A local cannabis-focused media company is seeking people prolific in pot as it launches its first blind marijuana “taste†test in which consumers buy four unlabeled strains and then review the products online for others to see — almost like a Yelp for marijuana.
The Cannabis Cult is selling the “Connoisseur Pack†at special events across the state. Each pack contains four marijuana strains, at 3.5g each, from four different cultivators. Consumers then take surveys assessing the cannabis, and results are posted on the Cannabis Cult .
“People are buying strains and they don’t know exactly what it is,†said Cannabis Cult co-founder and creative director Aaron Childs. He said he reached out to the initial cultivators included in the first pack, which was released in October at the Greenlight Dispensary in Independence during , a weekly event in which cultivators can sell directly to consumers.
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Buyers won’t know any strain names in the sample packs, but they will know the four cultivators grew the marijuana. For their first pack, the cultivators were VIBE, Vivid, Local Cannabis Co. and Greenlight. Each pack costs $120, a lower price tag than buying the strains individually, Childs said.
The next round will be for sale at a Greenlight Underground event in Joplin, Dec. 15 and 16. This will be the debut of the hash rosin edition as VIBE, Local and Vivid cultivators will be submitting a rosin strain of their choice to compete. The next flower Connoisseur Pack will be for sale at Greenlight Underground in Ferguson, Jan. 12 and 13.
“We’re aiming it at connoisseurs,†Childs said. “It’s going to look good for the cultivators because they are willing to put themselves through that scrutiny and they want that information so that they can make their product better.â€
Childs likened the process to the Pepsi Challenge, in which testers blindly sampled Pepsi and Coke to determine the best of the two sodas — although here, the reviewers are paying for the products.
“We believe that only the best cultivators will want to participate in this because if you’re not a top cultivator and you’re going against someone that is, it just wouldn’t look good for your brand,†he said.
Testers are encouraged to rate each strain on bud size, appearance, structure, aroma, moisture, smoothness of smoke, flavor and effects in an online survey. The strain identities and information are revealed a few weeks after the event.
Since the launch, the Cannabis Cult announced the results and rankings of the October Connoisseur Pack’s mystery strains. Local’s Ice Cream Cake came out on top followed by Vivid’s Florida Kush, Vibe’s Strawberry Gary and Greenlight’s Motor Breath.