Strains & products

Hold on for dear life with Motorbreath—November’s Leafly HighLight

Published on November 1, 2023 · Last updated November 2, 2023
Motorbreath from Sonoma Hills Farm. (David Downs/Leafly)
Motorbreath from Sonoma Hills Farm. (David Downs/Leafly)

Crank some Motörhead with Lemmy belting out “the ace of spades” as you grind up a bowl of Motorbreath—our November Leafly HighLight strain.

Let’s start with the disclaimer: Motorbreath is for people who like sitting on the back of a motorcycle doing 80 miles per hour down The Great Highway on a foggy night, dodging sand dunes. Motorbreath even smells like diesel, chemicals, and pepper, most reviewers say. Why are we signing up for this?

One man’s zoom is another man’s zen—the high-THC tolerant report feeling euphoric, relaxed, and uplifted on it. Poetically, people take Motorbreath to treat anxiety, as well as stress, and depression. It’s got an average score of 4.7 out of 5 after 292 reviews.

“Definitely good for anxiety, insomnia, and taking the edge off of my combat-related PTSD,” says one veteran.

Motorbreath grown in living soil by Snowtill in the Bay Area. (David Downs/Leafly)
Motorbreath grown in living soil by Snowtill in the Bay Area. (David Downs/Leafly)

“Fire…This is one of the most euphoric strains I’ve tried. Relaxed and pleasant feelings. Good for vegging, in particular,” says another.

Motorbreath wins my 2023 award for Most Under the Radar cultivar. It throttled onto 1,000 US dispensary menus in one year, with scant search traffic. Motorbreath keeps it silent but devastating.

Who got the gas? Best Motorbreaths in the US

'I love Motorbreath because of its ability to absolutely melt away my anxiety and stress' says Bay Area indoor living soil grower Snowtill, who comes to the adult-use market in January.
‘I love Motorbreath because of its ability to absolutely melt away my anxiety and stress’ says Bay Area indoor living soil grower Snowtill, who comes to the adult-use market in January.

Made by Pisces Genetics from SFV OG x Chem Dog, Motorbreath works as craft top-shelf, all the way down to commodity crop status. And hash-makers love it too.

Looking out across the Motorbreath in the US, we first spy California’s premier versions from The Source, and The Cure Co. We’d roll up fat value buys from Almora, and Jetty extracts has a fine Motorbreath rosin cart.

Up in Portland, Oregon, we’d hit the Resin Ranchers eighths. In Seattle—Phat Panda pumps it out.

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Las Vegas visitors have 28 Motorbreath options when they land, mostly from Trendi and Medizin. We’d dab Denver’s live badder, and Detroit’s cold-cure live rosin.

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Out in New Jersey, LA rock stars Jungle Boys grows Motorbreath, and Miami smokers have 49 options on local menus.

Are there Motorbreath seeds for sale?

Mr. Plow grown by Sense cannabis in San Francisco. (David Downs/Leafly)
Mr. Plow (Motorbreath x Cold Snap) grown by Sense cannabis in San Francisco. (David Downs/Leafly)

So Motorbreath is an older strain from a quiet breeder Jimmie Nitz and his Pisces Genetics. Nitz reportedly got the Chemdog cut from that strain’s popularizer Greg ‘Chemdog’ Krzanowski. Since Pisces appears inactive, we’d start with Blimburn’s Motor Breath—they come well-recommended. Today, there are at least 42 known hybrids from Motorbreath, most notably from Jungle Boys, Cannarado, Wyeast, Bloom Seed Co, and Dungeons Vault. Check out those breeders.

Our latest faves include Mr. Plow (Motorbreath x Cold Snap) bred by Wyeast and hunted by Sense Cannabis in San Franciso. Sense CEO Steve Griffith said the team germinated dozens of hybrids of Motorbreath as well as the parent Chemdog to tap that “potent gas upon gas from all the way up the genetic line.”

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Has the Motorbreath strain won any awards?

Yes—quite a few. Motorbreath has won as flower or hash across the US and the globe. It first won the Southern California Cannabis Cup as a flower and the Michigan Cannabis Cup as a concentrate in 2017. We’ve loved it at Leafly. It’s a Top 100 strain of all-time, and it pairs well with “Mad Max: Fury Road” in our ‘Best sci-fi to watch high’ list.

Other strains to try in November besides Motorbreath

Can’t score Motorbreath in your town? Here are three more top finishers.

Devil Driver

Devil Driver by CAM. (David Downs/Leafly)
Devil Driver by CAM. (David Downs/Leafly)

Keep the Halloween vibes going into November and watch the leaves die with Devil Driver—this blacked-out bud with a melony front note, and desserty, minty back. A lot of budtenders liked it in the national survey we did in October—so look out for the hit cross of Melonade x Sundae Driver in the Leafly Budtenders’ Choice Awards on Dec. 5. Devil Driver is a project of breeder Tiki Madman in collaboration with Clearwater Genetics. Sacramento indoor growers CAM just gave us the best-looking most dialed bag of Devil Driver we’ve seen. Now we’re all goth again—smokey-eyed and watching “The Crow.”

E85

Oakland, CA’s world-class cannabis genetics scene powers E85 from Grandiflora. Named for the fuel metrics on your gas pump, Grandiflora steps on the gas to a pile of cash with this cross of blockbusters Lemon Cherry Gelato x Runtz. That’s like when Drake and Jay-Z take a victory lap on a song. It sells itself.

“I have been a daily smoker with a few year breaks here and there for the past 22 years. This is hands down, the best shit I have ever smoked,” said one satisfied custy.

“The taste is delicious Runtz with hints of lemon and cherry on the exhale,” said another.

Hawaiian Snowcone

Hawaiian Snowcone by Moon Valley Cannabis. Hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)
Hawaiian Snowcone by Moon Valley Cannabis. Hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)

Go from heavy metal to chill surf rock with some Hawaiian Snowcone. Sonoma, CA-based Moon Valley Cannabis bested 15 rivals on Oct. 21 to win California’s industry-judged smoke-off—the Transbay Challenge V Finals in Los Angeles. This syrupy-sweet and delicious cross pours Zkittlez on Lemon Cherry Gelato with a capper of Hawaiian Plushers (Peach Rings x Lemon Gushers). It’s another hit from breeder Tiki Madman—so tap in.

And that’s your Leafly HighLight for November. Order up on Leafly, blaze up, and go nuts on that seasonal gourd table setting for Thanksgiving. Peace.


So hey, what’s ‘Leafly HighLight’?

Cannabis dispensaries can sell more than 200 types of flower. It’s overwhelming. Leafly HighLight cures choice paralysis with a monthly deep dive into a popular, national cannabis strain you should know. We combine:

  • Leafly Strain Database search data
  • dispensary menu data
  • dispensary visits
  • and smoke sessions

Then we select one cultivar that pairs with the season and mood. That’s Leafly HighLight.

Read past Leafly HighLight columns.

We’re copywritten, so don’t copy us.

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David Downs
David Downs
Leafly Senior Editor David Downs is the former Cannabis Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. He's appeared on The Today Show, and written for Scientific American, The New York Times, WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Onion A/V Club, High Times, and many more outlets. He is a 2023 judge for The Emerald Cup, and has covered weed since 2009.
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