Strains & products

How we decide Leafly Strain of the Year 2023

Published on December 5, 2023
original art for horizontally-oriented announcement reading "Leafly Strain of the Year 2023 PERMANENT MARKER" with yellow, red and blue graffiti design on left and right edges
(Leafly)

Leafly combines smoking fat doinks with deep data dives to arrive at an unassailable pick for Leafly Strain of the Year each year. Few share our perch over 6,000 strains in the Leafly database, 3,000 store menus, and more than 10,000 news articles. We also have literal file cabinets full of new weed and we crisscross the world comparing strain trends with actual samples and vice versa.

Our goal? Amplify a virtuous cycle. Catch a strain on its ramp to exponential growth, and huck it into the stratosphere.

We also aim at something new and zeitgeisty. We love the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—but, sorry, Super Lemon Haze. We strive for Billboard’s Album of the Year, the Grammy Artist of the Year, and Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year—only cooler. We pick Leafly Strain of the Year.

Our research includes tracking the changes in a strain’s menu availability, search traffic, and orders year over year across the nation. We also try to pick something new that’s dominating the strain conversation and is legit tasty. Past Leafly Strain of the Year winners include Gelato, Runtz, Wedding Cake, and Jealousy. And we still stand by Dosidos. Dosidos is tight! Leafly Strain of the Year cannot be bought. Seed Junky isn’t even an advertiser.

Winning pack: Permanent Marker ready for packaging. (David Downs/Leafly)
Winning pack: Permanent Marker ready for packaging in Northridge, CA. (David Downs/Leafly)

Jealousy unwrapped

How did Leafly Strain of the Year 2022 Jealousy do?

Jealousy did numbers in 2023 after we made it Leafly Strain of the Year 2022.

We put a rocket on it and it shot into the top ten in traffic per month, before falling back to a more sustainable climb. It’s like taking off out of John Wayne airport in Santa Ana, where they jet you up at a steep climb into the sky to get the jet noise away from the homes below. Then captain throttles back and you freefall a bit and someone always screams.

Anyway, Jealousy became the 24th most trafficked strain (by page views) on Leafly in October 2023, up from #98 in traffic one year ago. 

Jealousy increased 100% in stores year over year from 1,313 stores in Oct. 2022 to 2,553 in Oct. 2023. It’s now the #93 most menu-available strain in the US, up from #319 a year ago.

Jealousy or its hybrids also took home at least four awards in cannabis contests in 2023.

For orders, Jealousy is the 48th most-ordered strain in the US now, up from #339 one year ago.

Leafly Reviews per month on the Jealousy Strain Detail Page jumped up 9X from a year ago.

Lastly, Jealousy or its hybrids also took home at least four awards in cannabis contests in 2023. Shout out some brands growing epic Jealousy in the comments.


Thank you to all the phenomenal breeders, growers, stores, budtenders, and smokers powering this golden age of cannabis.

For all the runner’s up and overlooked talent, remember what The Boss says:

“You can’t start a fire / Sittin’ ‘round cryin’ over a broken heart.”

Stay hungry, weed creators. We can’t wait to smoke the transcendent new things ripening in those grow rooms.

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Leafly Staff
Leafly Staff
Leafly is the world’s largest cannabis information resource, empowering people in legal cannabis markets to learn about the right products for their lifestyle and wellness needs. Our team of cannabis professionals collectively share years of experience in all corners of the market, from growing and retail, to science and medicine, to data and technology.
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