2014 Secret Cup SoCal Regional Winners Announced
by Drake Dorm
In what is a nationwide tournament to celebrate cannabis concentrates, this year’s edition of the Secret Cup got off to a start in Southern California this week. As evidenced by the amount of people who showed up to the awards venue Saturday night, the secret is out.
Now in its third year, the Secret Cup has become one of the most popular events the cannabis industry has to offer. What really makes the competition tick is that its founders placed an emphasis on low entry fees for competitors and blind peer-testing to ensure fairness. It truly is a national tournament made by hash makers, for hash makers.
Concentrate Makers Get The Royal Treatment In The Secret House
Although the public event and awards ceremony took place on Saturday, the competitors and VIPs were able to enjoy an entire week in sunny southern California at the Secret House. Tucked safely away in the Hollywood Hills, the Secret House offered an oasis for everyone involved with the event.
Although the house itself is a sight to see, the real attraction was the people that made their way in and out of the doors throughout the week.
Some of the best concentrate makers in the nation met under the same roof to compare notes while indulging in connoisseur quality concentrates.
Even better, the hosts of the Secret House went to every length to ensure that the competitors, and those who chose to splurge on VIP tickets, experienced the utmost comfort. This was especially true during Friday’s VIP pool party and BBQ, when the close-knit concentrate community joined together in the comfort of the Secret House for a relaxing day before a busy final day of the Secret Cup. This is when the doors opened to the public for live music, glass-blowing, and festivities surrounding dab culture.
The 2014 Secret Cup Opened Its Doors To The Public Saturday
Those in attendance at Saturday’s public expo were able to experience just about everything you would expect from a HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cup, but on a noticeably smaller scale. It only took about 5 minutes to walk around the perimeter of the event and take a quick peek at the collection of vendor booths and entertainment available.
However, that didn’t seem to be the event’s focus. It was held at an indoor/outdoor venue, and tables were lined up at either location for attendees to dab with friends new and old. In fact, there seemed to be more space to sit and dab out than there was vendor space. Of course, this made it relatively easy to find a place to medicate once you found the concentrate of your choice.
Not to say that the lack of booths was a bad thing, but those heading to the next event in as a general admission attendee should know that they’re much more likely to enjoy their experience if they treat it as a BYOB affair. Even if you purchase concentrates at the event, it is advised that you bring a glass piece of your own to enjoy the event to the fullest. This way you can simply find an empty seat and set up shop with a few like-minded people for as long as you’d like.
The 2014 Secret Cup SoCal Regional Winners Announced
For those who don’t know, the Secret Cup is a year-long tournament with stops in 5 states: Colorado, Rhode Island, Nevada, Washington, and 2 stops in California. The top 3 finishers from each regional event are then invited to compete in the national finals at the end of the year in Denver in order to crown a national champion.
39 concentrate makers competed in this year’s SoCal Secret Cup. For the first time ever, they were each subjected to Steep Hill Halent’s new trace residual solvent analysis in order to help determine a winner.
With help from the lab results, blind judging took place. Judges focused on characteristics like flavor, consistency, and aroma — and it was this criteria that was used to choose thee top three concentrate entries.
Saturday’s public expo exists mainly to offer a public forum for the winners to be announced. According to the results, some new faces were worthy of a trip to Denver this year. Roilty Extracts took 1st place overall, and Chill Hill Extracts took 3rd.
Still, Brutal Bee Concentrates offered a familiar face on the podium, taking 2nd place in the competition. They took 1st and 2nd at the San Bernardino Cannabis Cup also, proving their entries are one of the most consistent favorites among competitors. All eyes are now on the future, as the competitors focus on improving their processes and gear up for another round of Secret Cup regionals.