In 2025, cannabis flower isn’t just about getting high – it’s a full-on cultural experience. The most popular brands have become lifestyle icons, fueling hype on social media and dominating smoke sesh conversations. We’re talking about the loose flower kings (no pre-rolls, vapes, or edibles here) that spark trends in strain flavors, quality, and style. From legacy West Coast growers to new-school exotics with flash, these brands are dictates the tone for cannabis culture today. Let’s take a look at the names on everyone’s lips (think STIIIZY, Cookies, The TENCo, Backpack Boyz, and more), and explore what makes them each distinct – from exotic strain releases and branding to cult followings and impact on the game.
STIIIZY: From Pod King to Flower Powerhouse
STIIIZY started out taking over the vape scene, but in 2025 it’s just as famous for premium flower. Established in 2017 in Los Angeles, STIIIZY quickly evolved into a cannabis lifestyle brand in its own right. Their stylish, street-art-themed dispensaries are located across a number of states, with the lines frequently extending out the doorway. Best known for its convenient pod vapes that cultivated a cult following, STIIIZY has also become top-seller in flower sales – taking a huge chunk of the California market through a mix of quality and hype. The brand’s secret? Marrying SoCal streetwear aesthetics with straight fire buds. STIIIZY drops new strains like a sneaker brand drops Jordans, and people notice. They’ve even infused their highest-performing strain flavors into new products (ever tried a STIIIZY-infused drink?) to keep pushing boundaries. Along the way, STIIIZY stays true to its roots – showcasing local art, giving back to veterans, and keeping the culture real. It’s the brand for everyone from the casual smoker who appreciates a reliable OG Kush eighth, to the cannasseur who hunts limited drops – all bonded by that loud STIIIZY vibe.
Cookies: The Blue-Bag Empire of Exotics
If there’s a single cannabis brand that’s penetrated mainstream culture, it’s Cookies. Founded in 2010 by Bay Area rapper Berner (Gilbert Milam Jr.) and breeder Jai (“Jigga”), Cookies built a worldwide following by combining elite genetics with hip-hop flavour. Their dispensaries – decked out in Cookie Monster’s signature blue colour – are now in a number of countries, and walking into one is like visiting a streetwear boutique that just so happens to sell weed.What really sets Cookies apart is the strain menu: They’re responsible for some of the decade’s most famous flavours. The original Girl Scout Cookies (the sweet, powerful strain that began it all) gave birth to a whole dynasty of hits – Gelato, Cherry Pie, London Pound Cake, Biscotti, Cereal Milk, Gary Payton, the list continues vallejoreliefcenter.com vallejoreliefcenter.com
. Each drop is hyped; stoners talk about future Cookies strains the way gamers talk about drops. By focusing on breeding distinctive terp profiles (fruity, dessert-y, gassy – Cookies has them all) and by keeping a lot of the genetics in-house for their brand, Berner’s team made sure “Cookies” is synonymous with top-shelf bud. **Culturally, Cookies goes beyond the jar:** their clothing line is worn by both celebrities and college kids, and Berner himself has leveraged the brand into music, food, and even a new tequila-cannabis crossover mjbizdaily.com
. But underneath all of that, Cookies is renowned for one thing more than anything: quality flower and flavor consistently. With a few dozen dispensaries now (California to Ohio and even Barcelona), they’ve spread West Coast cannabis culture globally – without sacrificing that innovative, hustler spirit that got them there.
