Popping seeds and dropping heat out of Honeydew in Humboldt, Cody King and the team at Xotic Flavorz bring scale to the legacy tradition.
King and crew officially launched the brand in 2016 with one small farm and 20,000 square feet of greenhouse. Fast forward to the 2023 season, and King’s brand is a household name among anyone who knows quality Humboldt-grown flower. Such popularity has seen Xotic Flavors grow to 11 acres of greenhouse and mixed-light canopy, spread over eight farm properties.
As the name suggests, they focus on exotics – particularly the candy strains that the market has been clamoring for over the past decade. King and Co. carefully select their cultivars, trying to temper the market’s whims with their need for resilient plants.
“The selection process is definitely tricky,” King said. “As a farmer, I look for high-yielding, mold-resistant, hearty plants. The market, however, dictates what we grow – and a lot of that is not easy to produce. A lot of these new candies are low-yielding and sensitive, so it’s finding a perfect balance of being able to produce ones that yield, but still staying relevant and producing the trickier small batches.”
The Hawaiian Snow Cone, which came to Xotic Flavorz from Big Al’s Exotics, seems to have hit the sweet spot for the farm’s current lineup. It’s a juicy, delicious treat – coated with frost and giving off aromas and flavors of bright, citrus-candy funk.
It’s immediately obvious why it was one of the crowd favorites at the 2023 Ego Clash competition, where it took home third place in the sungrown category. It’s an easy crowd pleaser … and packs a terpy wallop.
We’re looking forward to seeing what else Xotic Flavorz has in store with the rest of their 2024 lineup. If it’s half as good as the Hawaiian Snow Cone, you won’t want to miss it, either.
@_xoticflavorz | @big.als.exotics
This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue of California Leaf.
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