Monday May 9, 2022
By Shirley Ju
420 Culture
The date for the highly-anticipated Emerald Cup Awards 2022 is officially set, taking place on May 14th at the Montalban Theatre in Hollywood and everyone in the cannabis industry is at the edge of their seat! Going on 17 years strong in the game, the Emerald Cup is best known to be the world’s largest, most well-respected cannabis competition, priding themselves in attracting the best of the best in the industry. Whether it’s experts or brands, the goal is always to educate and inspire all those in the space, from the farmers to the patients to the patrons.
Table of Contents:
Emerald Cup Preview Event
Founded by Tim Blake, who’s praised for his work in the ever-changing world of cannabis, Emerald Cup stands as a celebration of excellence. On Thursday, March 10th, PotGuide had the pleasure of attending an exclusive preview of the competition, which will make its inaugural debut at Green Street Festival in downtown Los Angeles.
Everyone was busy smelling cannabis and testing different entry samples to the Emerald Cup. photo credit
Upon walking into the Green Street Headquarters located on Hill Street (like a Soho House meets WeWork offices, but 100% dedicated to cannabis), you immediately walk into a full-blown smoke out and man, we love to see it. The vibes were immaculate, as it was apparent that everyone in the room shared a common love for cannabis and its benefits.
If you wanted a dab, you could head over to the Ispire booth. If you wanted a drink, you could grab a Lagunitas Hi-Fi Sessions cannabis-infused sparkling water. If you wanted some smoke, you could head to the Source Cannabis booth. If you wanted food, there were culinary vendors for all the guests to enjoy, paired with curated art.
Judges taking notes on the effects, smell, taste of the Emerald Cup flower submission. photo credit
One thing that does not go unnoticed is the bridge between music and cannabis. Platinum-selling rapper Juicy J was present to do a Meet & Greet, while Jurassic 5’s own DJ Nu-Mark shut it down on the 1’s and 2’s.
Speaking to Nu-Mark in the artist room, it was hard to miss the 4 physical Emerald awards displayed upon walking in. This year alone, Emerald Cup has had the most amount of entries than they have in the past 6 years, to their own surprise coming out of the pandemic both stronger and better.
In fact, if you're lucky enough to win an Emerald Cup, it’s the instant exposure and limelight that the brand gets — with every dispensary wanting to carry their product, while the products themselves sell out instantly. As Kenneth Loo, head of Emerald Cup communications, states,
“Our winners always turn into mega brands within minutes of getting their award. We are the king makers of cannabis.”
Nu-Mark states, “I had a good time at Green Street, I got a contact high and I have a Shirley Temple in my hand all in one punch. I’m having the time of my life. There’s green spotlights on me, so I feel great. I’m glad I’m able to stretch out, play what I want here. Good vibes. I like the cannabis crowd because they like the more bugged out shit, so I can play more bugged out shit. [laughs]”
Wrap Up
California growers submitted countless flower entries to the Emerald Cup. photo credit
All in all, when it comes to choosing what cannabis brand you want to support or purchase from, consumers are more prone to go with the one who’s an Emerald Cup winner. Emerald Cup also recently announced their Emerald Cup Small Farms Initiative, a program first debuted at Harvest Ball 2021 that provides resources and access to 10 small craft legacy farmers who built the cannabis industry from the ground up.
Stay up to date with the 18th annual Emerald Cup Awards here.
Are you planning on heading to the Emerald Cup below!
Photo Credit: Rony Alwin
