Cannabis Cup Winners: We Tell You About It

Did you know that Paradise Seeds is one of the most decorated seed companies in the world? Over the years the company has won more than 50 cannabis cups and awards for its sativa, indica, hybrid and autoflowering and CBD rich strains.

The Paradise Seeds cannabis cup victory run began in 1999 and has continued to the present day. It has included cup wins in Holland, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and Canada and all the highs which go with being judged the best in a cannabis category.

Top performers from the Paradise Seeds catalog include indica heavyweights Sensi Star, Allkush and Ice Cream, sativas Dutch Dragon , Delahaze and Auto Jack and hybrids Acid and Wappa (see below for our list of recommended Cup Winners).

What is it like to Win a Cannabis Cup?

Paradise founder, Luc Krol, remembers the moment that Sensi Star won the High Times Cup in 1999. “Cups and awards are always welcome because they are recognition for all the passion and the hard work a breeder/grower has put into developing a new strain. In some ways those cup victories mean more now because there are so many more cannabis seed companies and new genetics coming out all the time.

However, Paradise Seeds’ first cannabis cup victory in the High Times Cup of 1999 remains such a special memory. The cannabis world was very different back then. There was no internet, the concept of medical cannabis had very limited scientific research behind it and legal recreational cannabis – especially in a country such as the USA – was unthinkable.

In 1999, Amsterdam was the center of the cannabis world and the High Times Cup was at the center of that! So we were there in this big room full of dope smoking Americans in Amsterdam, when the results were announced. The music came on, there was a drum roll and then the MC announced that Sensi Star had won the cup. We went wild! Everyone cheered as we came on stage and I was shouting ‘Legalize it’ and that brought more cheering!” It was this first Paradise Seeds cannabis cup victory which started two decades (and counting!) of success for the company.

What is it like to be a Cannabis Cup Judge?

It may sound like a dream job, but being a cannabis cup judge is hard work. Yes, seriously! Let’s say you had two bags of weed to sample. Would you be able to differentiate the smell, the taste and the subtle differences of effect and articulate the experience for a wider audience in the form of a mini review? OK, how about if that number was 25?! Twenty five high grade strains which you’re not pounding through on party mode, but picking your way through with a critic’s palate!

The Cup entries usually arrive in one big pack and judges have between a week and a month to get down to the business of testing. While the criteria may be slightly different for each competition, the basic checklist for judges in a Cannabis Cup competition is; How does it look? How does it smell? How does it taste?  How does it affect you?

One thing that judges who have written about their experience like to point out is that you cannot just answer ‘strong’ for each category… The other thing that shines through is just how much work is involved in actually smoking your way through a sample bag. Once the judges have smoked and rated there is usually a get together at competition time where the judges swap notes and discuss the strains they have sampled before agreeing the final choice.

Paradise Seeds Cannabis Cup Winner’s Choice

1) Sensi Star : If Paradise Seeds is one of the most decorated seed companies in the world, then Sensi Star must be one of the most decorated strains. This unique indica has won High Life, High Times and Argentina’s Copa Mendoza.

2) White Berry . A winner in Canada’s Treating Yourself Medical Cannabis Cup. A blend of sativa clarity and indica relaxation, this ‘complex’ strain makes the taste buds dance with forest fruits.

3) Nebula : The honey sweet hybrid, so popular with Paradise customers even after all these years, won the Bella Flora cup in Spain.

4) Auto Jack : The autoflowering version of the popular sativa Jacky White won its category in the Highlife cannabis cup in Amsterdam thanks to its Jack Herer and White Widow parentage.

5) Acid : The Paradise twist on NYC Diesel hits all the right notes with its potency and distinctive taste, helping it on its way to victory in Spain’s Copa THC.