The TENCo: Zushi Hype and Anime Aesthetics
In the world of ultra-exotic flower, there’s The TENCo sitting on a throne of mystery. This California brand (helmed by founders Staks and Gerry) keeps a deliberately low profile – which only fuels their cult following. TENCo disrupted the status quo with its Zushi line of strains, which have achieved near mythic legend status among cannabis connoisseurs. Blue Zushi is the gem – an indica-dominant hybrid of Zkittlez and Kush Mints – that’s legendary for an ecstatic body-high and a flavor so rich it won multiple Best Strain titles at the 2023 Zalympix cup in L.A. They didn’t hesitate: TENCo debuted a whole rainbow of Zushi (literally by color) – Pink Zushi, Yellow Zushi, Wasabi (Wazabi) Zushi, etc. – with each having its own unique flavor profiles (citrus, spice, sweet, you name it) and each drop as highly anticipated as a Supreme collab. The branding is another level: TENCo’s aesthetic is a fusion of anime and luxury street culture, with shiny packaging (typically sushi-inspired) that makes unboxing feel high-end. You might even catch a celebrity like rapper Coi Leray sporting Pink Zushi – TENCo’s influence is that deep. What truly distinguishes them is the craft: Staks brought a European cultivation sensibility to Cali, putting terpene-rich, sinus-tingling flavor above all else. With product tight and releases ultra-rare, The TENCo carries an air of “get it if you can” – and in the process, they’ve become a cultural phenomenon that’s setting the standard for exotic flower drops.
Backpack Boyz: West Coast Street Heat Goes National
From streets in Cali to Instagram feeds nationwide, Backpack Boyz have made their name on equal parts hustle, flavor, and style.
This brand, founded by Juan Quesada, blew up in the Prop 215 era with innovative packaging and strains that practically advertise themselves.
We’re talking bold Mylar bag designs often riffing on pop culture – and inside those bags, some of the finest flower Cali has to offer. Backpack Boyz are renowned for “genre-defying” flavor profiles, like their crowd-pleasing Blue Gotti, the fruity and creamy White Cherry Gelato, or the dark and potent Black Sherb honeysucklemag.com. These cultivars are hype-chasers’ staples, typically selling out as soon as they drop (the FOMO is real – exclusive drops get scooped in a second thanks to their cult-like popularity greenpointseeds.com
). What sets Backpack Boyz apart is how they marry street culture and quality. The whole look of the brand is founded on authenticity and hustle – they established themselves through the legacy market, doing pop-ups and establishing community years prior to opening licensed stores. Quesada emphasizes that for them it’s “more than just flower – it’s about culture and connection”. Spend five minutes at one of their dispensaries (now spanning CA, Arizona, Michigan, and as of 2025, New York) and you’ll see what he means: it’s a scene, a place where OG growers, rappers, and everyday smokers mix, swap stories, and compare what’s in their bag. By partnering with legacy breeders and keeping their quality on point, Backpack Boyz has taken West Coast swagger nationwide – without compromising the community-driven ethos that brought them to powerhouse status.
Jungle Boys: L.A.’s Legacy Cultivators Turned Cannabis Royalty
Long before the era of flashy branding and celebrity collaborations, the Jungle Boys were quietly growing some of L.A.’s best weed. Founded in 2006, the collective of growers built a rep by obsessing over quality and innovation in the grow room, They honed methods, hunted exotic phenos, and cultivated strains that have become the stuff of legend (the Wedding Cake phenomenon can, for instance, be traced to a Jungle Boys phenotype).
The brand ethos is simple: let the buds speak for themselves. Jungle Boys flower is always dense, frosty nugs with loud terpene profiles – the kind of top-shelf flower that connoisseurs recognize by sight and smell.Each strain, from a gassy Motorbreath to a sweet Strawberry Shortcake, is a testament to careful cultivation and curing to achieve peak potency and flavor thcphysicians.com As the years went by, what was once a small grower crew had blossomed into a full-blown movement. They now have several dispensaries (including the beloved TLC collective in East LA and projects as far-flung as Florida), and each opening has die-hard fans waiting in line for hours. Despite the growth, Jungle Boys don’t do gimmicks – packaging is clean and minimal, advertising is often just word-of-mouth from satisfied smokers.
During an era of hype, they’re a “respected legacy brand” that’s stayed true to its roots, maintaining community and eco-friendly growing practices.
