Craft cannabis growers, scientific weed snobs, industry innovators, and stoners are meeting at the Cultivation Classic to celebrate the genetic and cultural diversity that permeates the cannabis industry.
Taking over Portland, Oregon, on May 17 and 18, 2019, the event celebrates regenerative craft cannabis, highlighting inventory from across the state of Oregon. All of the weed in its competition has very diverse genetic backgrounds and physicochemical makeup. It’s also uniquely sun-grown, which nods to the event’s regenerative roots.
“Sustainability is what the Cultivation Classic was founded on. To celebrate regenerative cannabis grown by craft cultivators in this state. Every year we do this, it gets better and better,” said Adie Rae, Ph.D., founder of Smart Analytics LLC, the producer of The Cultivation Classic since its inception in 2016. “It is more refined, more diverse, more comprehensive. The data we get to share with the world and with the cultivators gets more and more detailed.”
Growers competing represent 48 licensed cultivation companies, including legacy Oregon family Snodgrass Farms, Phantom Farms, Deschutes Growery, and Cannassentials, to name a few. Producers come from farms scattered across Portland and the state, and four dozen are competing in 2019.
Awards are given for the best cannabis in Type 1 (THC), Type 2 (mixed THC-and-CBD ratio), and Type 3 (CBD), for both Sun and Supplemental Light. More awards are given for Hemp, Terpene Diversity, Terpene Intensity, and Credible Cultivar.
The event will award one outstanding farm with its Regenerative Cannabis Farm Award (2018’s winner was Green Source Gardens), as well as an Energy Innovation Award. “The whole reason that the Cult Classic exists is to highlight the importance of regenerative farming,” Rae said. “We know that the future of cannabis is entirely based on sustainable practices, it’s of utmost importance. It’s the foundation for all of this.”
The 2019 Cultivation Classic even offers some new categories thanks to its extensive data on these flowers. One of those new awards that Rae is especially excited about is the Ladies Choice award. “We really looked into what the sex differences are,” she said. “What did women report as more favorable, what did men report as more favorable?”
The Cultivation Classic has an exhaustive judging process. It considers 120 evaluators who all receive the weed samples with only the knowledge of “Type.” The panel of judges is made up of industry experts, scientists, dispensary owners, growers, and even consumers. Anyone can apply, but participants then must meet qualifications and even do in-person training. The “double blind” impartial judging process also puts an emphasis on “mindful consumption,” which its website gives tips for, including “2-3 minute cognitive and/or breathing exercises” before consumption.
“We made a really concerted effort this year to converge judges that are really diverse, represent Portland in every metric,” Rae said. “We are really capturing the consumer perspective more than ever. In previous years, the focus has always been about celebrating craft cannabis, but this time, it’s really a meeting between the craft cannabis producers and the community.”
Feature Image: Photo by Weedmaps.
