Our crew had the best time at Meadowlands, a 4-day retreat in the redwoods where industry founders, activists, regulators, and thought leaders gather each year to drive the California cannabis market forward.
Part of our mission at Budist is to elevate the conversation around cannabis by deepening product appreciation, and to support this, we've been hosting cannabis product assessments, similar to sommelier-led wine tastings. Over the past six months, we’ve hosted or participated in 20 events across California, with attendance ranging from 25 to 1,200 people.
At Meadowlands, we hosted three Budist Sessions where we delved into the aroma, appearance, flavor, and effects of different cultivars, and compared and refined our observations as a group. We had the privilege of evaluating three exceptional cultivars: Black African Magic (a landrace strain from The Bohemian Chemist, a sungrown farm in Anderson Valley), James OG (cultivated by Snowtill using living soil in San Francisco), and Glitter Bomb (grown by That Good Good, a small-batch light dep farm in Mendocino County).
A big part of learning to appreciate cannabis is having the language to describe quality and effects, and while the industry is still evolving in this regard, groups like Ganjier are helping lead the way in standardizing education, and at Budist, we aim to be the platform and community where people can come together to share and expand that knowledge.
Looking back to the 1980s, the wine industry in America began to thrive when consumers started to understand quality and appreciate product nuances, and the market at the time was guided by critics—or ‘sherpas’ as we say at Budist—who inspired a passion for wine. From there, a shared language was developed, which has led to the explosion of consumer appreciation we see today.
As someone who’s been a cannabis enthusiast for over a decade and a professional in the industry for six years, I’m energized by the transformation we’re seeing. Building a business during this pivotal moment in history is challenging, but the bigger vision keeps our team motivated, especially because we’re fortunate to collaborate with people like David Hua, Ryan Bush, Cynthia Boedihardjo, and the rest of the Meadow team who share this passion. We're always looking to expand our circle, so if this resonates with you and want to participate/collaborate, you know where to find me!