The fact that Jungle Boys flower still stands on its own in 2025 – amidst a desert of new brands – says a lot about their legitimacy and consistency. They set the bar for “OG quality,” and they continue to inspire up-and-coming growers to put the plant first above all else thcphysicians.com. Alien Labs: Out-of-This-World Exotics (and Their Connected Crew) For those seeking the next-level exotics, Alien Labs is a name that continues to pop up – usually followed by an enthusiastic “you have to try this.” Born from California’s luxury market, Alien Labs sought to push the boundaries in genetics and potency, and boy have they succeeded. The brand personality is this cool mashup of skate culture, sci-fi nerdiness, and high-end cannabis expertise. (Their founder, Ted Lidie, is a lifelong stoner who’s really into aliens – hence the UFO-themed merch and green men on the Insta feed.) But beneath the playful branding, Alien Labs grows seriously potent, small-batch flower designed for seasoned palates. They’re recognized for one-of-a-kind crosses you won’t find anywhere else – often collaborating with sister brand Connected Cannabis Co. on breeding projects. Some classics? Area 41, a Lemon Fuel OG x Gelato 41 cross that delivers a citrus-diesel bomb and soaring euphoria. Or Baklava (Kosher Kush x Gelato), which nails creamy sweetness and piney punch. And then there’s Xeno and Kryptochronic, with others always on the horizon – names that make cannabis geeks salivate over the flavour as much as the effect.
Alien Labs has the hype drop down to a science: announce a limited strain drop and watch the lines form and jars vanish from shelves.
They’ve cultivated a virtual fanatical following by delivering “exotic genetics, high THC, and craft quality” in every batch. No surprise that so many consider Alien Labs and Connected to be the current champions of California’s designer weed scene – they’ve earned it with flowers that truly do feel a notch above the rest. (In other words, when you see that Alien Labs logo, buckle up for a trip to outer space in the very best way.)
710 Labs: The Purist’s Choice for Connoisseur Flower
Where other brands chase hype, 710 Labs has chased one thing and one thing alone: quality (and then more quality). Their motto could literally be “no shortcuts, no compromises.” Every jar from 710 Labs is filled with top-shelf, pesticide-free, organically fed flower that’s been grown in small batches and hand-trimmed with care 710labs.com
This is artisanal-level cannabis cultivation not typically seen at scale. 710 made its name initially through award-winning concentrates (the brand’s name is a nod to “710” as the oil holiday), but as they expanded into flower, they applied the same obsessive standards.
They have an in-house team pheno-hunting unique strains and reviving classics – all to deliver buds with sky-high potency and rich terpene profiles.
The result?
Flower so exquisite and clean that it’s compared to fine wine or artisanal beer by most connoisseurs.
A nug of 710 Labs’ OG or Gelato#33, for example, can be a revelation: super aromatic, flawlessly cured, and delivering a refined high that reminds you why sun-grown and slow-cured will beat out assembly-line weed any day.
Unlike some flashier brands, 710 Labs likes to keep a low profile and let the product do the talking.They’ve got modern packaging that’s sleek and an Instagram cult following, but don’t look for gimmicky collabs or cartoonish ads – word-of-mouth praise from individuals who actually know their cannabis is what you’ll receive. In fact, when 710 Labs drops a fresh batch or new strain, dispensary budtenders observe a rush of connoisseurs trickle in, having heard it’s the new fire. By sticking to a “quality above all else” ethos and staying true to the roots of cannabis culture, 710 Labs has had a deep influence on the industry – inspiring even large operators to raise their cultivation standards 710labs.com. They are proof that hype can be generated the old-fashioned way: by being consistently excellent.
