Some of the best pot on earth is grown under the sun, far from the artificial lights of a warehouse. But outdoor weed can also be some of the absolute worst, most commodified cannabis. So how can you support environmentally friendly pot while also making sure you’re getting a dank bag of weed?
One way is to pay attention to the Sun Cup, an annual competition between outdoor farmers put on by the Washington SunGrowers Industry Association (WSIA). The contest attracts some of the best outdoor growers in the state, so any farm that wins at this spring event is definitely growing some superb weed. I’ve discovered some of my favorite farms, like Kiona Gardens and Eagle Trees, by paying attention to Sun Cup winners. (I’ve copied and pasted a list of them into the bottom of this post; follow these farms and you’ll find great weed.)
Jeremy Moberg, the owner of CannaSol Farms and the founder of the WSIA, told me that about 30 farms took part in the recent 2019 competition. Judges were given unlabeled bags containing samples to ensure that they were judging the pot without knowing who grew it.
“The judges are budtenders and influencers and it is completely blind. All the judges get is a black bag with a number,” Moberg said.
That’s good to hear, because Moberg and his farm cleaned up this year. CannaSol won three categories and Moberg himself won an “outstanding cannabis advocate” award. Did Moberg just give himself an award from a trade group he helped create? “No, I didn’t give myself an award!” he insisted. “It sure it looks like though. My board gave it to me, I didn’t know it was happening!”
It does make some sense that Moberg would get the award, considering he has long track record of advocating for pot, including being one of the people that convinced the state to legalize outdoor pot in the first place.
Thanks to Moberg, we have the option to choose outdoor weed when we visit a legal pot shop. Check out the list of winners below to discover some of the farms you should be looking for on your next visit to the pot shop—CannaSol included.
2019 Sun Cup Award Winners:
Best THC Cartridge
Olala Double Lemon CheesecakeBest CBD Cartridge
Canna Organix CBD RemedyBest CBD Concentrate
Puffin Farm CBD YummyBest Solventless Concentrate THC
Constellation Brands Kimbo Kush SHOBest CO2 Dab THC
Puffin Farm Dutch TreatBest Live Resin Concentrate
Canna Organix Sour TangieBest Hydrocarbon Dab THC
Canna Organix The GlueBest Infused Joint
Puffin Farm TrifectaBest Full-Term Sungrown Flower CBD
CannaSol Farm Pine TsunamiBest Light-Deprivation Sungrown Flower CBD
Lazy Bee Gardens Remedy CBDBest Full-Term Sungrown Flower THC
CannaSol Farm 9lb HammerBest Light-Deprivation Sungrown Flower THC
Lazy Bee Gardens Tesla TowerBest Overall
CannaSol Farm 9lb HammerOutstanding Cannabis Advocate
Jeremy Moberg2019 Sun Cup Runners-Up
Full Term THC
Acme Diesel “Blueberry Indica”
Ritual Cannabis “Manzari Grape”Full Term CBD
Puffin Farm “Dan Remey”Light Dep THC
Aloha Botanics “DJ Short Blueberry”
Wild Wood Flower Farm “Glueberry OG”Light Dep CBD
Eagle Trees “Royal AC/DC”
CannaSol Farms “Cashy’s Honey”Solventless Concentrate
High Five Farms “Purple Punch”
Constellation Brands “Gelato SHO”CO2 Dab
Puffin Farm “Strawberry Cough”
Puffin Farm “Holy Grail Kush”Hydrocarbon Dab
Canna Organix “Golden Lemons”
Canna Organix “Silver Tip”Live Resin Concentrate
High Country Horticulture “Mac Live Reis PHO”
FourDub Farms “Midnight Fantasy Live Resin”THC Cartridge
Canna Organix “Forbidden Fruit”
Puffin Farm “Holy Grail Kush”CBD Cartridge
Olala “Cashy’s Honey”
Heylo “Aliens on Moonshine”CBD Concentrate
Canna Organix “CBD Remedy”
CannaSol Farms “Cashy’s Honey Hash Balls”Infused Joint
CannaSol Farms “Cashy’s Honey”
CannaSol Farms “Double Lemon Cheesecake”
