Emerald Cup 2024 Session Review

Last weekend, I caught a morning flight from Las Vegas to Oakland for Day 1 of the Emerald Cup! The event was held in the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center on the south side of Lake Merritt. When I arrived, the line was wrapped around the building to get in, but things moved quickly. I ended up running into the man himself, Mr. Tim Blake, the founder of the Emerald Cup right inside the doors. Then, I made my way to the theater where sessions were being held for the day. I planned to camp out in the session rooms to learn from the great folks speaking and I ended up watching all six panels.

First up for the day was a session called “New Faces of Cannabis Content Creators & Influencers.” This one was moderated by KC Santana (Chiefah Entertainment) and the panel included Sue Carlton (Ranchera Familia Farm), Jeff Levers (Beard Bros Pharms) and Jocelyn Sheltraw (Budist). Jeff mentioned the IG shadow bans and how their audience grew organically over time and tends to be the people who know them already or have sought them out. He explained a little bit about the trajectory of Beard Bros from products in California to those out of state and how the media side of their business took form. Jocelyn highlighted the need for authenticity in the industry and expressed her respect and admiration for the written word in the space. Sue discussed the need to come across organically and make sure to provide info as a content creator that the masses can consume,not everyone is as deep into this game as we all are.

The conversation moved towards monetization where KC said to get paid because it takes time and energy to create. Sue added to this by explaining how you need to ask for what you want/need in the space, and Jeff put the cherry on top of the conversation saying sometimes you just need to find the right people and put them together for success in creating monetized content. At this point, KC pulled out the divination question and asked where the industry and its content creators would be in five years. Jocelyn gave a wine industry example and said the folks speaking up now and making content will be the leading voices in the future. Sue was more ambivalent about the cannabis industry changing so rapidly; it is hard to know what would happen in five years. It boils down to being a good person because time will suss out those who are not at the end of the day. Jeff added some more optimism to the future outlook mentioning that the people outside of the industry bubble are only just now understanding the power and reality of the cannabis consumer. He sees things changing for the better over the next five years. 

Session 2 for the day was called “Shining a Light: The Art and Science of Sungrown Organic Cannabis.” The moderator was Lindsay Maharry (Journalist) and her panel of guests included Tina Gordan (Moon Made Farms), Christina Wong (Fruit and Flower), Dr. Riley Kirk (Natural Medicine Research, Education & Advocacy) and Colleen King (Ganjier & Buddist). There’s something special about outdoor flower done right, and these folks dug into the magic! Opening up with a conversation around living soil, the speakers elaborated on the regular stress plants receive outdoors vs the nice catered environments of indoor grows and how this creates more resilience in the plants causing a different terpene and cannabinoid expression. Tina explained how she looks at cultivation as an art form and added that the soil is the canvas or the stock for the soup. They make several types of teas at her farm to keep the soil lovely and ready to grow.

Then, the conversation turned to a topic that’s been overlooked by the materialistic fast-moving cannabis industry - the cure. Businesses are eager to sell and rarely cure too long, and there’s a consumer preference for “fresh” flower, as if flower goes bad sitting on the shelf too long. This myth was dispelled in the conversation, and it was discussed how proper post-harvest handling and packaging can push a cure out over 6 months to create a rich nuanced aroma and experience from the flower after giving it time to sit and do its thing. Riley added that ethylene is released during the cure which creates soluble sugars that give the flower a sweeter taste but also added that the monoterpenes tend to dissipate over that time. Towards the end of the session, there was a discussion covering how quick-moving operations and short flower times allow a narrow amount of cultivars to thrive. The way the industry is doing things now is not providing the breadth and depth that’s possible for cannabis. Kristina added that the dispensary she works at called Cornerstone has the most sungrown varieties in the whole state and that people seek it out. At the end of the day, consumers need to ask for sungrown to get businesses to recognize the value, and the days of long cure are right around the corner if any businesses can just hold out and cure the product effectively.

