Permanent Marker: Huffing on the Hype

Permanent Marker has seen a meteoric rise in popularity over the last few years, culminating in taking Leafly’s much-coveted “Strain of 2023” award!

In this review we try to answer the question as to WHY this strain has become so popular, specifically what characteristics cause it to stand above the rest of the competition in a world full of amazing strains.

Bred by the one and only Seed Junky and made all the more famous by Doja Exclusives out of California, this stanky little thang absolutely dominated the hype strain scene in 2023 and continued to crush sales figures through 2024 as well.

Like many legends of hype, Permanent Marker first started popping off in California before quickly spreading to the big-time Florida and Michigan rec markets where it took on a life of its own. 

In my recent roundup of the most searched for strains in each state Permanent Marker was in the top 5 in California, Michigan, Oregon, and Illinois.

Apparently these genetics are popular in Maine as well as I recently scored some really surprisingly fresh product from Rugged Roots via a friend who was happy to share some of his sack with me.

Yeah, you could say I was excited to try one of if not the biggest hype strain of 2023 and one of the most popular genetics to cross in 2024.

I’m not ashamed of that. If certain years and certain types of grapes from certain vineyards can be admired and waxed poetically upon then why not craft bud too?

Why is Everyone Talking About Permanent Marker?

As with most hype popular things out there, Permanent Marker didn’t rise to fame out of any type of innate privilege. No sir, no ma’am, Permament Marker is legitimately popular, based off actual dispensary menu availability through 2023, according to Leafly.

Leafly bestowed their ‘Strain of the Year” award for Permanent Marker because of how quickly it became popular and how widespread that popularity was.

This is essentially looking at how fast “something pops” off in the market, of which Permanent Marker definitely did between 2022 and 2023 with a dispensary menu availability growth rate of 5,770% YoY. 

Leafly also found that Permanent Marker was the most recommended strain via their Budtenders’ Choice Survey of over 900+ budtending respondents. 

Some people just like to hate anything hype and as a bit of a contrarian myself I get it but after trying many of these hyped strains (for the sake of science) I’ve come to the realization that “hype” is just a synonym for “popular” and if it’s popular then it is likely to have appreciable qualities to be able to capture the interest of large numbers of people.

We live in very unique time where there are legal recreational markets yet thanks to the federal prohibition cannabis companies are prohibited from many traditional advertising channels afforded to all other federally legal industries.

Therfore, with minimal advertising influence, it’s probably safe to say that if something is “popular” nationally in the cannabis market then it’s almost certain there is substantial consumer-level demand for that product or those genetics.

You can’t really “fake it” in this industry, outside of bogus celebrity endorsements and white-labelling, which are just gimmicks as none of those brands have ever come close to winning “strain of the year” awards.

More Great Breeding From Seed Junky Genetics

On top of that, Seed Junky has a palette for cannabis flavors I put in the upper echelon when it comes to breeders, which is another layer of trust, outside of the awards, that got me amped to get to smoke a little Permanent Marker flower.

For those unaware, some Seed Junky “claims to fame” include strains like Animal Mints, Wedding Cake, Jealousy, Gelato, Pancakes, Sunset Sherbet, The Soap, and one of my all-time favorites, Ice Cream Cake. 

My very first introduction to Permanent Marker genetics was when I picked up a quarter ounce of Black Soap from Lit Farms. While it was a pleasant smoke I was actually surprised at how little any classical permanent marker smells were coming through.

So when my buddy gifted me a dense little nug of some pure Marker I was excited to grind her up, pack a cone, and give it a concerted sampling!

What Is Permanent Marker’s Genetic Lineage?

Permanent Marker is an indica-leaning chill hybrid which counts Biscotti, Jealousy, and Sunset Sherbet backcross as parent strains.

These are all legends in their own right which I smoke whenever I find them well cultivated and recently harvested.

Because this is only a gram, and because I generally like to smoke multiple grams (7+) of something before cementing an opinion on it I’m going to keep this review brief and to the point. 

Hopefully I come across this pheno again in the future and will be able to add to this but for the time being, this is what I’ve got:

Appearance: Well-travelled and Dense

Similar to Ice Cream Cake, Gelato, and Sunset Sherbet this flower, while pretty green, has got some nice hues of purp, especially once broken open, and I’m all about it.

To me bud with a mix of both purple hues and dark green hues, contrasted with some rusty orange hairs (missing here due to what could be machine trimming), is about as sexy as it gets when it comes to flower colors.

