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The Official Cannabis collection · sheet 68No 68 · Gelato 45Genetics

Genetics

Is Gelato 45 indica or sativa? Its genetics and family tree

Gelato 45 is a hybrid: one of the numbered phenotypes picked in 2014 from the seeds of the original Gelato cross, Sunset Sherbet × Thin Mint GSC. Leafly calls its effects mostly calming, and AllBud lists it as 55% indica.1,2,3,4 It comes from the same seeds as Gelato 33 and Gelato 41, but unlike them it is not on the breeder’s list of official cuts.5

Family tree

  • Sunset SherbetIndica-dominant; GSC × Pink Panties; Mr. Sherbinski, 2012
  • Thin Mint GSCA GSC phenotype; OG Kush × F1 Durb

Gelato 45

  • Jet Fuel Gelato (disputed)Gelato 45 × (High Octane × Jet Fuel)
  • Italian IceGelato 45 × Forbidden Fruit
  • Bubblegum GelatoGelato 45 × Indiana Bubblegum
Parents and offspring as reported by Leafly, Weedmaps, the seed sellers and Leafly’s guide to Gelato crosses; Jet Fuel Gelato’s parentage is disputed.1,2,6,7,8,9,10,11

A numbered pick from the Gelato seeds

Gelato 45 is not a separate cross. Leafly’s history of the Cookies family says Jigga and Mr. Sherbinski used colloidal silver to make a female Sunset Sherbet produce pollen, pollinated a GSC with it, and grew out the all-female seeds hunting for the best phenotypes. The hunt ended, Guzman told Leafly, at a private, invite-only tasting at a Cuban restaurant on June 16, 2014, and the numbers on the pots of the night’s picks became their names: Gelato 25, 33, 41, 43, 45 and 49.1

Sherbinski described the same method to High Times in 2018, feminized pollen from Cookies × Sherbert put back onto Sherbert × Cookies, and listed #25, #33, #41, #45, #47 and #49 among the results.12 Weedmaps calls Gelato #45 one of the standout selections from the Gelato family.2

Its parents, as each source writes them

Sources agree on the two families and differ only in how they write them: some name the Thin Mint cut of GSC, others plain Girl Scout Cookies, and one Leafly page treats Gelato 45 as a later cross.

Parents as listedWho says so
Girl Scout Cookies × SherbetLeafly’s Gelato 45 page; AllBud; the lineage line on Weedmaps2,3,4
Sunset Sherbet × Thin Mint GSC, as a selection from the Gelato familyWeedmaps’ description; Barney’s Farm and Helvetic Seeds for their seed versions2,13,14,15
A female Sunset Sherbet made to produce pollen, used on a GSC; #45 one of the keepersLeafly’s Cookies-family history, 20211
Made from Gelato, like Gelato #3, #33 and #41Leafly’s Gelato page16

Sunset Sherbet is Mr. Sherbinski’s indica-dominant GSC × Pink Panties cross; Thin Mint is one of the main sub-types of GSC.6,7

Does its breeder recognize it?

Not today, by GreenState’s account. In 2024 it listed six Gelato phenotypes that Mario “Mr. Sherbinski” Guzman approves, #25 Barry Bonds, #33 Larry Bird, #41 Bacio Gelato, #43 Gello Gelato, #47 Mochi Gelato and #49 Açaí Berry Gelato, and reported that Gelato 45 is unrecognized by Guzman, who is skeptical about other numbered Gelatos.5 Sherbinskis’ own site lists Bacio Gelato (#41), Mochi, Acai Berry and Gello Gelato, and no Gelato 45.17

Earlier accounts include it. Sherbinski named #45 among Gelato’s phenotypes in 2018, Leafly’s history lists it among the keepers of the 2014 tasting, and Leafly articles from 2018 and 2021 list Gelato #45 as Michael Jordan alongside the other cuts.1,12,18,19 GreenState quotes Guzman saying the only way to be sure your Gelato is the real deal is to get it from him.5

Gelato 45 next to Gelato 33 and 41

These three numbered cuts share their parents and sit close together on Leafly’s strain pages; they differ in reported effects, flavor and standing with the breeder.

As listedGelato #33Gelato #41Gelato #45
NicknameLarry Bird1,18Bacio Gelato1,5Michael Jordan18,19
On the breeder’s official list (2024)Yes5Yes5No5
THC listed by Leafly20%2021%2119%3
Leafly’s top effectsRelaxed, happy, aroused20Relaxed, aroused, tingly21Relaxed, euphoric, happy3
Leafly’s flavorsPepper, citrus, flowery20Lavender, pepper, flowery21Pepper, menthol, earthy3
Dominant terpene (Leafly)Caryophyllene20Caryophyllene21Caryophyllene3
Leafly ratings4172029521513

GreenState quotes Guzman saying the nicknames come from legendary athletes whose jersey numbers matched the plant numbers; Michael Jordan wore No. 45 when he returned to the Chicago Bulls in March 1995.5,22

How indica is it?

