So, you want to be a connoisseur of cannabis. Growing your own buds is a start, but developing your sense of taste and smell will truly make you an expert. Deep diving into how cannabis gets flavours and scents introduces you to a world of science. However, actually perceiving these physical attributes of your plant requires being more conscious when consuming.
Recognizing cannabis scents and taste profiles can help identify strains, predict their effects, and is one of the best ways to test how successful your grow was. Growing cannabis is an art, and tasting with purpose gives you an upper hand at masting the cultivation.
If you’re ready to take your cannabis skills to the next level, here’s what you need to know.
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The Science Behind Cannabis Scents and Flavours
For the average person, most weed smells and tastes the same. We’re all familiar with the dominating skunk smell, but that’s barely scratching the surface. Cultivating your senses for cannabis helps you appreciate the complex nature of the plant and the range of tastes and aromas for each plant. Just think—it gives something exciting to look forward to with each grow instead of just being another strain to get you high.
Cannabis gets its taste and scent from terpenes. We’ve found more than 200 of these genetic compounds that produce scent and flavour profiles. The most common terpenes are easy to spot. Strains with limonene will have a citrus aroma, pinene has a pine wood scent, and myrcene has a sweet taste likened to a mango.
Strains always contain more than one terpene. The unique blend of terpenes produces an entourage effect—when terpene compounds interact, creating distinct scents and tastes. The perfect levels of myrcene, humulene, and caryophyllene interact for a sweet chocolate flavour in the Chocolato strain. Alternatively, a different combination of fruity limonene, caryophyllene, and humulene creates the sweet, fruity taste and smell of Banana Slush.
Conscious Tasting and Smelling to Identify Terpenes
The good news is that you won’t need a lab coat and microscope to determine the mix of terpenes in your plant. Connoisseurs who cultivate their senses can detect terpenes by their smell and taste.
Cannabis plants start to omit their odour during the flowering stage—some strains before. While implementing your odour control for indoor grows, take time to appreciate the scent and begin detecting other familiar scents.
Terpenes are present in all plants, which is why particular cannabis scents remind you of other aromas. The Limonene terpene is why Lemon Haze smells and tastes like a lemon. And caryophyllene presence in both Critical Mass Regular and Black Pepper create a similar spicy aroma. Thank the terpinolene terpene for the pleasant floral fragrance that could either be the Strawberry Glue strain or a fresh bouquet of flowers.
Conscious tasting comes after your harvest. Your familiarity with the aroma of your plant will help you be more aware of its flavour. The better our sensation with aroma, the better the taste sensation it will have.
Practice to Improve Your Cannabis Tasting Skills
Developing your cannabis taste and scent profile is a skill. And like all skills, it takes some practice to improve. Every new seed you plant is a new opportunity to put your skills to the test. Knowing how to improve your senses for cannabis will fast-track you to enjoying the best of your grow.
Tasting cannabis involves many senses—the obvious, like your sense of taste and smell, but also less obvious, like sight plays a big role. Here’s how each of these senses affects how you experience weed.
Your sense of taste gives you the flavour of your weed when consuming it. Whether smoking or using as an ingredient in edibles, training your sense of taste will showcase the abundant flavours of cannabis. Your sense of smell is effective in all stages of your grow to let you know the flavour and quality. The aroma from your plant, even during the flowering stage, will hint at its flavour—sweet smells will taste sweet and piney notes will have an earthy taste.
Sense of sight is also essential to being a successful grower and connoisseur. Examining your plant for trichomes informs you how strong the aroma and flavour will be. The more crystals you see on your buds, the more potent the flavour.
Testing Quality
As cannabis connoisseurs, we strive for more than just a healthy plant and a large harvest. The quality of your grow is as important as the quantity. Not everyone has access to a lab for testing their strains. However, developing your cannabis taste and scent profile will help you judge its quality without needing equipment—other than what you plan to smoke with!
Plants with a strong aroma are a sign of good quality. Also, as mentioned, seeing lots of trichome crystals. The drying and curing processes are crucial to maintaining a high level of trichomes after harvesting to lock in its flavour.
Better strain genetics will yield better terpene properties for scent and taste. Good genetics and a successful grow give the best results for experiencing the taste and aroma profiles. Our premium cannabis seeds provide a range of cannabis scents and flavours. Try different kinds, from sweet to fruity to woody and more, to cultivate your senses like a cannabis expert.
