Inside Look: California State Fair
Inside the C*nn*bis Experience and behind the scenes at the California C*nn*bis Awards
Hello from Sacramento! I’m here at the California State Fair this weekend presenting the Golden Bear Award for Best Edible at the California C*nn*bis Awards.
The California State Fair is currently taking place between July 11-27 at the Sacramento County Fair. The 21+ only CA C*nn*bis Experience with on-site dispensary and consumption area is inside a closed down water park!
What to know before you go to the California State Fair C*nn*bis Experience
$16 adult admission price to the fair
Strict bag policy. Clear bags only, and small purse no larger than 12x12.
Stay hydrated! There were not enough water refill stations and impossible to find. Empty water bottles or unopened bottled water allowed.
Hot AF during the day. 100+°F temps. More pleasant after 5pm, but many of the exhibits close early.
Bring a valid form of i.d. to enter and purchase in the c*nn*bis area.
C*nn*bis Experience is located behind the big water fountain directly across from the main entrance gate.
What it’s like being an Edibles Judge
A couple months ago I received a smell-proof Revelry backpack with a very official looking California C*nn*bis Awards patch on the front. Inside the bag was filled with every shape and size bag and tin of gummies, chocolate bars, baked goods, savory snacks, and other confections. Nearly bursting at the seams.
How the hell am I gonna get through all of these in 3 weeks? Sounds like a dream to be judging edibles, but it’s also one of the hardest categories to judge. There was a very organized system that made taste-testing and the process fun and easy with my cohort of judges from the Budist community.
We all evaluated products using a 100-point rating system to assess products based on aroma, flavor, appearance and experience – on par with international rating systems used in wine, coffee, and beer. And wrote reviews for our top-rated products.
Live from the 2025 California C*nn*abis Awards Show
At the Awards Show we presented the Golden Bear Award to the overall best in category.
And the Golden Bear for Best Edible goes to….
Ay Papi with Huckleberry Hill Farm and MyGreen Network
Whitethorn Rose Live Rosin Gummies
Download the Budist app to read the critics’ reviews from the judging process, and peep the list of 2025 California C*nn*bis Award winners.
Here are a few excerpts:
Maple Melts by MOCA Humboldt
💮 Unique and innovative. Warm luscious maple syrup and weed. Imagine these melted in warm butter over pancakes.
I wasn’t sure about these Maple Melts at first. I’ve had them a few times and I crinkled my nose the first time I tried them. However, upon further taste testing and introspection, these Maple Melts are spectacular, innovative, and deserving of recognition.
If you pop one in your mouth and let the sugar dissolve on your tongue the texture is grainy and flavor is overwhelmingly, teeth-shatteringly sweet. Expand your imagination past a basic gummy and consider more creative ways to enjoy a Maple Melt…
Sriracha Canna-Corn
💮 Spicy, crunchy, savory goodness
This infused Canna-Corn is everything I was a savory infused snack to be! Crunchy, spicy, salty and fun to eat. I wish I had a bigger bag of these delightful snacks!
The tiny crunchy toasted corns smell and taste like mild spicy Sriracha, but it’s almost putting an unfair expectation in my mind because it lacks the depth, spiciness and complexity of original Sriracha rooster sauce. The spice level is mild and it needs an extra something to make the flavor sing. These would be much improved with MORE spicy, MORE flavor, and larger corn kernels.
Dark Chocolate Sativa Peanut Butter Cups by Emerald Sky
💮 classic flavors, perfectly executed
I love this edible. The Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are a classic flavor combo meets hard-to-resist sweet treat. The beauty is in its simplicity. It’s not trying too hard or overcomplicating with too many flavors. It’s an excellent edible that appeals to everyone.
There’s a little dusting of sugar on the bottom of the cup that gives it extra texture. There’s little to no cannabis flavor or aroma in the smooth, creamy confection. The Sativa effects had me bright-eyed with the full-on munchies standing over the sink smashing an entire pint of blueberries in one sitting.
Insane Churro by Big Pete’s
💮 Old school Snickerdoodle cookie done the right way.
Smells buttery and cinnamon-y, more like cinnamon toast crunch rather than a Churro, with a whiff of cannabis from the cannabutter. The warming spices and crumbly cookie texture takes me back to carefree summer days at the park, clutching a long stick of hot churro fresh off the cart, my face covered in a fine dusting of cinnamon and sugar and happy smiles.
Designed for and in collaboration with legendary hip hop artist and cannabis connoisseur B Real AKA Dr. Greenthumb, the best part about this edible is that Big Pete’s makes their cookies the old school way, with cannabis flower infused in good, quality butter. The way a good, classic cookie should be made – with cannabutter, brown sugar, cane sugar, egg, vanilla, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and cardamom. No shortcuts, no distillate.
XOXO, Christina W.
Love that you share tips for making the best of the events!