We’ve covered Zalympix - Michigan 2023 as well as the High Times Cannabis Cup - Michigan 2023.

But the new kids on the block in 2024, in the Michigan cannabis competition space is: Best in Grass.

Starting yesterday, they have launched their kits all across Michigan!

I’m going to try to give you guys a quick breakdown of what the Best in Grass competition entails.

Best in Grass

From the Best in Grass FAQs:

What is Best in Grass?

The Best in Grass (BiG) Awards are born from a combined 12 years of experience running the world’s largest cannabis competitions. The competition serves to identify and award the best licensed cannabis products in each State around the country. Cultivators and processors will submit their best products into the competition, the BiG team will create one-of-a-kind Judge Kits to be distributed by dispensaries across the state, and real everyday consumers will anonymously judge all products at home over 4-8 weeks. All of this feedback will go back to the entrants as a value add. Best of all, the competitors, judges, and brands will celebrate in-person at a LIVE event where the winners will be crowned.

That’s a cool summary, but I was able to scour the web for more information.

What I know so far:

• Best in Grass was created by previous executives of High Times: co-founders Mark Kazinec and Joey Posney
• 2,600 kits will be available accross Michigan.
• There are products from 60 brands.
• 200+ products in total.
• 330,000 grams of flower, concentrates, vape cartridges, and edibles.
• Spanning 13 categories.
• Available at 24 state-licensed retailers
• Kits range in price from $75 to $280.
• Kits are available starting April 6th.
• Judging timeframe is between April 6th - May 19th.
• Awards Show will be at the Royal Oak Music Theater on June 18th.

Mark Kazinec is the president and COO of Best in Grass and is the former vice president of events and competitions at High Times.

For a good journalistic rundown. There is a great article written by Crain’s Detroit Business:

A new competition is entering Michigan to determine the best marijuana in the state’s dominant recreational industry.

Best in Grass, a newly-formed company by two former events employees of popular monthly industry magazine High Times, will host its first ever judging competition beginning on April 6.

The competition will feature more than 200 products from 60 different cannabis brands, including flower, concentrates, vapes and edibles. Winners of the competition will be announced at an event at Royal Oak Music Theater on June 18.

To enter, local cannabis companies donate product to Best in Grass, who package them by category and sell them at 25 retailers across the state. The purchasers of the kits will then be asked to judge the products in exchange for a $20 discount at the dispensary where they purchased the kit.

The participating dispensaries include several locations at dispensary operators: Leaf and Bud; Puff; The Grove; Breeze; Green Lab Provisions; Remedii Natural Health; The Bloomery; North Coast Provisions; Rize; and Da Cut.

The kits will retail for between $75 to $280 depending on the category of product.

The Best in Grass company gets a cut of the sales, said Mark Kazinec, president and COO of the program. Kazinec is the former vice president of events and competitions at High Times.

“I’ve spent the past four years getting to know the vibrant Michigan cannabis community, which is a true standout among all of the cannabis-friendly states I’ve visited coast to coast,” Kazinec said in a press release. “When it came time to select a launch market for Best in Grass, we knew the mitten state was the perfect location. As one of the largest cannabis markets in the U.S., Michigan consumers have shown up in droves for previous competitions. We’re looking forward to tapping into that loyal audience and connecting with the cannabis community through Best in Grass.”

Categories & Pricing

Similar to the High Times Cannabis Cup, there are a TON of categories to purchase in this competition.

You’ll have to narrow down what you like or purchase mulitple kits if you’re a cannabis connaisseur (like myself).

Kits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the retailers listed above. You can purchase a maximum of (1) per category. Inside each kit is a judging card to submit your feedback. Completing the judge kit in full gets you a $20 credit to your place of purchase.

Collectors Kits

In addition to the regular kits, you can purchase collectors kits in select categories.

These are optional and not available at all dispensaries carrying kits.

Collector Kits come in a smell-proof and water-resistant Revelry x Best in Grass Explorer Backpack ($80 MSRP). Kits are equipped with either a Revelry Rolling Kit ($60 MSRP) for Indica, Sativa and Hybrid Flower kits, or a Revelry Dab Kit ($80 MSRP) for the Non-Solvent Concentrate Kits.

Kits (What’s Inside)

If you’re on the fence about snagging a kit, here are some opened kits I found online to help you decide:

Indica Flower

Sativa Flower

Hybrid Flower

Solvent Infused Pre-rolls

Non-Rosin Vape Pens & Cartridges

Retailers

Best in Grass kits are available all over the state of Michigan. They have crowned some dispensaries as featured locations, but I have no idea what that means. Possibly that they may have more kits available at those locations. These are essentially all Leaf and Bud & Puff locations on the list below:

Judge Kits Available Exclusively at These Select Retailers While Supplies Last

1. Leaf and Bud - Centerline
   23860 Sherwood Ave
   Center Line, MI 48015
2. Leaf and Bud - Hazel Park
   20801 Dequindre Rd
   Hazel Park, MI 48030
3. Leaf and Bud - Livernois
   14470 Livernois
   Detroit, MI 48238
4. Puff - Bay City
   1680 Marquette Ave
   Bay City, MI 48706
5. Puff - Hamtramck
   11941 Joseph Campau Ave
   Hamtramck, MI 48212
6. Puff - Kalamazoo
   4305 Portage Street
   Kalamazoo, MI 49001
7. Puff - Madison Heights
   2 Ajax Dr
   Madison Heights, MI 48071
8. Puff - Monroe
   14750 Laplaisance Rd
   Unit 180
   Monroe, MI 48161
9. Puff - River Rouge
   11397 W Jefferson Ave
   River Rouge, MI 48218
10. Puff - Sturgis
    651 Wade Rd
    Sturgis, MI 49091
11. Puff - Traverse City
    1226 S Garfield Ave
    Traverse City, MI 49686
12. Puff - Utica
    44825 Van Dyke Avenue
    Utica, MI 48317
13. The Grove
    26352 Lawrence Avenue
    Centerline, MI 48015
14. Breeze
    24517 John R Rd
    Hazel Park, MI 48030
15. Cloud Cannabis - Grand Rapids
    621 Fulton St W
    Grand Rapids, MI 49504
16. Da Cut - Flint
    2478 South Dort Highway
    Flint, MI 48507
17. Green Labs Provisions
    10701 Madison St.
    Luna Pier, MI 48157
18. North Coast Provisions - Sault Ste Marie
    2972 W 8th St
    Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
19. Pure New Baltimore
    51543 Industrial Dr
    New Baltimore, MI 48047
20. Remedii Natural Health - Stateline
    989 S. Main Street
    Morenci, MI 49256
21. Rize - Iron Mountain
    1580 N Stephenson Ave
    Iron Mountain, MI 49801
22. Rize - Ironwood (IRW)
    411 E Cloverland Dr
    Ironwood, MI 49938
23. StoneDepot
    3435 E Michigan Ave
    Jackson, MI 49202
24. The Bloomery - New Buffalo
    11449 Obrien CT
    New Buffalo, MI 49117

Deadlines

Every competition has deadlines. And this one is no different:

Outro

I’ll be participating in the Best in Grass inagural competition this year.

I was able to grab kits in two different categories.

Look out for the unbagging posts and further updates in the Best in Grass series.

What do you guys think?

Were you able to snag any kits? If so, what categories?

Stay 😶‍🌫️