Extract Competitions Highlight the Best of the Industry

Over the past several years, the move towards marijuana legalization has led to massive changes in not only the consumption of marijuana products, but the quality of cannabis strains, marijuana concentrates, and their delivery systems as well. The cannabis industry has seen explosive growth in product variety and sales that have amounted to hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue. This changing of the industry landscape continues to drive advancements, as extensive research continues to push new technologies which have improved the experience and safety for the consumer.

With this heightened quality and variety, a multitude of extract and other cannabis competitions have sprung up across the nation, in which companies in the marijuana and vape industries put their products to the test. From the High Times Cannabis Cup series, to the Farmers Cup, to the WeedCon Cup, marijuana extract competitions have become a prevalent and important part of the industry, and in the process, have created standards that measure everything from the best weed strains to vape pens.

Their Impact on the Industry

While serving as a way of assessing levels of excellence, these competitions also set and establish industry relevancy as they have become the showcase of technological advances. Gone are the days of having the singular choice of metal cartridges and cookie cutter weed vape pens, as various companies have looked for ways to improve on those dated designs and methods.

In addition to being competitions, these events serve as informational outlets, offering seminars that cover all the latest in marijuana news, from cannabis strains to resin carts, and even indica vs sativa comparisons and benefits. In many ways, they have become the reservoir of cumulative knowledge, as well as the arena to exchange ideas, perform consumer research, and determine the next advancements.

Cannabis Extract Competitions – Some of the Best

The High Times Cannabis Cup

The High Times Cannabis Cup, which started as a small competition in Amsterdam 35 years ago, has now become one of the leading cannabis extract events in the United States. This long running competition focuses on various cannabis strains, breaking the competition into categories such as hybrid flowers, Indica flowers, solvent and non-solvent concentrates, and many more. It’s one of the few competitions that incorporates both industry experts and scientific testing to judge and rate contest results.

The Cultivation Classic

This event is one of the most rigorous and respected events of its kind, in which over 150 judges have 30 days to evaluate entries. These tests are run under blind conditions, meaning judges do not know the name of the product, the producer, chemotype, potency or terpene profile when making their assessments. Industry experts and consumers hold this competition in high regard, as its thorough and extended examination of all products upholds the integrity of its results.

The WeedCon Cup

The WeedCon Cup holds the distinction of being the competition that caters equally to both industry members and consumers, and this competition serves to drive its mission of providing information gathering, as well as educational, networking and business opportunities. It has a plethora of categories that touch upon every part of the extract market, including hybrids, Sativa, and exotic blends. It assigns awards to both traditional and vaporization technologies, and even has infused categories.

The Emerald Cup

Hailed as the Oscars of the cannabis industry, the Emerald Cup is a celebration of growers and the growing culture. Its concentration on farming, harvesting technologies, and the organic lifestyle, the Emerald Cup is a favorite on the competition circuit for industry members and consumers alike. Its categories have experts in every area including extracts, resins, and vapes, and is one of the most coveted awards in the market.

Hardware Competitions

Though they originally served as competitions for the organic material, they have now begun to do more than just evaluate cannabis strain quality and potency. As ongoing research and technology have continued to advance, especially in vaporization delivery, these events have also become the venues in which marijuana and vaporization hardware companies can measure where they stand in the market.

Highlighted Changes in the Market

As the industry grows, the greater the specialization, as sophisticated technologies in ceramics have now become one of the most preferred delivery systems, overtaking dab pens and cheap vape pens. These technologies do not only have a massive impact on flavor, but on potency delivery and efficacy. It is because of these new technologies, that every aspect of cannabis, whether it be flower extracts or resin carts, has had to change its metrics in evaluating quality and the overall consumer experience.

Awards Garnered by the New Tech of S10Labs

Some of the most high-level advances in delivery systems have been witnessed in ceramic vape pens. Recently, S10 Labs introduced its Zirco line technology. Recognizing the problems caused by metal alloys, S10 Labs circumvented those issues by moving to a full zirconia ceramic cartridge, greatly increasing its structural integrity and maintaining thermal stability, even at the highest temperatures.

Although there are other ceramic cartridges on the market, the advancements made by S10 Labs and their patented Zirconia technology, is viewed as the highest quality vaporization delivery system on the market. This excellence has also been recognized at some of the top competitions in North America as their product line garnered first place awards for best vape pens for weed at competitions in Massachusetts, Washington, Arizona, California and Colorado.

The Future of Competitions & Ceramic Cartridges

Moving forward, extract competitions across the country will be celebrating advancements and creating new categories. These events will highlight upgrades in cartridges, oil absorption, and safety. In addition, sustainability will become more prominent, as consumers become more socially aware of the environmental impact of cannabis products. Some companies, such as S10 Labs, have already begun this process, as their partnership with Crativ, a state of the art, environmentally friendly packaging company, has demonstrated.

Their efforts also extend to creating vape cartridges that are resistant to deterioration, leaking, or shattering. This provides their customers with better flavor and efficacy, and more efficient product use, while at the same time increasing its sustainability properties, and maintaining S10 Labs as a responsible community partner. Moving forward, S10 Labs will continue its research and development to be a leader in vape technology and sustainability, to maintain its place of excellence in the industry and community responsibility.