Emerald Cup changes its classification system for cannabis strains

A revolution is underway at the Emerald Cup regarding how cannabis excellence is evaluated. The competition who meets every year to elect the best weeds Biologically grown outdoor products and their derivatives will now use a new classification system intended for everyone. Consumers, budtenders, dispensaries, judges, or growers will be able to use this system that will universally rank cannabis based on its terpenes, flavor, and effects.

Abandonment of cannabinoid-only rates

Up to now, the main indicator of power and effect has relied on the THC. Science, however, has converged to prove that terpenes greatly participate in’entourage effect sought by consumers.

However, terpenes, with their unfamiliar names and mysterious effects, have mostly added another layer of confusion for consumers, already complicated by terminology Indica / Sativa / Hybrid too broad, fanciful strain names, irrelevant THC/CBD percentages, and other ambiguous factors that make the process of selecting the best or right strain a less-than-satisfying ordeal for even the most experienced cannabis connoisseurs.

In early 2021, recognizing the early signs of this cultural shift and looking ahead to the 18th annual Emerald Cup Awards, co-producers Tim and Taylor Blake assembled a committee of leading experts, scientists, and past judges—including founder Tim Blake himself—to implement a new terpene-sorting system that would serve as the foundation for the competition judging.

The Emerald Cup 2021-2022 competition will serve as a testing ground for a new Ways to categorize cannabis flowers. Always seeking to standardize the rules of the game and eliminate as much bias as possible in the blind sampling done by the judges of the Emerald Cup each year, the event organizers and their testing partners at SC Labs decided to classify flower categories based on the chemometrics of each cultivar, better known as «chemovar» – the evolution of the term «dominant terpene.».

The brand new classification system builds on last year's approach of sorting flowers by their primary terpene content, leveraging a decade of combined cannabis phytochemistry research between PhytoFacts®, developed by Napro Research in 2013, paired with a robust database of over 250,000 terpene tests aggregated by SC Labs, going back to the launch of their cannabis terpene testing in 2013.

The main class names were chosen to reflect current vocabulary. They are already more or less used in the industry and are familiar to dispensaries and consumers. To improve understanding and adoption, each class is explained in more detail using tasting notes, effects, and common strains or cultivars.

The Emerald Cup cannabis classification classes based on PhytoFacts® powered by SC Labs include:

«Jacks + Haze» Class»

• Varieties predominantly Sativa-oriented‘
• Tasting notes – Fruity, Pine, Haze
• Effects - Energizing, Cerebral, Artistically Inspiring
• Common cultivars: Classic Trainwreck, Jack Herer, Durban Poison, Super Lemon Haze
• Terpene Profile: Terpinolene, Caryophyllene, Myrcene

«Tropical + Floral» Class»

• Mainly Indica-leaning strains‘
• Tasting notes: sweet, floral, tropical fruit
• Effects – Calming, Soothing, Relaxing
• Common cultivars: Super Skunk, Hawaiian, In the Pines, Dream Queen
• Terpene Profile: Ocimene, Myrcene

«Sweets + Dreams» Class»

• Mainly «Indica» type varieties»
• Tasting notes – Fruity, sweet, woody, hoppy, herbaceous
• Effects – Relaxation, Couch Lock, Analgesic
• Common cultivars – Blue Dream, Tangie, Forbidden Fruit, Granddaddy Purple, Purple Urkel, Grape Ape, Cherry AK, God's Gift, Purple Punch
• Terpene Profile: Myrcene, Pinene, Caryophyllene

Class «OGs + Gas»

• True «hybrid» grape varietals»
• Tasting notes: gas, fuel, sweet, citrus, and pepper
• Effect: euphoric, stimulant, analgesic, and relaxing
• Common cultivars: Classic OG Kush, ChemDawg, Sour Diesel, Gorilla Glue
• Terpene Profile: Any changing combination or codominance of Caryophyllene, Limonene, Myrcene

Class «Desserts»

• True hybrid varieties
• Tasting Notes – Desserts, Pastas, Citrus, and Spiced
• Effects – Stimulating, racy, invigorating, comforting
• Common cultivars – Classic Bubba Kush, GSC, Gelatos, Cakes
• Any change in the codominance of Caryophyllene and Limonene

«Exotics» Class (rare terpene combinations)

• Truly «hybrid» varieties»
• Tasting notes – vary based on the chemistry of the herb
• Effect – varies depending on the chemistry of the herb
• Common Cultivars – Rarest Terpene Profiles Featured at the Emerald Cup Competition

The «Dessert» Class»

The «Tropical and Floral» class»

The «Sweet Dreams» class»

The «OG and Gas» club»

The «Jack and Haze» class»

The «Exotics» class»

The system will be used for the first time at the 18th annual Emerald Cup by four teams of expert judges in the categories of Flower, Pre-Rolls, Solventless Concentrates, and Hydrocarbon Solvent Extracts.

This decisive progress in cannabis classification levels the playing field in the 2022 Emerald Cup competition as well as competition between brands in the market. With six easy-to-understand classes/names/descriptions, the system aims to become an open, globally recognized cannabis classification solution. Just like in the wine industry, where you don't judge a Chardonnay against a Merlot, this new system allows for similar varietals to be judged against each other. The California State Fair Cannabis Awards, that will take place in July 2022, will also use this new classification system.

The Emerald Cup 2022 awards will be presented on May 14th at the Green Street Festival in downtown Los Angeles, California. The deadline to submit cannabis products in one of the Emerald Cup's 50 different categories is February 25, 2022.