Recapping the Epic Experience of the 2016 Emerald Cup

Another Emerald Cup in Santa Rosa has come and gone, and it has left thousands in NorCal’s cannabis community with memories of epic proportions. The Emerald Cup attracted a crowd of more than 30,000 participants this year to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds—a huge accomplishment considering that the tradition started 13 years ago as a secret celebration for those who grow outdoor cannabis.

The days were filled with countless vendors, expert speakers and panel discussions. Workshops gave attendees huge opportunities to improve their lives, from expunging felony cannabis convictions to learning how to approach medical cannabis for cats and dogs. Tons of vendors were part of the event, and they were not only selling product; they were also educating the public first-hand by doing floor demonstrations and offering samples.

The arts were also well represented at this cannabis event, where artist Seth McMahon performed a live painting, one of which he had been working on for over four months. The painting was a vibrant, psychedelic cityscape of sorts. There were also glass artists creating functional pieces at the event, giving attendees insight into the precision and skill it takes to make their favorite dab rigs and pipes.

Nights transformed this educational and vendor-filled celebration into music-filled concerts with multiple stages of famous, skilled performers. Damian Marley was one of the major stars who performed on Saturday night, while Dirty Heads and Tribal Seeds had Sunday’s crowd feeling the irie vibes. There were many other musical artists who helped cap off each day’s celebration with the unifying language of music. On top of all this excitement, The Emerald Cup stood true to its origin and held a huge competition for outdoor grown cannabis and cannabis products.

There were 1,200 entries into the competition this year, so all the skilled winners who took home an award should feel a great deal of pride. First place in the Flowers category, which had more than 650 entries, was the Dookie Brothers from Humboldt County with the strain Zkittles. The best flowers with high CBD content were awarded to Molecular Farms, LLC with the company’s Rainbow Gummeez strain grown in Monterey County.

The top CBD extract came from Legion of Bloom with their Terra Pen RE:Zen 1:1 Vape Pen from Nevada County. When it comes to CBD edibles, OARA Chocolate took first place with its OARA Probiotic Cannabis from Oakland County.

Top-quality concentrates were definitely represented in The Emerald Cup awards, as the best Bubble went to 3rd Gen/Terp Hogz/Dying Breed with Banana, who also had the best Rosin, which was Hindu Z. Dry Sift Jedi Resin Ranch Extraction took first place with its Berry White Dry Sieve, while the top CO2 was recognized as Gold Drop Co/Blue River Extracts’ Cookies & Cream.

Finally, the best Edibles went to the Macaroon by Utopia Farms. Russel Honey’s Healing Tincture called Royal Purple High THC Tincture took first place in the Tincture category, and Newell Taylor’s DEPP SKIN—Penetrating Topical Oil from Sacramento County earned first place for Topicals.