You’ve been anticipating your grow for months, and now it’s time to finally consume your home-grown cannabis. We’ve come a long way from simply consuming cannabis for the high. True connoisseurs treat it like whiskey and wine tasting—incorporating all their senses to appreciate the full tasting experience. From the appearance to the scent to the final taste, there’s a true art to cannabis tasting.
You’ll be amazed at the different flavour profiles present across the range of strains available at Amsterdam Genetics. This guide will help you get the most out of your cannabis consumption experience—exploring how strains achieve their unique flavours, choosing which strain to grow based on the flavour it will produce, and the best ways to consume it to taste them.
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Understanding Cannabis Strains
Do you prefer uplifting sativa strains or sway more towards the relaxing indica strains? While these two pillars divide the weed community based on the high they give, they also vary significantly in their flavours when consumed. This is caused by the particular chemical compounds that categorize them as sativa or indica.
Cannabis tasting starts with the scientific makeup of each strain. You’re probably already familiar with the counter effects of THC and CBD on the type of high a strain produces. However, its flavour (and aroma) are attributed to the combination of terpenes and flavonoids found in them.
Terpenes and Flavor Profiles
All plants, from trees and flowers to vegetables and cannabis, have terpenes. Of the 30,000 different compounds, cannabis plants have approximately 100-200 found in their chemical makeup—some more dominant than others, depending on whether it’s an indica or sativa strain.
For example, our popular indica strains like Fatkid’s Cake and Royal Choco have a terpene called Myrcene, which creates their earthy/herbal scent and flavour. Also, the woody profiles of the AK-OG Kush thanks to the presence of the Caryophyllene terpene.
Sativa strains have a dominant presence of popular terpenes like Limonene. It produces the citrus flavour in strains like Super Silver Haze and Grapefruit Superstar, and Lemon Ice.
Cannabis plants contain these compounds to aid with attracting certain insects for reproduction while repelling others, fighting against bacteria, protecting against harmful UV rays, and more. However, when they interact with the human body, we get something known as the entourage effect that creates unique flavours that we can enjoy while consuming them.
The Art of Cannabis Tasting
Now that you know ‘why’ and ‘how’ cannabis plants get their flavour, it’s time to learn the art of cannabis tasting. We provide a flavour profile for each of our cannabis seeds to select which to grow based on your preference. However, actually tasting these myriad flavours depend on how you consume them. Like ageing fine wine, there’s a lot that happens to your plants during those months of the growing process to get them ready to deliver their awesome taste once consumed.
Start with your nose! Not only is the scent an indication that your grow is almost ready for harvest, but it’s also a hint at the flavour your buds will have when you’re ready to consume them. Our sense of taste directly correlates with smell, which is why the way a plant smells is a good indication of how it will taste when consumed. Does it smell citrusy? Piney? Earthy?
Some experts suggest involving your sense of touch to enhance the smell. Give the bud a slight squeeze to pump out a bit more of the rich aroma. Be delicate and leave in a bag if possible to avoid rubbing off the delicious flavours onto your hands.
The initial scent of the pure flower buds is typically our first sensory interaction with cannabis before consuming it for taste.
Next, take a moment to examine your buds in detail. The way it looks once harvested also hints at the flavours you’ll experience because you can easily differentiate these buds from other strains. Strains with a chemical compound called Anthocyanins create those unique purple or blue hues. Our strains, like the Blue Amnesia Haze and Blue Amnesia Autoflower, are excellent examples that have a sweet, berry-like taste. With the right grow techniques, you can even achieve a pinkish hue, like in our Candyfloss, which tastes as sweet as it sounds.
Finally, it’s time for the moment you’ve been highly anticipating—consuming for taste!
Consuming pure cannabis, instead of mixing it with tobacco, is the best way to get the full flavour effect from your plant. Using glass is also an effective way to maximize the amount of taste you’ll get with each hit. If you’re using rolling paper, give it a ‘dry hit’ and chew on the flavour a moment before lighting it.
You can use the same ‘chewing’ motion after exhaling to see how close your other senses were to guessing the exact flavours you experience.
Note that cannabis interacts with our bodies differently, and perceived flavours can vary as much as their effects.
Choosing Seeds Based on Flavour Preference
The beauty of cannabis is that each strain has its own unique flavour profile. You’ll be surprised at the flavours you’ll experience once you master the art of cannabis tasting. Chocolate lovers have a variety of seeds to choose from to obtain the taste, like when consuming our Milkshake Kush Autoflower and White Choco Autoflower. Our Banana Slush and Tangerine G13 are great for a fruity boutique of flavours. Or for a punchier fuel flavour, we recommend the Dynamighty Autoflower or Spicebomb.
The art of cannabis tasting is a delicate process that can enhance your overall consumption experience. Just like wine, true cannabis connoisseurs take time to enjoy the full sensory effect of their weed—it’s much more than just searching for the highest THC percentage to get high. Browse our different cannabis seeds to see which flavour you’d like to experience next!
