The 18th annual Emerald Cup Awards came to the iconic Ricardo Montalbán Theatre Saturday, May 14th for their first LA event. In partnership with Boveda and PurePressure by Agrify, what has been called the “Academy Awards of Cannabis” went off with serious flare. The star-studded red carpet event brought out the who’s who of cannabis industry members from both Northern and Southern California. By the end of the night, over 180 Emerald Cup Awards were handed out to the most talented cultivators and craftspeople in California.
California’s cannabis producers took it to another level in 2022 by placing over 700 entries into over 50 distinct categories for this year’s Cup. This is a roughly 25% increase in the total entries they saw back in 2021. Considering the trials and tribulations of high taxes and strict regulations, this is an incredible contribution compared to last year’s Emerald Cup Awards.
Using an entirely new ranking system that focuses on terpenes and their role in cannabis and its potential effects, the 2021 competition set a new precedent. The Emerald Cup came together once again with SC Labs in 2022, bringing their NAPRO Research into play. This collaborative effort created what is now known as the Emerald Cup Cannabis Classification System based on PhytoFacts powered by SC Labs. Read more about this new classification system in our previous Emerald Cup post.
Image Courtesy of Emerald Cup
Takeaways
The new “Dessert” strains category took this year’s Emerald Cup Awards by storm, dominating the flower submissions. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that these same dessert strains are now coming into younger legal markets in droves. California often sets the trends for the rest of the country when it comes to cannabis. It’s safe to assume that California and the Emerald Triangle will continue setting the bar for what is truly craft, quality, and environmentally conscious.
Across 180 awards given out during the evening, it’s a lot to take in. We’ve put together all of the first-place winners from every major category, as well as overall category winners. The Emerald Cup Awards continue to champion some of the best brands, cultivators, and craftspeople across California. Here are the first-place winners of the 18th annual Emerald Cup Awards presented live at the Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood. View all of the winners here. Watch our full event recap on YouTube Shorts.
The 18th Annual Emerald Cup Awards: 1st Place Winners
Flower
- Sungrown Flower: Farmer and the Felon – Lemon Sponge Cake
- Mixed Light Flower: LitHouse – Modified Grapes
- Indoor Flower: Fig Farms – Animal Face
- Sungrown Greenhouse Flower: Local Cannabis Co – Sherbhead
- 3rd Party Certified Sungrown Flower: Emerald Spirit Botanicals, Farm Cut – Pink Boost Goddess
- 3rd Party Certified Mixed Light Flower: Old Briceland Cannabis Company – Epiphany
Pre-Rolls
- Infused Solventless Extract: Sovereign, Geode Joint – Modified Lemons
- Infused Solvent Extract: Paletas – Paletas Mother’s Milk Infused Blunt
- Non-Infused: Lost Paradise Organics – Gelonade 6pk Flower Pre-Roll
Solventless Concentrates
- Ice Water Hash: Heritage Hash Co – Whitethorn Rose Live Bubble Hash
- Rosin: Rosin Tech x LUMA Farms – Papaya
- Personal Use Solventless: Alice Reis x Flynn Abeln – Wooksauce Winery Screaming Mimis
Cartridge
- C02 Cartridge Haku – Haku Live Resin
- Distillate Cartridge: LEGION, Monarch – Strawberry Bananal; Cannabis Derived Terpenes
- Live Resin Cartridge: URSA Extracts – Liquid Diamond Sauce Humboldt Jack
- Solventless Cartridge: Doc Green’s – Strawberry Bananaz Live Rosin Vape Cartridge
Solvent Concentrate
- Hydro-Carbon Solid: Beezle Brands x Luma Farms – Key Lime Paya Live Resin Budder
- Hydro-Carbon Liquid: Cosmic x Peak x Feeling Frosty – White Runtz
Topical
- Therapeutic Topical: Care By Design – CBD Joint & Muscle Cream
- Cosmetic Topical: Proof – Face Serum
Tincture
- Tincture: Care By Design – Refresh Drops 1:1 MAX
Edible
- Beverage: HiFi Sessions x Lagunitas x Absolute Xtracts – HiFi Hoppy Chill
- Beverage Enhancer: S*Shots – Berry Blast
- Gummies: Kalya x Elephante – Papaya Rosin Gummies
- Sweet: Cosmic Edibles x Kalya – Solventless Rosin Plant-Based Chocolate Chip Sprinkles Cookie Dough
- Savory: Potli x SF Roots – Shrimp Chips
Alternative Cannabinoids
- Flower: Pure Beauty – Terry T & Gelato 33
- Flower Breeder’s Cup: Pure Beauty – Terry T & Gelato 33
- Hemp Flower: Flowgardens – Orange Glaze #32
- Edible: Papa & Barkley – Sleep Releaf
- Beverage: KHEMIAMFG – Chakra Chai
- Topical: Carter’s Aroma Therapy Designs – Rasta Roll-On
- Tincture: Sunrise Mountain Farms – PACIFIC – Full Spectrum CBD Rich Tincture
- Cartridge: Chemistry – Serpentine
Category Winners
- Hemp-Derived Ingestible: Green Truth – Trifecta Immune (CBDA-CBGA-CBDVA)
- Hemp-Derived Topical: WeedSport – WeedSport CBD Muscle Stick
- Most Innovative Product – Consumable: Holy Water x Honey Suckle Lotus – Jelly Ranchers. Unholy Rosin/Resin Split Jar
- Regenerative Farm Award: Emerald Spirit Botanicals – Farm Cut
- Best Photo Contest Winner – Amateur: Claudia Price – Pancake Stomper No. 5
- Best Photo Contest Winner – Professional: Benjamin Neff – The Heart
- Eco-Conscious Packaging: Sol Spirit Farms
- Environmentally Conscious Indoor: Moon Valley Cannabis
- Most Unique Terpene Profile: Atrium Cultivation – Juice Z
- Most Unique Cannabinoid Profile: Emerald Spirit Botanicals – Pink Boost Goddess
- Highest Terpene Content – Flower: Woodwide Farms – Mendo Crumble
- Highest Terpene Content – Solvent (Hydrocarbon): Errl Hill – Gazberries
Best Dispensary
- Northern California: Mercy Wellness – Redwood Dr – Cotati
- Central California: Big Sur Canna + Botanicals – Carmel Rancho Ln – Carmel
- Southern California: Cornerstone Wellness – Colorado Blvd – Los Angeles
Breeder’s Hall of Fame
1st Place Winner: Greg McAllister
Visionary Award for Glass Artistry
1st Place Winner: Scott Deppe of Mothership Glass
“Willie Nelson” Lifetime Achievement Award
1st Place Winner: Woody Harrelson
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