Session 3 started up right after, it was called “Let’s Be Blunt - Time to Mobilize Change, Cannabis and Controversy.” This session was moderated by Salwa Ibrahim (Cannabis Entrepreneur) and her panel of guests included Elliot Lewis (Catalyst), Bill Levers (Beard Bros Pharms) and Nina Parks (Equity Trade Network). This discussion cut to the main issues in California’s cannabis industry and looked at the potential for change and what changes may be needed. The reality is, as Elliot explained, the taxes are way too high on the industry. Most of the money from taxes goes to the SEIU and the police. Salwa asked if cannabis businesses can survive under the current structure, and the consensus was yes, but they cannot thrive, so many businesses have had to close up shop because they can’t afford it anymore as the government profits off them. Bill explained the tax structure and pointed out the brutal realities of compounding taxes in the state. Nina proposed trying to appeal to the wider masses to garner support for small businesses and increase jobs in the state. She pointed out that cannabis was a movement before it was an industry, and we need that movement mentality again to enact change.

Considering industry-wide change in the state, Elliot explained how most people in the industry can’t agree to anything, citing the recent AB2223 as an example. It has been approved and sent to the Senate to potentially ban the sale of synthetic and high-THC hemp products in the state. If people can’t agree, then people can’t make any bigger changes. The separating camps within the industry all have profit in mind, as does the government, and this is royally messing up the potential of the industry. Salwar asked in response if it would be possible to unite the industry and Bill agreed that it was technically possible, but Prop 64 couldn’t be recreated at this point so much of it would need to be amended and changed to make the ideal situation. Nina added that the amendments are all created by people who have no skin in the game, as they play the game of government which makes it difficult to get support for change. The group did agree that medical patients should be completely tax-exempt and that exporting out of California could make the state happy and save some of the small businesses as many others would want to try the legendary outdoor flower created in the state. The hard part about exporting is that it would most likely not be favored in other state markets as they would lose business to California. This was a tough conversation, but it’s this kind of discussion that needs to be had in the space. Our movement and passion has been monetized and commoditized, which creates a whole slew of stakeholders that are in it to profit. 

Session 4 for the day was called “Our Legacy is Your Legacy: Breeders and the Importance of Genetic Preservation.” The moderator was Genine Colman (Origins Council) and the panel included Jesse Dodd (Breeder/Leaf Works), Eleanor Kuntz (Leaf Works), Reggie Weedman (Breeder and Consultant) and Dan Pomerantz (Rebel Grown). The conversation opened up by discussing breeding for preservation vs for the market. Reggie jumped into this one explaining that THC isn’t enough and that the modern market and COA (Certificate of Analysis) focus is impacting the available biodiversity. Dan added that biodiversity in seed stocks is essential to the industry even though more selective refinement needs to be done afterward. There’s not a definitive definition of “quality” so it’s become an arms race for brands and marketers where the light should be turned back towards quality cannabis and unique cultivars.

Genine explained a little about the Origins Council’s work and efforts to preserve and celebrate geographic indication systems for cannabis, and Eleanor added to this with details about the Leaf Works project. Leaf Works is doing plant DNA testing to allow for data-driven decision-making and ways for cultivators and consumers to know what they have is one cultivar vs another. Jesse explains that cannabis cultivation is a work of art that requires a scientific mind and a connection to the land in outdoor operations. From my perspective watching this one, the need to shine a light on this connoisseur-level appreciation of cultivars is massive but the brands and marketing of the cannabis industry are obfuscating things for profit. Again, that whole money thing tends to get in the way. It was an excellent conversation all around, and I learned about several cultivars that I’d like to track down someday. 

The fifth session of the day was called “Hashing it Out: Terps and Technique for Solventless Concentrates.” The moderator was Jimi Devine (Journalist/Connoisseur Advocate) and his panel included Edgar Pena (Masonic Smoker), Mike (Trichome Tortoise) and Ashley Gaertig (Ice Out Extract). These folks are making some of the best solventless hash in the state and pushing the envelope on the product. All three have award-winning solventless and together brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the stage. Jimi opened the conversation up by asking about trends in solventless and what they’re seeing starting to gain traction as extractors. Edgar explained how it’s been a chase for Skittelz crosses (Z blends) the last six years, but there’s been a pivot to more gas cultivars like OG Chem, SFOG and GMO recently. The solventless world is starting to dig into more legacy and East Coast cultivars, checking to see what washes well and what doesn’t. After some stories and comments here, the group addressed why solventless on the rec market can’t compete with solventless on the street. It all comes down to numbers and the profit needed for businesses that ends up churning out mids where dedicated passionate folks underground are extracting due to their love of the products.

