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The Highest Critic’s 2023 Highlights

January 16, 2024 Caleb Chen 2023, The Highest Critic

I’ll be honest, last year I thought about doing one of these and ended up never publishing it. So first and foremost, I am grateful to the handful of people that read this and all the recent words of encouragement from Fault Line Seeds, Cannabis Horticulture Association, Tony the Thaiger (yeah I made that up), Burner Bob, and more. Looking back on 2023, I’m thankful to everybody that has lifted me up and all that taught me something. For this high look back at 2023, we’ll start with a chronological chronicling of event recap articles, then a look at highlights from the THC newswire, followed by some notes from my quest to turn back the clock and experience landraces, and what prompted my long overdue but sudden move to Humboldt County.

The Highest Critic recapped events around the country for those that couldn’t make it

Jerry’s Seed Swap in January 2023 was a blast and is returning again for its 2024 rendition to Hopland, CA on 1/27/24. If you want to catch the cannabis culture in action – which is the essence of my recap – you won’t want to miss this event. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/reviews/jerrys-seed-swap-was-a-resounding-success/ Another key event happened the same day down at Green Street in Los Angeles, and while I wasn’t able to attend – the event organizer Jeremy Norrie dropped a fantastic recap article. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/events/american-autoflower-cup-recap-thanks/ In April, I returned to the Soil King Community Center for the Legends of Legacy Marketplace at the Soil King Community Center at the edge of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/events/a-return-to-what-once-was-first-legends-of-legacy-marketplace-is-in-the-books/ Back in Nevada(r), I joined the Chamber of Cannabis for their Cannabis Rally Day, and lobbied for sensible cannabis policy like allowing those with felony convictions to work in the industry and raising purchase/possession limits. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/chamber-of-cannabis-urges-nevada-legislature-to-adopt-sensible-cannabis-policy-at-1st-cannabis-industry-lobby-day/ Looking back… May was a busy month for The Highest Critic. It’s crazy how many events you can hit when you live in a van. The 19th Emerald Cup Awards highlighted the best in CA cannabis at the Craneway Pavilion. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/19th-emerald-cup-awards-highlighted-the-best-in-ca-cannabis-at-the-craneway-pavilion/ While the twofer 2023 Hall of Flowers in Santa Rosa highlighted a bifurcating industry in flux. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/opinion/hall-of-flowers-2023-highlights-a-bifurcating-industry-in-flux/ Going to Cured Cup on the Thrive Homestead really hit the feels and brought me back to the heart of Lake County where I got to smoke some Positronics Haze #19 from Heartrock Mountain Farms and eat dank tacos from Terped Out Kitchen all at the same place. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/1st-cured-cup-celebrated-the-best-in-well-cured-cannabis-flower/ I even made it out to Barbary Coast in San Francisco to attend a Meet the Farmers event. As more dispensaries and lounges host the actual farmers that grow the cannabis being stocked on the shelf, there is a crucial opportunity for real consumers to meet their farmers. If you ever see one of these events at your local dispo – Go! If they don’t have one, ask them to host one. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/recap/barbary-coast-consumption-lounge-hosts-meet-the-farmers-event/ In June, I went to LA and attended the first Mogu Magu Magic Salon which highlighted the hemp goddess from Chinese culture and worked to teach Asian Americans about the Asian origins of cannabis. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/recap/magu-magic-salon-highlights-hemp-goddess-and-cannabiss-asian-roots/ The Mendocino Craft Farmers Auction also returned for its second rendition in Philo, CA at the beautiful The Brambles grounds. Mendo cannabis farmers continued their legacy of supporting the local community, raising funds for new organizations this year. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/mendocino-cannabis-farmers-continue-legacy-of-supporting-local-community/ July marked a trip to the East Coast for the East Coast Connoisseur Cup and many events on the west side. I lament not being able to make it out to NYC for a trip like I did in 2022 – but there’s always the future and I know they’ll keep holding it down out there. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/recap/richmond-virginia-hosts-1st-east-coast-connoisseur-cup/ Back in Cali, the California State Fair was putting on its second show ever and hosted its first ever Cannabis Awards Ceremony where many OGs received Golden Bear Awards. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/the-first-state-fair-cannabis-awards-ceremony-ever-just-happened-in-california/ One series of events that I’m so glad I jumped into attending was Jimi Devine’s Transbay Challenge. I was able to sit in on the qualifier in Sacramento and also Eureka later on in the year. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/a-transbay-challenge-qualifier-story-from-californias-capitol/ One event that I missed that I wish I didn’t was Connoisseur Grade Only’s Hash Hole Island. NorCalCannaBear was on deck and wrote a dank recap of the event. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/reviews/cgos-hash-hole-island-got-the-clouds-goin-up-on-a-tuesday/ I went to MJ Biz Con for the first time in 2023 and saw glimpses of hope for the cannabis industry atop still fermenting flux. Recap: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/glimpses-of-hope-for-the-cannabis-industry-from-mjbizcon-2023/ I ended the year off strong with a trip to Texas and Mexico for a good ol’ taste of The Prohibition. It’s always good to remember what cannabis culture is like elsewhere in the world and to not get engrossed in a Cali bubble. This picture of a hole in the wall in Juarez called Taqueria y Mas La Munchies is all I have to show for that.

