s a heavier high, with less of the sativa coming through.
God Bud
God Bud is almost always referred to as “BC God Bud” due to its origins in—guess where? BC! This Canadian hero is, of course, beloved in its hometown. We based this list on a combination of WikiLeaf traffic and Hifyre sales data, and we can firmly say: the locals haven’t grown tired of this classic strain. If anything, its popularity is only growing (pun intended).
An absolute monster for trichome coverage, God Bud flowers often look like little snow-covered pine trees. This not only makes for delightful dried flower, but excellent hash production as well, so it’s ideal in whatever form you find it in. Though its genetics are thought to have a more balanced split, the strain presents mostly indica effects, with only a slight hint of sativa coming through. The result is a calming indica with just a little more buoyancy than some of the purely sedative strains.
This champion took home the Cannabis Cup way back in 2004, and has enjoyed a godly presence on the scene since. If you’re shopping in BC, you almost certainly have to try this one out. It’d be like visiting New York and not getting a slice of pizza.
Dark Shadow Haze
Pretty much anything with ‘haze’ in the name is a decent indicator that it’s not a very focused strain, however Dark Shadow Haze works in an almost paradoxical way: you may become too focused, so much so that other things sort of fall away. This strain is great for introspection, with a cerebral, euphoric high. It pairs well with hobbying and crafting, and it’s got a nice sleepy ending that is sure to shuttle you off to dreamland with ease.
Dark Shadow Haze’s popularity is thanks to these unique properties. It’s a very specific high experience that’s not seen as much in other crosses, and thus very intriguing. That is in part thanks to its Neville’s Wreck parentage (a wonderfully weird strain in its own right). We’re not saying that Dark Shadow Haze pairs well with a certain cheesy vampire soap opera, but it just might be the perfect kind of fun weirdness for this strain.
Goliath
Be ready to call yourself the giant-slayer. This strain regularly clocks in at 25-31% THC. Just as the name implies, Goliath contains genetics from some of the giants of cannabis: Platinum (Platinum Kush), Gorilla Glue and Grateful Breath.
Those prestigious genetics have combined to form another mighty indica-leaning hybrid, but with an interesting twist on effects. The high starts as a dense body high that eventually moves more towards the head. In most other strains, that process tends to move in reverse, pretty interesting if you ask us, and likely a major facet in the strain’s popularity.
That’s not the only strangeness in this excellent cultivar, it’s got a very unique smell to it: a mixture of gas, citrus, funk and earth, that results in a pepper and blueberry taste on exhale lingers on the tongue in a sweet, skunky ending. This novel combo of smell and effect has brought BC consumers back to the dispensary asking for Goliath time and again.
Peach Dream
Peach Dream is a new spin on the most popular strain in the market, Blue Dream. Much like Peach Ringz, this one is all about flavor, bringing a welcomed punch of peach to the well known effects of Blue Dream. Much like its famous parent, Peach Dream is known for its soaring, floaty high, that eventually winds down into a easy-breezy mellow for the finish.
It’s easy to see why Peach Dream is so popular, it’s a variation on literally the most popular strain in Canada, possibly the entire cannabis market. Think of this as the cherry version of your favorite cola: same great product, brand new twist.