What Are Terpenes?
Terpenes are volatile compounds that make up the smells of not only cannabis but all of the many fruits and vegetables around us. Basically the same compounds are found throughout the world and the different ratios of them create the multitude of different smells we experience daily from all the plants around us including cannabis and hemp.
Why should you know about Terpenes?
Understanding terpenes is important because they not only affect flavor but also how we will experience them and each persons interpretation of the same terpene can be slightly different. Due to the variety of terpenes it can be useful to understand how yoou experience each one in particular so you can make the best choices on which terpenes to seek out in your seed selections. There are also other volatile compounds
Labs don't test for such as VSCs, esters, aldehydes, or flavonoids. All these compounds including terpenes add to the smells of things but they aren't as easily tested for, hopefully those tests come in the near future such as testing for volatile sulfur compounds (VSC’s) which are responsible for the heavy skunk smells we all are oddly attracted to but are often untested in laboratories.
This Terp chart might help you get an understanding of what different terpenes smell like, and what other things in nature contain them. But it’s only a part of the puzzle that makes up the entourage effect.
If interested in helping us gain more knowledge about how different terpenes and other volatile compounds translate to each person, you can submit your experience with A Light Seeker Seeds Cultivar or any cultivar you have experienced by submitting your Terp Testing Chart here!