Behind the Scenes: 2026 Strain Selection Day
(what actually happened when we picked next year’s live rosin lineup)
6:30 a.m. – The lab is already loud.
Ten of us (growers, extractors, chefs, testers) crowd around three long tables covered in glass jars. 127 different live rosins, every one pressed from fresh-frozen 2025 harvest. The rule: only six make the final cut for 2026.
Round 1 – Smell Test (blind jars, numbers only)
- Jar 47: papaya, gasoline, cat piss in the best way. Immediate “holy shit” from everyone.
- Jar 92: straight wedding-cake vanilla frosting, zero green.
- Jar 113: mango peel and floor cleaner (good floor cleaner).
Thirty jars get instant red stickers (dead to us).
Round 2 – Dab & Describe (2 mg dabs, 60-second notes)
We’re looking for three things:
1. Does the flavor translate?
2. Does the effect feel unique?
3. Can we eat a 10 mg gummy of this later and still taste the strain?
Stand-outs:
- Papaya #47 → tropical punch in the lungs, giggly head-high, zero anxiety
- Zkittlez × Permanent Marker → grape candy into sharpie marker (yes, we want that)
- Blue Dream ’25 cut → textbook blueberry muffin, uplifting without racing
- Wedding Cake #92 → richest vanilla terps we’ve ever pulled
- Garlic Breath → saved for medical line only (too stinky for desserts)
Round 3 – Gummy Test (same-day 10 mg gummies made on the spot)
This is where half the “amazing dab” strains die.
- One tropical strain turned into floor wax in a gummy.
- One “pineapple” rosin tasted like black pepper candy.
- Papaya #47, Zkittlez × PM, and Wedding Cake all kept 90 % of their dab character in edible form. Blue Dream hit 95 %.
Round 4 – Vote
No discussion allowed. Everyone writes their top six on paper.
Results (exact tally):
1. Papaya #47 – 10 votes
2. Wedding Cake #92 – 10 votes
3. Zkittlez × Permanent Marker – 9 votes
4. Blue Dream ’25 – 8 votes
5. Peach Ringz ’25 – 7 votes (tiebreaker flavor test win)
6. London Pound Cake × Jealousy – 6 votes
Dropped favorites that broke our hearts:
- Garlic Breath (smell killed desserts)
- Strawberry Guava (turned bitter when cooked)
- Rainbow Belts (effect too racy for edibles)
By 3 p.m. the six winners are locked.
Those jars go straight into the flavor kitchen for the next six months of testing (gummies, chocolates, ice cream, drinks).
2026 Official Live Rosin Lineup
1. Papaya #47
2. Wedding Cake #92
3. Zkittlez × Permanent Marker
4. Classic Blue Dream
5. Peach Ringz
6. London Pound Cake × Jealousy
Same day next year we do it all again.
The trash cans were full of $400 jars by sunset.
Worth every gram.