Did you know that water can make a huge difference in the taste and your experience of cannabis? Weed is typically associated with deep cravings for sugary drinks, but the taste of the cannabis community is changing. This blog explains how a glass of water gets you the purest taste of cannabis – with some nice aquatic perks to boot!
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Cannabis Needs Water, Always
Cannabis and water belong together. A cannabis seed cannot grow without it; even the first step of germination will fail if H2O is lacking. Growing marijuana just doesn’t work without watering the roots all throughout the growth and flowering stages. Hydroponics based cannabis growing relies almost entirely on water, and flushing a plant before harvest adds to its distinct taste and purity.
But the deep bond shared by weed and water goes even further. Did you know that drinking water gives you the purest, fullest, most original taste of any cannabis you grow or buy? As cannabis lovers around the world focus more on flower flavour and terpene profiles, water is a great, easy, and healthy companion for all your first-class weed experiences.
Fine Liquids And Premium Herbs
The Amsterdam Genetics collection of high-quality cannabis seeds typically attracts a community of refined connoisseurs and gourmet growers. When it comes to matters of taste, we tend to focus on terpenes for flavours, delicate strains with aromatic bouquets, and recipes for delicious edibles. We often overlook the importance, however, of the beverages we consume alongside our beloved buds. Join us for a deep dive into the joys of pairing premium cannabis with quality water, aided by the expertise of London-based water sommelier Milin Patel, of the Fine Liquids water enterprise.
A Taste For Water And Cannabis
Just as with any other delicacy, the right type of water can lift the taste experience of quality cannabis to another level. Compare it to picking the right wine to accompany your favourite dish: knowing which bottle to pop can make a big difference.
Wait – hang on. We can hear you think: the right type of water? Surely any plain glass of H2O will do? Well, the kind of water you pick adds another level to your cannabis taste experience – but we’ll get to that later.
Pairing cannabis with water elevates the taste experience, making it more comfortable, healthy and inspiring. Water can carry and uplift the flavour profiles of cannabis while keeping your mouth, palate and body hydrated. This unlocks the taste nuances of both water and cannabis strains. Just like weed – or wine, for that matter – water can have ‘terroir’: the unique qualities it gets from the soil from which it came. Natural water from a spring, artesian aquifer, well, rain, glacier, iceberg, lake stream reservoir – they’re all uniquely different.
This just makes water ring with so much history and a mystique that creates great conversation – again, just like quality cannabis. On top of that, water contains healthy natural minerals from the soil that help keep your health and wellbeing in balance.
The Flavour of Water, The Taste Of Cannabis
For thousands of years, philosophers claimed that water had no flavour. As Aristotle wrote: “What water is to tongues, as darkness is to eyes and silence is to ears. The natural substance water per se tends to be tasteless.” In his view, water is just a vehicle for flavour. Most people still think along the same lines today.
“Aristotle wrote: What water is to tongues, as darkness is to eyes and silence is to ears. It’s time to move past Aristotle, though.”
It’s time to move past Aristotle, though. Today’s many types and brands of water are a match for the myriad strains available for cannabis growers and connoisseurs. The trick, Milin says, is finding the best combinations. Water and cannabis can amplify each other’s unique flavour and effects, while their respective potential health benefits can add up in interesting ways as well.
Tasting Buds Like A Boss
The goal when creating a cannabis and water pairing is for all of the components to enhance each other. You might even be surprised if the combination creates an entirely new flavour not yet experienced with cannabis alone. This is what Milin calls ‘discovering your herbal palate.’ Much like evaluating wine, you can also use sensory evaluation techniques to prep your nose and palate for interpreting cannabis.
Next time you harvest and cure your lovingly grown flower, put it in a wine glass and begin to smell the different aroma layers that jump out of the glass. Try to evaluate the cannabis. Inhale several times, making a mental imprint of what you’re perceiving. Compare and contrast against other strains. What are the differences? The more you practice, the easier it will be to identify your favourite terpenes, which will lead to harmonious cannabis and water pairings.
Water And Cannabis: Taste, Terroir & Vintage
So water is the new wine, and like wine – or cannabis for that matter – water has its own particular terroir. The literal meaning of terroir in French is “soil” or “earth.” However, the word carries a much deeper connotation in water and tasting.
Water gets its unique terroir as it journeys through the deep layers of the earth. All water started out far in the galaxy as cosmic juice with the very simple H2O formula: two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Water came from outer space and helped to create planet Earth. Water is a universal solvent and dissolves just about anything it encounters. So when it travels under the earth, it enocounters minerals and trace elements in the geological strata, which water absorbs into its terroir.
In cannabis growing, these terroir minerals are the building blocks of the plant, with a definite impact on taste and plant health. Where and how you grow makes as much difference as what you grow. It’s the same with water.
The vintage of water does not define its quality or taste but pays attention to the waters age and journey enjoying the backstory of the source that contributes to the experience. For example, when sharing your favourite cannabis strains and sipping fine water with friends, the journey and taste of both will definitely hydrate the imagination and keep you engaged with mother nature. It’s like knowing about the different origins of haze or kush cannabis strains: knowing their vintage adds depth to the experience of weed.
Pairing Buds And Drinks
The flavour of cannabis largely depends on the terpenes a strain contains. Water’s taste is determined by the variety of minerals it contains. This is measured by Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) measured in milligrams per litre (mg/l) or parts per million (ppm). A water’s TDS is made up of a variety of minerals; Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Sulfates, Bicarbonate, Silica and trace elements like Iron, Iodine, Copper.
