The Emerald Cup has announced the judges who will crown the 20th edition of California’s famed cannabis contest born deep in the redwoods of Mendocino County two decades ago.  

As always, the list contains an array of some of the true behind-the-scenes experts in California cannabis, and some of the more public ones, too, but they’re definitely not influencers. About 100 people made the cut this year. The awards will be given out in Oakland on May 4 and May 5.

The judges are broken down into nine teams that will help the Blakes hand out awards in not only the traditional categories like flower, solventless and preroll, but also more cutting-edge offerings like alternative cannabinoids.

“As the California cannabis market expanded, so has The Emerald Cup, and we are proud to once again present the largest and most prestigious cannabis competition in the universe,” said Tim Blake, founder and co-producer of The Emerald Cup. “The diversity in the competitors and their entries is rivaled only by the diversity in our highly esteemed Emerald Cup judges roster, which is thoughtfully selected each year to ensure that the farms and brands that ultimately win an Emerald Cup Award will be worthy of the top-shelf reputation with retailers and consumers alike that is rightfully earned with such victories.”

Blake’s daughter and co-producer Taylor is a key part of the team that whittles down the judges’ applications annually. As the industry moves forward, there are more and more people attempting to enter the fold every year. 

“Each year it’s so hard to pick the judging teams! Being that this is our 20th anniversary, it was important for us to include many of our past judges in the historic celebration,” Taylor Blake told L.A. Weekly. “We looked at each team and tried to put together a really dynamic group of returning and new faces from all over the state of California and all sectors of the industry.”

In recent years, The Emerald Cup has made a deep push to be more of a statewide contest. It’s embodying that more each time with people on podiums from all over southern California after many years of the contest being dominated by producers from up north. The judges’ tables now mirror this more inclusive makeup for the cup. 

Jon Cappetta, High Times VP of Content, will make the trip to Mendocino this year again to rep Los Angeles at the table. 

“I’m very excited to once again see the best products California has to offer and join in on the passionate display that is the final judging process,” Cappetta told High Times. “It’s one of the most exciting weekends of the year. And it’s always an honor to be selected by the team — a highlight not only of the year, but of our respective careers. I look forward to celebrating the 20th anniversary with the community!”

Dee Thai Gummies Founder Josh Schmidt is making the jump over to the prestigious solventless team in his second year judging the cup. He is very excited to see what the state’s best hash makers will enter this year. 

“In the delicate dance of trichomes and terpenes, being a judge at The Emerald Cup offers a front-row seat to the symphony of solventless hash and hash rosin, where each strain tells a story, and every crystal-clear moment is a testament to the artistry of cannabis cultivation,” Schmidt told L.A. Weekly. 

Schmidt will be joined on the solventless team by longtime hash guru Nicholas “Nikka T” Tanem. Tanem has been at the forefront of solventless hash since founding Essential Extracts in 2009. 

“It’s an honor to judge Solventless at one of the most esteemed competitions throughout the world. Truly grateful for the opportunity again this year,” Tanem said. “Over a decade of judging The Emerald Cup, and I’m blessed to call everyone involved family.” 


Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.