The Language of Cannabis Aromas

If you are a seasoned cannabis consumer you probably know a thing or two about “terps”. Terpenes are known as the main components responsible for the aroma in plants, and they can be traced to the introduction of Camphor in Eastern Europe by the Arabs in the 11th century as a treatment for illness and pain – even as a fumigant during the Black Death era. 

When it comes to weed, the first scientific study conducted targeting the compounds on the cannabis plant took place in the first half of the 19th century. When workers became giggly and euphoric working in Italian hemp fields, Valente started an experiment with fresh leaves and steam distillation to try and isolate the compounds causing it [3]. β-Caryophyllene and myrcene were most likely the first cannabis terpenes to be isolated. Simonsen and Todd [4] were the first to name an isolated terpene. They extracted p-cymene, p-cymenene, and humulene from Egyptian hashish.

Since then the main cannabinoids, CBD and THC, have been extensively studied, but we still have barely scratched the surface when it comes to more than a hundred different compounds found in the cannabis plant. But over 200 years later not much more has been uncovered when it comes to the complex world of cannabis aromas. 

We introduced the Strainy Wheel of Cannabis Aromas, a visual glossary of cannabis aromas organized by notes. Now it’s time to explore each slice of the wheel, uncovering what these words really mean when we are talking cannabis.

Spice, peppery, piquant. Is this weed or food condiment?

A lot of words in the cannabis vocabulary can be related to food taste and smell.  Many cannabis strains are known to be musky and spicy, with a peppery aroma associated with smelling cracked pepper. That makes a lot of sense since Caryophyllene, the terpene found in cloves and black peppercorn, is the most common terpene in Canadian strains according to the Strainy Strain Tracker.

Hot, spicy, piquancy are terms that refer to many spices and foods that are "agreeably stimulating to the palate", in other words to food that is spicy in the general sense of "well-spiced". Many strains that contain Caryophyllene are described like that, and the peppery, pungent aroma of some strains can also be related to stress-releasing and pain-fighting qualities. 

Hot, fresh, almost tingly to sniff: the warm notes of some peppery strains go well along with hot cocoa and blankets.

Caryophyllene, Borneol, Cymene, Terpineol are some of the terpenes associated with woody, spiced notes.