2023 was the year that I got to meet movers and shakers in the space like Champelli, Blackleaf and Packgods, Ricardo Baca, and more. Whether any of them remember it – that’s another question :). There were a few events that I attended that I didn’t write about that were very transformational and frankly eye opening if not life changing. The Myco Country Fair at Tan Oak Park was an event that I want to properly attend and recap for The Highest Critic in 2024. Maybe I’ll see some of y’all there? The other events that are still marinating before they go from thought to finger to keyboard to os to ssd are two cannabis pairing dinners I attended in February and April 2023. Suffice to say, if you ever see an event featuring Chef Alex Scherma (what-the-damn-health.com) or The Hash Sommelier and Terpatelier, jump on it no matter the cost. 2023 was also the year that the Budist.com beta came into the public eye under the leadership of two Ganjiers I had the honor of meeting at the Mendocino Craft Farmers’ Auction: Jocelyn Sheltraw and Claudio Miranda. It’s about damn time cannabis was put on a 100 point scale.

The launch of the THC Newswire

The Highest Critic launched its Newswire, and was able to donate its newswire services to non profit organizations such as the Chamber of Cannabis, the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, and Origins Council to announce events such as… A Cannabis Cornucopia News Release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/mca-and-plantshop-to-host-craft-cannabis-cornucopia-on-oct-28th-2023/ Summer Farmers Markets at The Bohemian Chemist News Release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/come-to-the-bohemian-chemist-for-mendo-craft-marketplaces-every-3rd-sunday/ MCA Pledge of Alliance News Release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/mca-2023-pledge-of-alliance-drive-comes-to-philo-ca-on-may-28th The THC Newswire was also able to be a founding media sponsor for key events such as the American Autoflower Cup – which is showing American front and center how far autoflowers have come and is also returning for its second rendition in 2024 to Los Angeles. News release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/american-autoflower-cup-to-show-usa-how-far-autoflowers-have-come/ The East Coast Connoisseur Cup (E3C for short) is another such cup now coming around for its second year that I’m proud to have been a part of. News release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/east-coast-connoisseur-cup-comes-to-richmond-va-on-july-22nd-2023/ One particularly fun event series was Landrace Origins’ High on Flavor Coffee X Cannabis pairing events in Oakland. News release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/high-on-flavor-landrace-origins-first-coffee-x-cannabis-tasting-event/ Or Thailand’s 1st local cup highlighting Thai outdoor flowers aka the ganja: News release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/the-prempavee-1st-ganja-cup-will-highlight-outdoor-thai-ganja-farmers/ Or the launch of Club Swami! News release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/join-club-swami-for-exclusive-access-to-swami-select-flower/ All in all, we supported dozens of events around the world with placement in the THC Newswire and look forward to continuing that trend. THC even dabbled in a little bit of grassroots political activism – throwing our hats in several key fights in the local legislature in Nevada and California. Chamber of Cannabis to host Cannabis Industry Lobby Day in Carson City: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/4-10-chamber-of-cannabis-to-host-cannabis-industry-lobby-day-in-carson-city/ MCA urges Gov Newsom to veto AB 1207: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/mca-urges-gov-newsom-to-veto-ab-1207/

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows

The Highest Critic was forced to remove a strain review about the strain formerly known as Oreoz. Read more about that fiasco here: Oooze…: https://thehighestcritic.com/news/mondelez-forces-namechange-on-the-strain-formerly-known-as-oreoz-oooze/

