If you’ve ever picked up a juicy bud and wondered, “What gives weed its flavour and smell?” The short answer is terpenes.

But what exactly are terpenes? Do they add anything to your smoking experience?

Before we get ahead of ourselves let’s dive into what exactly is a terpene.

What is a terpene?

According to Medical News Today,

Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in many plants, though many people commonly associate them with cannabis because cannabis plants contain high concentrations of them.

This being said, many plants have these aromatic compounds such as pine, lavender, and citrus fruits.

What do these terpenes do? Well, in the case of marijuana production, some breeders will isolate certain terpenes and create a strain with a certain aroma profile. While bigger industrial players will isolate them to create flavours and scents.

In nature, they can help protect a plant from predators and attract the correct pollinators. While most terpenes won’t interact with your endocannabinoid system some can. Which places them in a murky grey zone of being more than just compound responsible for smell and taste, but also medicinal – or bioactive.

Now that you have a basic understanding of terpenes, and what gives weed its flavour and smell, let’s talk about the many types of terpenes.

Types of terpenes

Surprise! There’s many types of terpenes, so something you weren’t even aware existed now has multitudes of layers and complexities. Oh well! Let’s carry on learning what gives weed its flavour and smell!

Caryophyllene

So, a mouthful of word, but it is pretty easy to smell and taste. Caryophyllene is spicy and musky. It is found in abundance in black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon. If you were wondering, this is a terpene that can interact with your endocannabinoid system.

Some research suggests if you chew black pepper when too high it will help. And some other research says it provides anti-inflammatory affects.

Strains with Girl Scout Cookies possess a fair share of Caryopyllene, like Trump’s Cookie Jar.

Myrcene

This terpene is found in hops, lemongrass, thyme. It is also described as the most commonly dominate terpene found in cannabis, so pick any of our strains. Described as having a peppery and spicy taste and smell, it is often used to explain certain beers!

It’s also believed that myrcene will promote calming effects in cannabis. This being said, the blend of terpenes and cannabinoids will have different effects.

Also, you need very high dosages of myrcene, in one study on mice they needed 200 milligrams per kilogram of weight.

Limonene

As the name indicates this is found in fruit rinds and peppermint. It is that citrusy smell. There are some chemico-biological interactions, which include:

• anti-inflammatory
• antioxidant
• antiviral
• antidiabetic and
• anticancer properties

It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the only terpene to admit citrus smells. More include humulene and terpinolene.

Found in Dos-si-dos you can get this in our Putin’s Punch.

Pinene

Not a dominate terpene in cannabis but it is the most common overall. Found in pine needles, rosemary as well as basil. If you’ve ever walked through a healthy pine forest you will know that pinene has an amazingly calming effect. FYI the Japanese calling a leisurely walk in the forest “forest bathing” or Skirin-yoku.

If you want some undertones of pinene you should try Simba Seed’s Critical.

So what other terpenes give cannabis certain amazing flavours?

Terpinolene

This is found in nutmeg, tea tree, cumin, and lilacs. It can be difficult to nail down the exact aromas but it varies from citrusy to piney.

Normally, more uplifting strains will have more terpinolene in them.

Now, let’s wrap up the last three rarer terpenes.

The Last Three Terpenes

There are three terpenes that are found in cannabis, but do not dominate. These are, ocimene, humulene, and linalool.

Ocimene is sweet smelling with earthy under tones.

Humulene is the smell people love in beer!

And linalool is abundant in lavender. It’s often associated with aromatherapy.

Now, that you’ve read through this blog, go forth and share this information!