Every source calls it a hybrid; the lean depends on who is describing it. Leafly rates its effects mostly calming, AllBud lists 55% indica and 45% sativa, Barney’s Farm describes its seed version as a balanced 60% indica hybrid, and SeedFinder lists Helvetic Seeds’ version simply as an indica/sativa hybrid.3,4,13,15 Weedmaps users describe effects that start upbeat and settle into a calmer body buzz (see effects).2

The clone versus seed versions

Gelato 45 circulated as a clone: Helvetic Seeds calls it a clone-only strain that it made available as feminized seed by 2021, and Barney’s Farm has sold a feminized GELATO #45 that it calls selective breeding from its own lab; SeedFinder lists only these two seed versions.13,15,23 Both name Sunset Sherbet × Thin Mint GSC as the parents, so each is the seller’s own version of the name rather than the cutting itself.14,15

Barney’s Farm’s US catalog lists a feminized seed called simply Gelato, Blue Sunset Sherbert × Thin Mint GSC, with the same 60% indica split; that page does not mention #45.24

What our lab data adds

Our lab matching counts Gelato 45 as its own strain: only 53 flower tests labelled “Gelato 45” or “Gelato #45”. Products labelled Gelato 33 or Gelato 41 are counted as Gelato instead, because the matcher reads a bare number as a lot code; that guide is at gelatostrain.com.25 We also excluded 8 results under near-miss names, among them “London Pound Cake × Gelato 45” and “Sweet Gelato 45”.25

Strains bred from Gelato 45

StrainCrossSource
Jet Fuel GelatoGelato 45 × (High Octane × Jet Fuel), per Compound Genetics; Leafly’s strain page lists only High Octane × Jet FuelLeafly10,11
Italian IceGelato 45 × Forbidden FruitLeafly8
Bubblegum GelatoGelato #45 × Indiana Bubblegum; Backpack BoyzLeafly9
Horchata (a grandchild)Jet Fuel Gelato × Mochi Gelato (Gelato 47); Compound GeneticsLeafly10,26

Leafly’s Gelato 45 page lists Bubblegum Gelato and Italian Ice as its children; SeedFinder records no descendants of either seed version.3,14,15

Sources

  1. Leafly, Just desserts: the Cookies and Cakes family genealogy (David Downs) (2021-04-15). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  2. Weedmaps, Gelato #45 (aka Gelato 45) strain page. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  3. Leafly, Gelato 45 (aka G45) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  4. AllBud, Gelato #45 marijuana strain information and reviews. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  5. GreenState, Famed Gelato strain breeder clears the air on imposters (Cara Wietstock) (2024-05-23). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  6. Leafly, Sherbert (aka Sherbet, Sunset Sherbet) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  7. Leafly, Thin Mint (aka Thin Mint GSC) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  8. Leafly, Italian Ice strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  9. Leafly, Bubblegum Gelato (aka BG Gelato) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  10. Leafly, The 12 best Gelato crosses of all time (Matt Jackson) (2024-10-22). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  11. Leafly, Jet Fuel Gelato (aka Jetlato) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  12. High Times, 4 minutes and 20 seconds with Sherbinski, iconic strain cultivator (T.H. Caeczar) (2018-12-28). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  13. GrowDiaries, Gelato #45 by Barney’s Farm: breeder description and grow reports. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  14. SeedFinder, Gelato 45 (Barney’s Farm): strain info and breeder description. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  15. SeedFinder, Gelato 45 (Helvetic Seeds): strain info and breeder description. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  16. Leafly, Gelato (aka Larry Bird, Gelato #42) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  17. Sherbinskis, Sherbinskis: home of the original Gelato. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  18. Leafly, Leafly’s 2018 Strain of the Year (Will Hyde) (2018-12-28). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  19. Leafly, Gelato is the best strain ever. Try and change my mind (Danté Jordan) (2021-03-25). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  20. Leafly, Gelato #33 (aka Gelato Kush, G33) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  21. Leafly, Gelato #41 (aka G41) strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  22. Wikipedia, Michael Jordan. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  23. SeedFinder, All Gelato 45 strains. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  24. Barney’s Farm, Gelato (feminized seeds). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  25. Cannlytics (CC BY 4.0), cannabis_results: public state lab results (filtered and aggregated by Official Cannabis). Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  26. Leafly, Horchata strain information. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.