Everything You Need to Know About Cannabis Terpenes

We’ve got friends in high places — and they’re called terpenes. These microscopic essences are responsible for all the pizzaz, the panache, the je ne sais quoi of cannabis. THC and CBD always get the spotlight, but they only do so much. Without the creative staff of terpenes behind them, they wouldn’t have that “star” quality to them.

What are Terpenes?

Terpenes are aromatic oils that give cannabis its zest *chef’s kiss*. Cannabis gets its distinct aromas and flavour profiles such as spiciness, fruitiness, earthiness and more from terpenes. In cannabis, you find terpenes in the same place you find cannabinoids like THC and CBD.

Much like the human thumb, we can thank evolution for terpenes. Cannabis developed terpenes over thousands of years to repel predators and lure pollinators. Depending on how you categorize us smokers, this method may have totally backfired on itself. The development of a cannabis plant’s terpenes is affected by almost everything — climate, weather, age and maturation, fertilizers and soil type.

If you’re looking for your TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) summary, here it is: ever wonder why the heck a strain exists that smells and tastes like cheese? Terpenes.

Terpenes Just Affect Aroma and Flavour, Right?

No, you silly, beautiful reader. Terpenes contribute to the effects of a cannabis strain, just as much as they contribute to its smell and taste. 

Terpenes have been shown to promote relaxation, creativity, wakefulness and much more. They work together with cannabinoids to produce desired effects — this is something called “The Entourage Effect”. Essentially — it means that inside the cannabis plant is the molecular dream team.

Terpenes support other cannabis molecules like a damn good friend. Together, they travel to the endocannabinoid system in your brain to deliver the good vibe signals and you know whoever has the aux cable on that road trip is going to be playing some A+ tunes.

Where Else Can I Find Terpenes?

Terpenes aren’t just for cannabis, the industrial world has been using terpenes for household products for years. Terpenes are prominent (or pungent?) in the fragrance industry, being used in perfumes, colognes, and other scented products. Other uses include natural flavouring for food and beverages, ingredients in essential oils and some terpenes even aid in creating rubber.

Just like in cannabis, terpenes work best with other molecules. Most studies of terpenes have been done by isolating terpenes — and little research has been done on how they interact with the millions of molecules found in food, beverages, oils and more.. We still have a lot to learn about terpenes, and the science is all coming up good.

Common Terpenes

There are over 200 terpenes that can be found in the cannabis plant, but some are more prominent than others. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the usual suspects and given a quick rundown of their characteristics and known hangouts.

Myrcene

Oh, myrcene me. Possibly the most common terpene that is found in cannabis.

Found in:

• Hops
• Mango
• Thyme

Flavour Profile:

• Fruity
• Earthy

Caryophyllene

Caryophyllene my son, for there’ll be spice when you smoke one. Caryoph