William Sumner
Amidst the glitz and the glamor of the growing cannabis industry, it can be easy to lose touch with the industry’s communal roots. Before billion-dollar companies and institutional investors swooped in to infuse the industry with cash and an air of legitimacy, outlaw growers and sellers gathered together to swap stories and honor one another for excellence in the then-illegal art of growing cannabis; and it is in this spirit that the first Emerald Cup was born.
Taking place in Santa Rosa, California, the fifteenth annual Emerald Cup is a far cry from the original. Where once the Emerald Cup, also known as the Academy Awards of Cannabis, was just a small gathering of cannabis cultivators and enthusiasts, the event now attracts national media outlets and world-famous celebrities like Willie Nelson and Kevin Smith.
Throughout the course of the two-event, the Emerald Cup saw approximately 27,000 attendees and over 250 vendors. In stark contrast to other investor-focused cannabis conferences, where cannabis-use is often banned, dozens of booths and tents were erected to allow attendees to talk with judges and partake in many of the cannabis brands on display at the event.
This year’s event also had the distinction of being the first Emerald Cup to take place since adult-use cannabis sales became legal in the state of California. Although many welcomed California’s first year of adult-use sales, it was also a year where many cannabis companies in the state where forced to close their doors; due primarily to shifting regulations on both a state and local level.
Consequently, many of the cannabis brands that entered the Emerald Cup already felt like winners, if only for the fact that they survived a tumultuous year in California cannabis. Other cannabis brands, like The Original Jack Herer, found the event’s timing particularly poignant.
Named after the late cannabis activist, Jack Here, The Original Jack Herer took home the Emerald Cup price for best cannabis distillate.
“It’s poetic that Jack wins this year, the first that cannabis is legalized for adults statewide,” said Jack Herer brand writer Jorie Henrickson.
Accepting the award for the brand was Herer’s son, Dan Herer, who gave a moving acceptance speech.
“Thank you to my partner Latif and our formulator Dustin [Snyder] for working for nearly a year to perfect the product that we put out. And I’m so grateful for all the love and response that we got back,” said Herer.
Here is the full list of 2018 Emerald Cup Winners:
Licensed Sun-Grown
Ridgeline Farms – Green Lantern
Rebel Grown– Double OG Chem #15
Tar Hill – Cherimoya
Licensed Mixed Light
Tar Hill – Pink Lemonade
Josh D. – OG Kush Story
DEVI – Peanut Butter Breath
Personal Sun-Grown
JD Lee – Chili Verde
Paula Hudgins – Wedding Cake
Cory Rodgers – Cherry Punch 15
Edibles
Utopia – Raspberry Macarons
SolDaze – Tropical Mango Bites
Budlette Confections – Mellows Black Sesame
Tinctures
Alchemy Jane – Create THC Tincture
OM Edibles – Nighttime Elixer
Humboldt Apothecary – Love Potion No. 7
Topicals
Newell’s Botanicals – Deep Skin Penetrating Roll-on
OM – Lavender Bath Salts
CAD – Mimosa
Distillate
Herer Group – The Original Jack Herer
Gold Drop/Lemon Tree/Blue River – Lemon Tree
Gold Drop/Bon Vivant/Blue River – Blueberry Muffin
CO2
Peak – Huckleberry Zkittlez Amber
WildSeed – Candyland
Big Sur Extracts – Cloud Drop
Diamonds
The Humboldt Cure – The Humboldt Cure Blend Diamonds
WildSeed, LLC – White Recluse Diamonds
NUG – White Buffalo OG Live Resin Diamonds
Live Resin Carts
Fieldz Extracts – Zkittlez Sauce Pen
Friendly Farms – Forbidden Fruit
Fiddler’s Green – Rogue OG Kush
Rosin
GDP Genetics – Super Glue
Fieldz – Zkittles Premium Rosin
Field Extracts – Papaya Premium Rosin
Sauce
Humboldt Terp Council – Zkittlez Cake
Raw Garden – Zookies
Summit Boys – Sundae Driver
Shatter Batter
Suprize Suprize – Cherry Tangerine
Suprize Suprize – Royal Kush BX1 “Badder”
Suprize Suprize – Holy Nana Crack Batter
Solventless
Frosty – Papaya 120u
Tar Hill and Frosty – Tar Hill Pink Lemonade
Papa’s Select, in collaboration with Select Solventless grown by Emerald Queen Farms – GMO 1st Pull 120u Water Hash
CBDs Co2/Distillate
Gold Drop – Lemon Penny
CBD Edibles
Somatik – Goji Berry
OM Edibles – CBD Gummi Melange
Space Gems – VITA Gems
CBD Tinctures
Humboldt Apothecary – Relax
Fiddler’s Green – ACDC Rogue Tincture
Humboldt Harvest – 13:1 CBD Terpene Rich
CBD Topical
Om Edibles – Rose Geranium Bath Salt
CBD Flower
Molecular Farms – Blueberry Banana Bread
Molecular Farms – Dr. Fizz
Molecular Farms – Garlic Jam
CBD Concentrate
Sublime – Sleep
Sublime – High-C
