Last year, we were approached on Instagram by the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Awards. We were invited to join the professional jury and judge the samples from the cannabis cup. Of course, we didn’t have to think long about this opportunity, so we seized the chance to see how things go at this cannabis cup. We were asked to judge the following three categories: sativa, hybrid, and the ‘Premium Pre-Roll’ category.

From the samples, we chose the most beautiful and best-smelling bud based on looks and scent to highlight further. We don’t know which strain it is but only received the code ‘H2’. So, we don’t have a strain name, breeder, or coffeeshop where the weed comes from. All we know is that it’s a sample from the hybrid category.

Import Appearance

H2 is a beautiful bud to see, clearly with a hybrid structure leaning towards the indica side. Overloaded with trichomes and some dark colors here and there, it’s a gorgeous bud to observe. The contrast between the colors is also striking. Green, purple, dark purple, or blue, with vibrant orange pistils. A beautiful color palette!

After inspecting the bud with our small microscope, we placed the sample under the larger Dankoscope to study a larger area of trichomes. Under the Dankoscope, the beautiful colors come out even better!

We noticed that many samples in the hybrid category have similar visual characteristics. Very compact buds, often machine-trimmed rather than hand-trimmed, resulting in exterior damage. When the buds are then shipped in a vacuum-sealed bag, they have already suffered a lot before reaching the consumer.

There were also many strains with similarly dark-colored spots spread throughout the bud. The small color differences and a hefty load of trichomes make our H2 a very beautiful bud, but not very unique in this category.

Sweet Scent of Gelato and Cookies

When opening the jar, a typical ‘Cali’ scent immediately emerges. This is a kind of floral sweet smell, which you can find in much imported cannabis from America. In the background, we also smell something slightly reminiscent of a cross between a Gelato and a Cookies strain.

Gelato and Cookies are two cannabis strains crossed into many American strains nowadays. Sometimes they make it a bit monotonous with the batches of Cali-weed sent to Europe, perhaps explaining that typical Cali scent.

Flavor Less Intense Than Scent

The flavor was a bit disappointing compared to the pleasant scent. Not bad, but it didn’t meet the high expectations we had from seeing and smelling the sample. The flavors match the scent, but it’s the intensity that’s lacking. We mainly taste the ‘standard sweet and floral Cali taste’ we mentioned earlier, making the weed unfortunately not very unique.

Don’t get us wrong, it’s a fine-tasting weed, and we enjoyed tasting it. But it could have been better, especially as an entry for a cannabis cup. There were also some entries in the hybrid category that scored higher for us than this one.

Light Head-High and Relaxation

After tasting with our vape, we notice a light head-high. But mainly, it gives us a relaxing effect on our body. The effect kicks in fairly quickly, even though we’ve only tasted a small amount. Quite a strong weed, and actually perfect for relaxing after a long day.

All in all, we find this strain okay, but not really special. Too many standard Cali characteristics, and unfortunately, the flavor is less intense than the pleasant scent. As an entry for a cannabis cup, we expected just a bit more. Various other entries in the cup surpassed this one. The effect was strong and pleasant, though.

We really enjoyed participating as a professional jury in this cup and getting a glimpse of how the participating Amsterdam coffeeshops perform. We are already looking forward to the next cup we get to judge!

‘H2’ (Amsterdam Coffeeshop Awards) Report:

Appearance: beautiful colorful bud with many ‘standard’ Cali characteristics. Rating: 6.5
Aroma: nice intense scent but not very unique. Rating: 7
Flavor: fine background flavor, less intense than the scent. Rating: 6
Effect: quite strong and relaxing effect. Rating: 7.5