Solventless were slow to grow with shatter and other solvent-based systems taking the focus for many years. Jimi asked the group when solventless concentrates won the war. Outside of needing less technical setups, solventless splashed into the scene in full force ~2013 and grew steadily since then, providing the best aroma and flavor. The whole group preferred hash over flower due to the evolution it has undergone over the last decade. They shared several techniques for ensuring a solid yield and covered the whole process from freeze-dry or cold air dry out to extraction while taking some questions from the audience that were all very informative. This had me itching to extract my next harvest to join in on the artisanal goodness. When asked about the best things they’ve dabbed recently, Edgar called out BJ Farms and their Rainbow Melts. Mike mentioned the Grape Overload #10 from Heads that Roll. Ashley’s best in the last few months was Deathstar from Dogman in Michigan. They also discussed what to search for in selecting good cultivars to wash including growth patterns, finish time, yields, pest/mold resistance, significance (uniqueness) and experience. They stressed that it is important to get a front-row seat and not to trust someone's word on what will and will not wash well. It was a very informational sesh with some heavy hitters in solventless. 

Last, but certainly not least on the session lineup was number 6 called “Psychedelics: What’s Hot and Driving the New Movement.” Before the session, the crowd received a serious warning about not smoking in the sessions. I thought this was odd at the Emerald Cup, as people had been smoking/vaping in the room for the last five hours, but they have to keep the event folks happy here. Still, a little wild getting a don’t smoke in here warning while the rest of the building was completely smoked out. The moderator for this session was Mara Gordon and her panel included Reggie Harris (Hyphae Cup), Dave Hodges (Oakland Psychedelic Church) and Tracey Stansbury (Lotus Church). The group discussed psychedelic potency testing and the complete lack of accurate testing on most products. Similar to the cannabis entourage effect, psilocybin is not the only tryptamine that contributes to the experience and effects of mushrooms. Reggie tests for 13, but there are many more in the mix. The reason this came up is that a turn towards synthetics has been gaining more popularity where psilocin is used only, this provides a trip but not the one you’d get with the whole mushroom and its combination of chemicals. 

The group next discussed Dave’s psychedelic potency calculator for folks to find an estimated dosage for the different levels of a trip based on their body weight and the mushrooms being eaten, covering microdoses to perceivable doses followed by intense doses before profound and ultimately the breakthrough dose. This led to a few great tangents on set and setting becoming more important as you rise through the dosage levels. Mara acknowledged the waves of cannabis folks that are moving into psychedelics and asked if this was a realistic stepping stone or if the two were distinct industries. Dave responded that the scale of the industries is completely different, where cannabis can be consumed every day, psychedelics, especially heavy doses, are not, so they are two different industries and approaches. The group did agree on cannabis having forged a path for psychedelics though especially in testing and regulations to come. Reggie mentioned here how people with psychedelic experience and a passion are the right fit for the new industry, but commercialized and corporate structures are not. Then, conversation ended with some discussion around the church format and process in Oakland with decriminalization. All in all, a great little chat about mushrooms and psychedelic experiences along with the potential of an industry to come. 

This article would be three times as long if I went into any more detail on the sessions, but I hope you’ve gotten a general sense of the conversations that went down in the theater during Emerald Cup. All of the panels were great, passionate and knowledgeable. The discussions were more than the advertisements that some panels can boil down to. Make sure to check the sessions out next year and tune into these speakers online to follow their journeys. Emerald Cup was a gathering of consumers and connoisseurs to support and curate the best products in the state. Look for more news about this year's winners and join the conversation.