Last week, I drove a few hours to Seattle to pick up a big box of anonymous weed nugs and pre-rolls. This was the first step in my experience judging flower and joints for the Northwest Leaf Bowl, the quintessential Washington state cannabis cup organized by Leaf Magazines. I have had the honor of deciding on the best weed in this state once before for the third and final Terpestival in 2019. That experience was not good, to say the least–and it was all my doing.
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I picked up that judging box with excitement about all the weed that I would get to smoke, not realizing that I had a monumental task ahead of me. I saved that pack for the final week of tortured smoking, being far too stoned, and not providing a solid view of each strain. That is one reason I have approached the Leaf Bowl mathematically, sharing every step on Instagram. People have responded by asking how I will possibly smoke through 133 weed products and give an accurate view of them. Well, like this.
How the Leaf Bowl works
When judging a cannabis cup, there is much to be done before ever lighting up a bud. The Leaf Bowl does blind judging, meaning bags are set up in unidentifiable packaging and tracked by a code. The Leaf team split flower into nine flavor-focused sections: Sweets & Dreams, Desserts, Jacks & Hazes, Gas, OG, & Chem, Tropical & Floral, CBD Rich, Exotics, undefinable Open Category, and Citrus.
On top of that, samples are separated by method into Indoor, Sungrown, Mixed-Light Greenhouse, and Light Dep. There are also two moon rock entries and a handful of pre-rolls (infused and traditional). Flower, moon rocks, and pre-rolls will take different approaches to decipher quality. Break apart moon rocks to view the layers of products before smoking to gauge smoothness and effect. Dry inhale pre-rolls for flavor. Once smoked down, I observe the color of the ash and how evenly the rollie burns.
As for flower, I take a few more steps.
Savor the touchpoints
My very first step is to open up the bag or jar and take a big whiff. That initial release of air is often a rich bouquet of the terpenes and scents within. If I sense anything off-putting, it immediately creates a red flag that I’ll follow up on in the visual inspection.
Next, I’ll pluck the nug from the bag and observe the trichomes, coloring, stickiness, and bud structure. I scan for any signs of mold or bud rot, often indicated in the aroma. Lastly, I identify any spaces that look to be trimmed out, which could mean there at one point was something undesirable in there. Those who choose to machine trim are docked points from me, I like a natural, artisanal appearance. After getting a good look at the nugget, I break it up to pick up more of the aromatic notes and eventually grind it for one last moment at the scent.
After thoroughly engaging with the aesthetic experience, it’s time to get high. I prefer to judge flower in two parts. I start with a bong rip followed by a Volcano bag. The bong is my favorite way to experience how a specific strain makes me feel, while the Volcano provides the clearest flavor.
The bong is a clear indicator of smoothness as well. A lot of coughing and a sore throat will likely point to a poor cure if other things, like powdery mildew, have already been ruled out. Getting high before pinpointing the flavor helps me key into the more subtle impressions once I move onto the Volcano. My high brain is more apt to linger in the moment, finding all of the pieces that make up the dankness. I use an old cannabis flavor wheel while smelling and tasting each strain to properly name what I sense.
The touchpoints of judging cannabis are somewhat different for each expert. Taking a dry pull from a joint provides a wholesome taste of a strain, but if I used that method, I’d have to roll 133 joints in less than a month. I know from experience with the Terpestival that is just not something I want to do–again. And FYI, that is not the only weed math that goes into successfully judging an extensive cannabis competition.
Weed math for judging a cannabis cup
Finding out if the weed is solid is only one part of the process; a good cannabis cup judge has a system. After flying into Terpestival with no foundation, I entered the NW Leaf Bowl with a plan. I plugged the number of days and products into an equation, figuring out that I needed to judge five per day. However, my husband frequently works 24-hour shifts, so I have to smoke more on certain days to make up for abstinence during long-term mom duty. I can’t be high while driving my toddler around all day, even as a cannabis cup judge.
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Once a daily goal is set, time per day must be considered. The Leaf Bowl asks judges to rate the Appearance, Aroma, Flavor, Cure, and Effects with a number, one through 10. One could go through every strain and rank the appearance and smell before smoking their way through over time, but I prefer to rate each note in one shot.
I need to wait a few hours between strains for the previous strain to wear off, which plays a role in how I meter out the entries. I can’t smoke all five in a row and check it off the list for the day. I have to start around seven or eight a.m. to stay on course.
Things are already complicated, but there is even more to factor in. I have no idea which of these mystery weed bags will make me feel focused and chipper or sleepy and stoney. Thanks to the categories, I can lean more towards Jacks & Hazes, Citrus, and Sweets & Dreams in hopes of getting sativas in the morning hours–but you truly never know. This conundrum has me starting the clock earlier so I can ensure a rogue late sativa doesn’t keep me up all night. If that were to happen, thankfully I always have high-dampening products on-hand.
Being a cannabis cup judge is not as simple as getting high and voting; there is planning that goes into every aspect. If not, you end up hoisted with your own petard.
Cannabis judging is fun but not a game
Thinking about judging a cannabis competition is dreamy. The idea of getting a big box of weed is enough to make anyone who partakes giddy. On top of that, people want to know your opinion about it, too. It is awesome, to be honest. The good is real, but, as you can see, there is also a lot of work that goes into the process.
Northwest Leaf Bowl judges will have their results turned in by 4/20, and winners are set to be announced at a party in Seattle in late May. Those in Washington can stay tuned to attend to see who grows the best weed–and meet them too.
