What Are Terpenes?

What exactly are terpenes?

Terpenes are a large family of natural compounds found throughout the plant world. They're what you smell when you peel an orange, crush a pine needle or grind black pepper. Cannabis makes many of them in the same tiny resin glands, the trichomes, that produce cannabinoids like THC. Wikipedia's article on terpenes (opens in a new tab) covers the chemistry.

In cannabis, terpenes are mostly about aroma and flavor. They're the reason two strains with similar lab numbers can smell and taste completely different, and they're a big part of why people develop favourite strains.

What are the most common cannabis terpenes?

You'll often see two or three of these listed on a product page. The first one is usually the most abundant and shapes the overall smell.

Do terpenes change how a strain feels?

This is where you'll see a lot of bold claims, so it's worth being careful. Many people associate certain aromas with certain moods: citrusy strains with feeling bright and social, earthy ones with winding down. There's also an idea, called the entourage effect (opens in a new tab), that terpenes and cannabinoids work together. Research on it is still limited and debated.

What's safe to say is that terpenes clearly shape flavor and aroma, and that your own experience is the best guide to how a strain makes you feel. Keep track of strains you enjoy and look for the terpenes they have in common.

Where do terpenes come from in a vape or pre-roll?

In flower and pre-rolls, the terpenes are the plant's own. In concentrates, they depend on how the product is made. Live resin and live rosin keep more of the plant's own terpenes because the plants are frozen fresh at harvest; see live resin vs live rosin. In some oils, like Liquid Diamonds, terpenes are blended back in after the cannabinoids are refined, which keeps each strain's flavor consistent; see live resin vs Liquid Diamonds.

How do heat and storage affect terpenes?

Terpenes are delicate. They evaporate at fairly low temperatures and break down with heat, light and air. That's why a cart on a high battery setting can taste flat or burnt, and why an old pre-roll tastes papery. A low heat setting brings out more flavor in a vape; see our 510 battery settings guide. Storing products sealed, cool and dark keeps terpenes for longer; see how to store pre-rolls.

How can you use terpenes to choose a strain?

• Think about flavors you already like in food and drink: citrus, pine, spice, fruit.
• Look at the terpenes listed on product pages and pick strains that match.
• When you find a strain you love, note its top terpenes and look for others that share them.
• Combine that with the strain type and Jeeter's mood tags; see picking a Jeeter by mood.

You can browse every strain in the shop and filter by type and mood.

Are terpenes the same as THC or CBD?

No. THC and CBD are cannabinoids, which interact with the body's cannabinoid system. Terpenes are aromatic compounds that give the plant its smell and flavor. Some terpenes, like caryophyllene, have been studied for how they interact with the body, but they don't cause the intoxicating effect associated with THC. Product labels and lab reports list cannabinoids and, often, terpenes separately; see how to read a cannabis label.

This post is general information for adults 21 and over and isn't medical advice.