Terpenes – What’s That About?

We’ve all heard this talk about terpenes in the world of cannabis, but what exactly is a terpene? Basically, it’s a compound that’s found in almost any kind of organic material and gives weed its particular aroma, flavour and personality. It is mainly found in plants and foods and is responsible for its regeneration, immune system and oxygenation. It also supports other cannabis molecules by creating that ‘effect’ we’re all looking for when interacting with THC and CBD. Depending on the individual’s response and the cocktail of terpenes and cannabinoids, the effect may or may not be significant.


Since we all have different preferences of smell and taste, knowing your terpenes will help you select a product that you will enjoy. Understanding the trigger between your senses and your physical and/or psychological state can be a useful tool to generate the desired response.

Some say that Naturopaths tend to include terpenes as a vital role in their remedies by using essential oils as part of their treatment. As essential oils are mainly made up of selected terpenes, given its function in plants and foods, it is historically known for its use as a medicinal treatment.

There are many terpenes found in cannabis, but 5 of them warrant reference.

  1. Caryophyllene (Beta-Caryophyllene is another leading terpene): This terpene is found in cloves, black pepper, and rosemary. It also has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.
  1. Limonene: Just as it sounds, lemon or lime. This terpene is mainly found in citrus fruits and cleaning products and has a citrus scent. It’s known for boosting the immune system, promoting weight loss and alleviating heartburn symptoms.
  1. Myrcene: Alongside Caryophyllene, this terpene is amongst the most prominent. It’s found in mango, lemongrass, hops and thyme, and has a musky, earthy aroma. It can be used as an effective anti-inflammatory and can be a reliable treatment for osteoarthritis.
  1. Pinene: It is one of the most popular terpenes in nature. Found mainly in pine trees, conifers, rosemary and sage, it acts as an anti-inflammatory, helps with ulcer prevention, and improves air circulation in the lungs.
  1. Linalool: Along with its pleasant citrus and sweet flower aroma, it is usually found in lavender, mint, cinnamon, coriander, jasmine and is often used in soaps. It functions as an anti-inflammatory and reduces the growth of fungal infections outside the body. As well, it has anticonvulsant effects (i.e., prevents acute epileptic attacks and other convulsions) and has sedative elements.


Cannabis that has a pungent and pleasant aroma is usually considered of good quality. This kind of weed is typically called “dank”, whereas lower quality weed is usually referred to as “grassy”. Aside from the quality of weed and everyone’s personal sensory preferences, the most prevalent strains smell like skunk and diesel. 

With the recent and continuing craze of using cannabis vapes, it’s good to know a bit about it. Essentially, it’s a tool that allows you to inhale cannabis vapour. How? By heating cannabis flower or concentrates, to specific temperatures, the terpenes and cannabinoids turn to vapour. This is different from other instruments such as bongs as the latter lets you inhale the smoke from burning cannabis. Vaporizers also have a much faster reaction time and can last anywhere between an hour or two. It is also claimed to be a healthier option than other smoking methods since a vape is only extracting the most essential part of the plant.


Now that you’ve become terpene experts, if you’re willing to test out your newfound knowledge here are a few products that might interest you.

HEXO Vape Bundle is selling 3 vape cartridges at 0.5g at our outposts:

  • Bubba Kush
  • Blue Dream
  • Granddaddy Purple

They produce high-quality single-strain formulations that contain a native cannabis terpene blend and cannabinoids from sun-grown cannabis. 

Kolab just launched their new 232 Live Terpene Black Cherry and Ice Cream 0.5g cartridges. Their Live Terpene cartridges were created using flash-frozen single strain flower and then processed into a live resin. This preserves the natural terpene profile found in the cannabis plant. This is the mid-range temperature at which most terpenes and cannabinoids boil without burning, maximizing flavour and natural profile expression. Cartridges contain 16-17% live terpene; the rest is the same, high-quality distillate found in their 173 and 157 series vapes.

With your new terpene knowledge, be sure to check out these products in one of our Miss Jones Outposts. 


Miss Jones


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