Notes from The Highest Critic’s quest for landraces

At the beginning of this year, Nadir Pearson of the Hybrid App featured my 2023 goal of smoking, dabbing, and growing more landrace cultivars in a Leafly article. This year, I really delved headfirst into exploring landraces including growing Lemon Hash Plants from Cannabis Horticulture Association, Filipino x Brother’s Keeper from The Seedery and a Thai from Zomia Seeds. I got to talk with Angus from The Real Seed Co., Baaba Qo, Zomia, hear from Kevin Jodrey about his trip to the Tirah Valley in Pakistan, and so much more. Of all the things that I got to try, the rarest by far was the Purple Paro grown and processed by Seeds of Kismet and it takes the cake. That Destroyer (Mexican and Thai) though… a Colombiana, and more. Rizraz emphasized to me that because human selection aka unnatural selection only narrows the genetic pool of potential, it is entirely possible to see generations of human selection of cannabis gene pools reflected in geographical differences in genetic diversity. Take the difference in the “hazey” feels and tastes of a more carrot presenting landrace from Lethoso and the more well known vinegar paint thinner of a Durban Poison despite their close geographical proximity. All this to say, we focus a LOT on microclimate and IMO and terroir but the most key part of terroir is actually the human selection. My biggest takeaway for the year 2023 that I will never stop promulgating, thanks to Angus, is that landraces aren’t wild plants untouched by humans and that spreading that rhetoric is an intrinsically colonial, Western-centric and dare I say whitewashed view of human history – of cannabis and society. There are breeders out there that still work with landraces and – if we were to quantify it – work with plants that have much more genetic biodiversity and therefore medicinal potential. Speaking of which, Hanalei x Durban Poison by Grasshopper was fire and I was able to come across it and so much other rare flower, like Malawi and some Skunks at a meetup in the east bay with Aili Seeds. Dalton even let me try some phenohunts of an OG Kush S1 and a Margie’s Magic from Huckleberry Hill. Growers and breeders that follow their heart, instead of what they think the market wants, deserve all the recognition. Between Jerry’s Seed Swap, the Legends of Legacy Marketplace, going to Area 101 for the first time for a Seed and Scion Exchange, and the East coast action, I was so thoroughly inspired by the search for legacy genetics and can’t wait to continue to do my part. Another noteworthy uppity cultivar with African landrace genetics that tickled that same fancy and put two peps in my step was the Robert Creek’s Congolese x Super Silver Haze by Higher Heights Mendo. Buck N Ham Farm had something crossed with a Uruguayan and a Vietnamese that were delicious. I also wanna note some cultivars I smelled out of the bag or jar that triggered a gag reflex. Skunk #3 by Chris nearly made me puke at an East Bay Seed Collective event. I loved it and will always remember it. Smoked really nice too. Staefli’s garlic bread that I came across at Cured Cup – that gave my esophagus a solid tickle. Proper garlic bud is a thing that some old heads pine for, and this just might have been my first whiff of that family of smells. Don’t hold your breath on finding any of these mentioned cultivars sitting on a dispensary shelf. Why? Next time you’re at a dispo just ask them what their longest flowering flower they have is. As the markets are at historical lows, the race to the bottom really has widespread effects. To combat those effects, education is needed.

The Highest Critic at Cal Poly Humboldt

If you told me earlier in 2023 that I’d be pursuing my M.A. in Public Sociology from Cal Poly Humboldt while working as a research assistant for the Legacy Genetics Grant under Dr. Dominic Corva, I’d ask you for the name of the cultivar you were smoking and where to get some. It wasn’t on my radar, but once it was – it wouldn’t leave. It all started with a timely announcement on THC Newswire for the Origins Council about the largest grant from the latest round of Department of Cannabis Control funding for cannabis research. News release: https://thehighestcritic.com/news-releases/california-awards-2-7m-research-grant-to-study-legacy-cannabis-genetics/ One cold email later to the principal investigator later, I spent the next few months cobbling together an application to Cal Poly Humboldt so that I could become a graduate student. When I heard that I had gotten in, I hopped in the hooptie to scope out whether or not Cal Poly Humboldt would be a welcoming place to move the van. Suffice to say, it was until it wasn’t. Looking back, it’s not that much of a change from being a cannabis journalist to a cannabis researcher. Getting schooled on research methods and social theory has been refreshing. The highlight though, is getting to see the first cohort of Cannabis Studies majors do their thing. I got to sit in on some podcast recordings and my fave by far was listening to Michael Polson chat about his path to becoming head of the Cannabis Research Center at UC Berkeley. Talk about a roadmap. Stay tuned for the Cal Poly Humboldt Cannabis Studies website, Subsistence Crop Podcast, and so much more. I entered the fall semester of 2023 with obligations elsewhere, and spent most weekends driving down the 101 and back or out the 299 to Reno. What a throwback. Anyhoo, when you drive the 101 long enough, you see certain things that iykyk.

unknown hustler on bike with foodsaver 2023 eureka

I don’t know where those packs are landing, but after MJ Biz Con, this was the little reminder that I desperately needed that the culture is still alive.

In Conclusion

This year had highlights like eating at magical cannabis pairing dinners, bartering for rare seeds, foraging for shrooms, figuring out a respectable Hangtown Fry recipe, showing my mom the wonders of tidepooling and finding even more appreciation for Humboldt County, the Emerald Triangle, and the unique place that California has in cannabis culture for better and for worse. Rocking it in Richmond, VA at a legacy cup where anything east of the Mississippi (the River not the state) could be entered, and where a cut called Carolina Cookies won one of the awards, was just further emphasis of that fact. Getting closer to nature is always a goal, and I think I did well this past year on that front. As I sit here in Arcata getting ready for my first class, I can’t help but again be appreciative to anyone reading this. My first class this semester will be Cannabis and Social Equity. How exciting. I’ve ended this year with more questions than I started with. As far as my new path forward as a full fledged cannabis academic, that’s a good thing. To all the reviewers, growers, breeders, rollers, teachers, hash makers, old heads, and young bucks n does that are moving cannabis culture forward from all ends – Happy New Year.