That’s not to say bright green-only strains aren’t great, they’re also amazing in their own ways. I’ve got some super green Skunk #1 I’m smoking right now that is totally bonkers, both visually and effectually.

This PM nug I’m smoking is dense as fuck as well when as I’m breaking it up. T

his makes sense knowing how it was babied with LEDs indoors at Rugged Roots. My bud has travelled a bit and been re-bagged so it’s not the sexiest sample but I’m not going to dog it for that as that’s no fault of Rugged Roots.

I’m going to keep looking Permanent Marker when I’m at the dispensary because A) I’ve only got this nug and I want more time with it to better understand it and B) I’m curious to see how the farmers out here in Oregon do with these Permanent Marker genetics.

*If you’re in the Oregon rec market and are a big Permanent Marker lover let me know which farms do it best in the comments below if you wouldn’t mind, please and thanks!

Smell: Bag Piercing Strength

Mylar bagged and sealed in an plastic vitamin bottle I was barely able to contain the gassy fumes emanating from this weed while traveling. Can’t travel stealth with this stuff.

Permanent Marker is legitimately loud stuff which makes sense given the name. Weed geneticists are pretty good at naming their product accurately as I’ve outlined in the past and this Permanent Marker is no exception. 

Dry pulling you get the sharp gas that travels up your nasal passage a bit but don’t worry because it’s rather smooth and sweet, not itchy.

There’s also an interesting oily nuttiness to this that I didn’t initially pick up just smelling it but which becomes more pronounced in my mouth dry pulling.

People use “candy” and “sweet” to describe this as well but I’m not really getting as much as I was expecting.

Sure, there’s a little black cherry and rose perfume in there in the mid and upper notes with a softer Biscotti flavor but what hits me first is an astringent petroleum product similar to taking the cap off one of them magnum permanent markers in an enclosed space.  

I think the gas is what reaches you first and you have to let that dissipate or break open the bud to get more of the more dark black berry juice and the more floral notes found in the Sherbert and Jealousy parents coming through.

Jealousy was Leafly’s Strain of 2022, which may go some way in justifying the popularity of its prodigy child in Permanent Marker winning the award in 2023.

If you like Jealousy, Gelato, or Ice Cream Cake then you’ll probably have an affinity to Permanent Marker as well, with it being a bit more gaseous than those three but with the same deep dark black berry and nutty earthy hallmarks I associate these Seed Junky genetics with. 

Sensation: No Hiding The Effects of Permanent Marker

I wasn’t expecting this to hit as hard as it did. I wasn’t caught completely off-guard because A) the bud was moist AF meaning it was fresh and had max terpene and cannabinoid content and B) it had such an intense smell which often accompanies big hitter strains. 

And hit big it did. I felt like my eyelids swelled up but when I looked into the mirror they were just kinda hanging there halfway open all stoney.

They weren’t swollen and I could open them but they quickly reverted to their resting half-open state. Classic!

Full disclosure my tolerance is also down a little after a bit of a t-break and then also smoking on this quarter of Guava CBD 1:1 from Focus North Gardens for the last few weeks which is one of the tastiest most chillest things I’ve ever tried. 

But still, my tolerance wasn’t zero, so I’m still going to give this a solid 8/10 for strength. It’s fuckin strong but so are sativas like Black Widow and couch-locking Soul Train from Shaggy Roots.

Permanent Marker hit hardest in my head, cereberally.

It’s not over-stimulating though like straight up sativas but the effects were most impactful for me in my mind and then also my facial expression. People can definitely tell that you’re high when you smoke Permanent Marker.

Is this Permanent Marker strain worthy of all the hype? I guess?

It’s a fantastic strain in its own rights and if it’s YOUR favorite that’s great. Smoking is subjective. Some strains excel at being fruity, others piney, others stinky, and we all have our own personal preferences.

In my opinion Permanent Marker’s real strength is its ability to find a nice harmony between the dark berry realm and the gaseous realm, which is a tricky bit of balancing I think I’ve only seen well executed to this level before with Compound Genetic’s Jet Fuel Gelato.

Personally, I think I’m a slightly bigger fan of a great quality Gelato #33 or Ice Cream Cake, but that’s probably because I prefer extra dulce dessert strains and tropical candy strains over gassy hitters.

What about you? Did Permanent Marker live up to your own expectations or did it fall short? Let us know in the comments!