Doja Pak (Doja Exclusive): The Cult Favorite Driving Trends Quietly At the opposite side of corporate cannabis is Doja Pak
A business that’s as underground as a world-famous company can be. AKA Doja Exclusive, this operation (managed by Ryan Bartholomew) has dominated California’s connoisseur market since medical days, while steering clear of over-branding or mass marketing inkl.com. Doja’s model is straightforward: source or cultivate the finest weed possible, and let word get around. And word does – Doja has managed a cult following stretching from NorCal to NYC on its reputation for always carrying that fire inkl.com. Most in the scene got their first taste of Doja’s potential with RS-11 (Rainbow Sherbert #11) – a stunning purple-and-green strain bred by Deep East and Wizard Trees, which Doja dropped in limited quantity. It was an instant legend, with rappers name-checking it and smokers across the globe chasing its candy-smooth smoke. Unlike most brands, Doja keeps packaging and branding minimal – typically just plain coloured bags – and focuses its energy on innovating behind the scenes: finding new genetics, collaborating with top growers, and choosing exclusive “drops” that are advertised mostly via Instagram or word of mouth. The low-key approach has not slowed their reach; if anything, it’s added to its influence.
When Doja announces a drop at a dispensary, you’ll see lines of knowledgeable buyers who might not camp out for anything else.
Industry insiders frequently credit Doja with setting quality benchmarks – if a strain blows up in California (think exotic hybrids with insane terpene combos), there’s a good chance Doja had a hand in popularising it.
As one witness put it, “Doja lives and breathes real cannabis culture,” and that authenticity keeps them ahead of the curve. Amidst a scene of noisy marketing, Doja Pak demonstrates that you can leave your mark on the entire cannabis universe by staying real, staying passionate, and always bringing the fire.
The Evolving Flower Culture: Hype, Heritage, and Next-Level Bud
As these brand spotlights show, the culture around cannabis flower in 2025 is richer than ever. We’ve got heritage growers and new-gen innovators all elevating the scene in their own way. From Cookies’ global takeover to TENCo’s boutique exclusivity, each brand feeds into a larger movement where strains are treated like collectibles and brands like lifestyles. Social media has turned strain drops into events – one IG teaser from Alien Labs or Backpack Boyz will have fans racing to their local dispensary, fingers crossed they’ll be able to taste the new drop. Even older, more old-school groups like the Jungle Boys have reached rockstar status as legalization and the web exposed their once-local legend to the world. The result is a flower community that’s more educated and hype-aware than ever: consumers swap flavour notes, debate whose gelato cross hits hardest, and line up early for limited releases (just look at how fast some drops sell out thanks to devoted fanbases) greenpointseeds.com Conversely, brands are also very attuned to the culture – investing in quality, innovation, and authenticity to win loyalty.
They’re honouring cannabis tradition (through legacy genetics and social equity) while chasing modern flavour trends and flashy aesthetics.
All of this is pushing flower quality to new heights.
The cannabis flower world has really become a culture in its own right: part fashion, part fandom, but still very much about that fundamental pleasure of finding really good weed.
And as these brands continue to define the landscape, one thing is for sure – the future of flower culture is just getting started, with plenty of new highs ahead for all.
Sources: The insights and examples above are drawn from a blend of cannabis industry news, brand interviews, and community observations, including Honeysuckle Magazine’s culture features, dispensary blogs, and industry reports. Key references highlight each brand’s impact and reputation – from STIIIZY’s top-selling statuscannabisbusinesstimes.com and Cookies’ signature strainsvallejoreliefcenter.com, to TENCo’s Zushi phenomenonhoneysucklemag.com and Backpack Boyz’ cult-following flavorshoneysucklemag.com. We also leaned on expert summaries of Jungle Boys’ legacy of qualitythcphysicians.comthcphysicians.com, Alien Labs’ exotic geneticscannagram.comcannagram.com, 710 Labs’ quality-over-everything ethos710labs.com, and Doja Pak’s authentic influenceinkl.com – all painting a picture of a vibrant, evolving cannabis flower scene in 2025. Each of these brands, in their own way, is shaping the tastes and conversations of the cannabis communitymjbizdaily.com, proving that great flower is as much about culture and passion as it is about potency. Enjoy the smoke!