The higher the TDS level the more distinct a waters taste can be. Low TDS waters will have more subtle neutral taste. Compare it to cannabis strains: the higher the trichome, terpene and cannabinoid count, the more distinct its smell, taste, high or desired medical benefit. Still, all of these require minerals to grow, which are carried by the water a plant drinks throughout its life. Maybe you recognised some of the essential minerals listed above from your growing adventures. If you did, you’ll know what we mean: water determines the taste of cannabis from Square One.
How Water Improves The Taste Of Cannabis
The naturally occurring mix and composition of minerals makes each source of water completely different and this is based on geographical and geological formation in the area the water flows. For example, waters that are sourced from volcanic regions of the world have a different mineral composition to waters that are sourced from glacial melt water.
That determines the taste of weed while growing. Still, the subtle taste of water also affects the flavour of cannabis when its flowers are finally ready for consumption.
Natural minerals in water contribute to the taste and mouthfeel of the water as well as the cannabis you pair it with. Water can be smooth and silky, sweet, or chalky, for instance, and the carbonation level of sparkling water only adds to the variety. Water can make a much more neutral taste background for cannabis, but it definitely adds its own twist to the mix.
Tackling Cottonmouth And The Munchies With Water
Yet water has more to offer cannabis lovers than just an improved flavour experience. Anyone familiar with the cottonmouth phenomenon will appreciate the fact that nothing works better for a dry mouth – or xerostomia as our water expert knowingly calls it – than plain old aqua. If smoking cannabis gives you that parched palate, your taste perception dries up along with it. That’s a real waste!
Don’t reach for a cold beer or sugary drink after smoking cannabis. That will only make matters worse. You should try and avoid drinking things like tea, heavy wines and fruit juices as they are attributed to dry mouth because the tannin contained within these beverages add to the dry mouth sensation. There is a simple solution. Just sip tap water or naturally sourced water frequently while consuming your premium cannabis strains and it will fight against the dry mouth and help enjoy the terpene flavour profiles.
Water can even help counter the all-consuming cannabis induced sense of hunger known as the munchies – and it does so calorie-free, too! Choosing a nice and sparkling carbonated water for your cannabis tasting helps tame those fridge-clearing urges, on top of cleansing the palate for elevated taste perception. That’s yet another great reason to pick fine liquids alongside your fine herbs, fellow connoisseurs!
Pairing Water And Cannabis: Tips For Taste
Of course, a blog on cannabis and water would not be complete without some expert tips from Milin:
Drinking water at room temperature will let you explore the taste of water. If the water is served chilled it can provide a refreshing sensation but limits the taste of water (and cannabis!) as the taste buds are chilled numb.
A variety of ways of consuming cannabis leads to a variety of ways to pair water and cannabis.
Traditional combustion, i.e., smoking a joint: start with low mineral content water. This allows the cannabis terpenes to be discovered with subtle mouthfeel of water. Afterwards, a medium or high TDS’s sparkling water helps reduce the harshness of the smoke on the palate, while the bubbles uplift the flavour and reset your taste buds.
When vaping cannabis concentrates or extracts, drink still water with low mineral content at room temperature. This will help improve the flavour profiles and keep the mouth hydrated and reduce the onset of dry mouth. This can be followed by a chilled sparkling water to re-calibrate the palate, delay cottonmouth, and help reduce the munchies.
Sativa-dominant strains that have fruity terpene scent like limonene (natural lemon scent) will pair very well with low to medium TDS mineral waters, preferably still or lightly carbonated (effervescent)
Indica-dominant strains that have dark fruity linalool and earthy profiles will pair very well with medium to high TDS mineral waters with large round bubbles that will elevate deep flavours of blackberry, pepper, cloves and cinnamon.
After consuming cannabis your taste buds are activated. So why not just sit back and savour the flavour of the water and try and describe the taste and mouthfeel you experience? As we discussed each water will have a completely different profile. Maybe you will discover a favourite water to enjoy with cannabis during your consumption or after just to sip and relax.
Watering Tips For Cannabis Growers
Obviously, growing cannabis seeds on exclusive spring water would be too expensive for anyone below Snoop Dogg or Jay-Z income levels. Nonetheless, water is crucial for growing weed, so surely, a water expert might have a splash of wisdom to add here, too.
It starts with understanding the composition of the water you use. It could be freshly harvested rainwater, tap water, or reverse osmosis filtered water. Whatever you use, try to keep the following pro tips in mind:
- Use water at room temperature. Cold water can shock the roots and stress out your plant.
- If your local tap water is chlorinated, just let the water sit in an open bucket to let the chlorine evaporate before use: 24 hours will be sufficient.
- Measure the pH and TDS to make sure they are within the control limits for your set up, whether soil or hydro based.
Deep understanding of the incoming water and what is required to polish the water to meet the plants specific requirements is the key to success: “All water is not created equal”. Always keep in mind that water is different wherever you go or grow, even if you use only the finest genetics.
Pairing cannabis strains with natural mineral waters is a future trend. As the cannabis community is learning to appreciate the pure and healthy joys of water, you can stay ahead of the curve and enjoy its aquatic benefits right now. Drinking water can really improve your cannabis taste experience, and since neither weed nor you can go without water for long, pairing the two just seems to make intuitive sense on so many different levels!
Cheers!
