Wine in the US was very different back then. In the 1970s, there were no boutique wine shops in the US where knowledgeable staff helped consumers to make exploratory or even esoteric choices. The American average wine consumer was limited to jugs wrapped with straw and bulk Chiantis. They also had little knowledge about wine other than vague ideas like “whites go with fish” and “reds with meat.”
In 1976, there was the “Judgment of Paris,” in which Napa Valley Cabernet, Chardonnay, and other California wines were crowned the winners of an international blind-tasting, putting California on the map of world wine producers. In 1978, Robert Parker, a respected wine critic, launched the newsletter “The Wine Advocate”. The Wine AdvocateThe first thing he did was to review wines, and then score them using a simple 100-point rating system.
Together, these two moments piqued the interest of the international wine trade and helped American wine drinkers understand not only that quality and craftsmanship mattered—but that they could be empowered to lean on the guidance of an industry expert to find the right wine for them.
Costco, for example, uses the 100-point system to guide consumers in making informed decisions when purchasing wine at a discount. The cannabis industry, which itself has been on a journey of its own over the last 50 years, can now use the same tools for consumer engagement, education, and standardization.
Budist is the new rating and review site that has taken over the world of cannabis. Budist was launched by Jocelyn Sheltraw, a cannabis industry veteran and Claudio Miranda 2024. They have adopted wine’s 100 point scale to assess all the major categories of products. Miranda, COO at the company, notes that she is a “lifelong wine lover and cannabis enthusiast” who has long recognized the importance of defining quality. The 100-point scale is a simple way to help consumers understand how to differentiate between a great product and mediocre products. It also helps them to better understand price, quality, and workmanship.
Budist’s platform includes a mobile application, a website, social media channels, a newsletter, and in-person or virtual events. It is anchored by a community of professional and consumer experts whose reviews are used to discover new products and recognize quality. Budist CEO Sheltraw says that the 100-point scale and longform reviews from category experts give consumers an insight into product flavors, effects, and aromas. They can then make informed purchasing decisions. To meet this need, and to build on the wine retail foundations laid by Budist, the company has collaborated with California’s key retailers to create an innovative “shelf-talker” retail program. This program provides consumers score cards and tasting information to help them engage in the product at the point of purchase.
Budist also mimics the wine business by having its professional critics serve as cannabis sommeliers in environments such as consumption lounges, where Budist led flower tastings are accompanied by shelf talkers who offer aroma and flavor profiles. The company provides this service in a similar format to that of a wine cellar at industry events and their hosted event series. The company’s recent partnerships have included leading sensory evaluations in retailers, such as The Artist Tree. Consumers and traders alike can gain valuable insights through these tastings.
Budist is committed to helping consumers make educated purchasing decisions. Sheltraw Miranda have built a community surrounding the standardization and evaluation of products, an issue that is nuanced with cannabis compared to wine. Miranda explains that in wine you can evaluate Cabernet according to a set of standards for excellence, which have been around for a long time, or by region. We’re dealing with many categories of cannabis that may each have unique criteria. In flower and concentrates for example, aroma and flavor are important factors in the assessment process. But what about topicals where ingredients and efficacy are more significant? “Or edibles where taste and effect may be the most important drivers of quality but aroma is less significant?”
Budist’s team has determined that there are secondary factors which are critical in the evaluation and selection of products. Vapes have to be evaluated on flavor and effects, as well as the functionality of hardware. Papers and packaging are also important for pre-rolls. Integration of the emulsion is key for beverages.
Miranda explains that they have developed a detailed rubric for scoring each category. We’re also working to standardize assessment criteria and tasting techniques across all of our assessments by systematizing best-in class devices.
Budist follows in the footsteps the wine industry by using this system of assessment and scoring to guide judging at some of the leading cannabis product competitions. Budist was the judging partners for California Cannabis Awards at the California State Fair the last two year. Budist also partnered up with leading event organizer MJBiz in order to create the MJBowl – the first ever bi-coastal competition.
Sheltraw says that the MJBowl honors excellence of products from two of America’s biggest and most legendary markets, California and New York. She has tapped a group of industry experts to be the judges of the competition. The MJBowl does not pit the products of each state against one another, but it is a turning point for an industry that has been shackled to a patchwork state-by state regulations. She says, “This is a first step towards developing a nationwide marketplace. It’s about standardizing the assessment criteria across categories and states.
The wine industry is also taking notice of Budist, which has been a driving force in elevating the cannabis market. Ian Cauble is a prominent figure in the wine world. He has achieved the highest certification for the industry as a Master Sommelier, from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and founded The Caubleist; a platform that provides wine reviews and media.
He says, “A structured review system like what Budist is building can help consumers navigate an overwhelming landscape of strains and producers, but it’s equally important that those reviews describe the experience—the aromatics, flavor and effect—not just the number of points or the THC content. Cannabis like wine is deeply rooted to chemistry, terroir, and handcrafting. Helping people understand What is the best way to get in touch with you? Real connoisseurship comes from the way something feels and tastes. Budist has taken a significant step in that direction, by creating a trustworthy guide for a rapidly maturing market. It is exciting to witness an entire culture of flavor and discernment taking shape.”
The MJBowl, which celebrates quality by promoting professionally-managed competitions, may be the industry’s equivalent of the Judgment of Paris in 50 years’ time. And the Budist 100 point scale will have the same impact on this industry as Parker’s did on wine.
You can drink that.
This story was originally published in issue 52 of the print edition of Cannabis Now.