A Taste of Texas Hemp Cup
A hemp-only competition first held in San Marcos, Texas, in December 2020, and documented here through its third edition in 2022.
- 32results on record
- 2020–2024years in our data
- 5editions
- 18matched to strains
- The Far Out Lounge in Austin, Texaslatest location
01Beginnings
The Taste of Texas Hemp Cup is a cannabis competition in Texas, and its first edition took place on 10 December 2020 in San Marcos1. The word "hemp" in the name matters. At the time, cannabis with more than negligible THC was illegal in Texas, so only hemp producers could enter1. It is a separate event from the High Times Hemp Cup, and this page keeps the two apart1.
The people behind the debut were Liz Grow and Patrick Pope, who direct Grow House Media, a cannabis media group founded in Texas2. According to a preview article, the two came up with the idea after covering and meeting many Texas farmers, along with a meeting with 1937 Apothecary2. What they wanted was a properly judged contest, not a popularity vote, with growers receiving useful feedback on their hemp2. Liz Grow later linked the cup's origin to 2020, which she called the first Texas hemp harvest in 80 years3. The preview also says no event like the High Times Cannabis Cup had been tried in Texas before2.
02The Story So Far
The first edition had nine award categories in total, ranging from Top Ingrown Flower to Highest CBG and a People's Choice award2. The Best Hemp Flower in Texas winner was set to receive the official cup chalice, hand-blown on site2. These details come from the pre-event preview, so they describe the plan rather than a recorded result. By the third edition, the cup had moved from San Marcos1 to The Far Out Lounge in Austin, where it took place on 10 December 20223. The sources used here do not say where the second edition was held.
Grow House Media announced the 2022 event as the third annual cup, with 26 entries competing across nine categories3. That year five Texas makers of hemp concentrates competed for Best Hemp Concentrate in Texas, and every attendee could take part in judging, which organizers presented as part of making the event more inclusive3. The Texas A&M Hemp Research Program was the official judging partner3. The announcement also says participation had grown beyond hemp growers to include processors, retailers, multi-state operators and scientists3.
03Culture and Community
The debut was planned as part contest, part festival. The preview lists Q&A sessions with hemp farmers, a mechanical bull provided by Wreck Relief CBD, and a hemp market with many vendors2. Liz Grow said there were more than 25 vendors, of whom only 12 would sell hemp or hemp-related products2. The preview named the band White Denim as headliner2. One of the judges was to be Ben Southwell, a cannabis chemistry professor at Lake Superior State University2.
The 2022 edition was hosted by AJ Channing, frontman of the metal band Fire From the Gods, and was set to include a performance by the Austin rap duo Blackillac3. Organizers describe the cup as the heart of the Texas craft hemp community3. One stated goal was to put Texas on the map, with organizers claiming the state has some of the best growers in the country2. These sources do not say whether that goal has been met.
04The Cup Today
The most recent edition documented here is the third, held on 10 December 2022. Later editions could not be verified, so the cup's current status is not documented1. The sources also differ on who founded it. Wikipedia names Sarah Kerver as co-founder of the event and, as of 2023, president of the Texas Cannabis Council1. The TX Cannabis Collective articles credit Grow House Media's Liz Grow and Patrick Pope instead and do not mention her23. This page reports both accounts as found and does not try to reconcile them.
05What Comes Next
The sources used for this page do not mention any announced plans for future editions. Coverage ends with the third edition in December 2022, so there is no documented date, venue or format to report after that. This section can be updated if verified information about later editions turns up.
The results, in our data
CannaLib holds 32 results from this cup across 5 years (2020 to 2024), 18 of them matched to a strain in the catalogue.
Recent first-place strains
| Year | Strain | Category | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Cherry Bomb | Top Solvent Extract | @greensyndicatehc |
| 2024 | Banana Og | Top Solventless Extract | @thehazeconnect |
| 2024 | Granddaddy | Most Creative Presentation | @NVUS_labs |
| 2024 | Larry Og | Taste of Texas Hemp Cup People’s Choice Award | @emerald-armadillo |
| 2022 | Lifter | Best hemp flower in Texas | Geremy Greens |
| 2022 | Pink Panther | Peoples Choice Award | Errganix |
| 2022 | Space Invader | Most Ripe | Fresh Grown TX |
| 2022 | Apple Smacks | Most Pungent | Clutch City Farms |
| 2022 | Apple Smacks | Highest CBD | Clutch City Farms |
| 2022 | Hawaiian Haze | Highest CBG | Oak Cliff Cultivators |
| 2022 | Garlic Jam | Best outdoor grown | Tejas Hemp |
| 2022 | Half Baked | Best Indoor Grown | Yanasi Farms |
| 2021 | Orange Glaze | BEST INDOOR GROWN | TEXAS FRESH-GROWN |
| 2021 | Hawaiian Haze | MOST RIPE | OAK CLIFF CULTIVATORS |
Editions on record
- 2020 · San Marcos, Texas
- 2021 · The Out Lounge in Austin, Texas
- 2022 · The Far Out Lounge in Austin, Texas
- 2024 · The Far Out Lounge in Austin, Texas
Sources
- Taste of Texas Hemp Cup (Wikipedia)
- A Preview into the Taste of Texas Hemp Cup - TX Cannabis Collective
- Grow House Media Announces 3rd Annual Taste of Texas Hemp Cup - TX Cannabis Collective
Written from the sources above and checked on 2026-10-29. Spot an error? Tell us on the contact page.