16TH ANNUAL CANNABIS CUP

GROWER.CZ PRESENTS THE 16TH-ANNUAL CANNABIS CUP

-Best Weed from a Coffeeshop-

CANNABIS CUP - GREEN HOUSE - HAWAIIAN SNOW
SILVER MEDAL - DAMKRING - NYC DIESEL
BRONZE MEDAL - BARNEY'S - LAUGHING BUDDAH

-Best All-Around Coffeeshop-

COFFEESHOP CUP - GREEN HOUSE
SILVER MEDAL - BARNEY'S
BRONZE MEDAL - DAMKRING

I first visited the Netherlands in 1987 to write an article on the founder of Holland's first cannabis-seed company. Titled "The King of Cannabis," the article described how an Australian named Nevil established a mail-order company in Holland. He lived in a mansion filled with growrooms that I dubbed "Cannabis Castle." While working on the article, I met the founders of Cultivators Choice, an almost defunct American cannabis-seed company. They told me about the spectacular California harvest festivals of the '70s. That's when I got the idea of holding a cannabis harvest festival in Amsterdam.

In January, our former grow guru Dr. Indoors, a photographer and I flew over as the only three judges. Four seed companies entered: Super Sativa Seed Club, Sensi Seed Club, the Seed Bank and a late entry, Cultivators Choice, who won the Cup. However, Nevil had already purchased all the Cultivators Choice strains, including Skunk #1, Haze and Pollyanna. Cultivators Choice soon disbanded, and Nevil dominated the event for the next few years using their stock.

Surprisingly, there wasn't a lot of support for the Cup inside High Times. Someone branded it a scheme for me to disappear with my friends and consume cannabis for a week. Stung by this criticism, I decided not to attend the vastly underfunded event for a while. Instead, I pondered a return in the distant future.

by Steven Hager