FKAFL is a hybrid from Maven Genetics, bred from The Soap and L.A. Rouge. The letters stand for "formerly known as French Laundry," the name the strain carried until a Michelin-starred restaurant sent Maven a cease-and-desist in late 2023.
By then the cut had already built a trophy shelf. In 2023 alone it won the Farmers Cup and the Transbay Challenge, took second at the High Times Cannabis Cup and placed fourth for indoor flower at The Emerald Cup.
A San Fernando Valley grow that started in a closet
Maven Genetics is based in the San Fernando Valley in California. The company describes itself as a small, closet-grown passion project that turned into a full indoor operation.
Today Maven grows indoor flower and makes concentrates and small-batch releases. Every cultivar goes through a phenotyping process that scores structure, flavor and terpene expression, and its flower is hand-trimmed for a consistent finish.
That selection process is how FKAFL got to market. Maven lists it as a hybrid in its strain library, with The Soap × L.A. Rouge as the cross.
From French Laundry to FKAFL
Maven first released the strain as French Laundry. Brand director Miguel De Vivo told Forbes the name was a playful tribute to the parent genetics, with a French twist on detergent to match The Soap side of the cross.
The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California, saw it differently. Chef Thomas Keller's restaurant holds three Michelin stars and has held a trademark on the name since 1998, and it sent Maven a cease-and-desist letter.
Maven pulled the French Laundry name from its website and packaging right away. De Vivo said the company was surprised the restaurant noticed, and called it exciting to be in the same realm. Forbes covered the change in December 2023.
The genetics stayed on the menu under the new initials. Maven also said at the time that it planned to carry the line forward through offspring strains starting in 2024.
The 2023 competition run
French Laundry's 2023 season ran across several contests. It won the Farmers Cup and the Transbay Challenge, and picked up several wins at West Coast Zalympix events.
It also placed at the two larger contests. The strain took second place at the High Times Cannabis Cup and finished fourth in the indoor category at The Emerald Cup.
Maven still calls FKAFL a masterful, award-winning cross. Its product listings still point to the prize run that came before the rename.
Plumy, multicolored flower
Maven describes FKAFL as plumy, multicolored buds draped in a layer of white, velvet-like trichomes. Photos show dense colas with that heavy frost.
Maven describes the flavor as citrus and diesel up front, turning to rosemary, red fruit and cheese, then a smooth, lavender-rich exhale, and likens the mix to a savory charcuterie board.
Maven calls the effect a euphoric, indulgent sense of serenity. Weedmaps users most often tag it euphoric, relaxed and uplifted, and describe a balanced buzz that stays functional.
FKAFL's offspring in the Maven library
Maven followed through on its plan to breed the line forward. French Lotus crosses FKAFL with Blue Lotus, Maven's indica built from XXX OG and Blue Gelato #41. A limited-edition Parisian Kush uses the same pairing.
Dirty Laundry keeps the laundry joke going. It pairs Prizm, one of Maven's indicas, with FKAFL and lands as a hybrid.
French Butter goes the other way. Maven crossed FKAFL with its Umami Butter and lists the result as an indica. FKAFL now appears as a parent in four releases across the Maven library.