True cannabis connoisseurs know that our beloved plant is much more about simply giving you a good feeling. While we all love the effects, we prefer a slower pace of consumption to appreciate the abundance of flavours and aromas that each strain offers. Experiencing cannabis starts from growing the plant to the way you consume it. In this series of blog posts, we’ll explain how you can begin experiencing cannabis in a new way through mindful consumption. Learn while waiting for your cannabis seeds to grow so that you’ll be ready to indulge the right way after your harvest!

Introduction to Cannabis Tasting

The way your weed tastes is an excellent indication of the quality. To the untrained palate, all cannabis tastes the same. But with some expertise, you can begin to recognise the myriad flavours of each strain. After all, where do you think they get the creative names from?

Consuming weed thoughtfully will give you a new appreciation for the plant. The range of flavours you can experience just by tasting different strains will blow your mind. Understanding the science behind it will reveal the magic of how one plant can accomplish so many different flavour profiles.

Get ready to take notes because Cannabis Tasting 101 is your introduction to the world of cannabis flavour. By the end of this guide, you’ll start to look at cannabis in the same light as wine for a sophisticated tasting experience. We walk you step-by-step on getting the full flavour from the strains you grow at home. Tasting cannabis engages all your senses. You’ll be surprised by what you discover about your favourite strain before consuming it. Our goal is to make you an expert at tasting cannabis, and this will set you on the right path.

Did you know that your sense of smell significantly influences how you taste cannabis? Once you get accustomed to the dank ‘weed’ smell, your nose will begin to detect unique aromas in every strain that hint at how it tastes. This post explaining terpenes reveals the culprit behind the taste and smell of weed. This chemical compound is found in every strain and has more than 200 variations. The exciting part about growing cannabis seeds at home is detecting the rich aromas during the growing stage.

FYI, not everybody can immediately taste and smell the various profiles across different strains. The good news is that it’s a skill you can train over time. The first step is knowing that weed has different scents and tastes. Next, check out the tips in this post to turn you from the average stoner to a true cannabis connoisseur! The more engaged you are with cannabis, the more you will appreciate the plant’s complexity.

Cannabis Aroma and Flavour Profiles

One of the main features on our product description pages for each cannabis seed is the section with details about the cannabis aroma and flavour you can expect from the strain. Many people choose the next strain to grow based on the desired taste and smell experience. Understanding these profiles will ensure you select the right cannabis seed to grow and have the ability to recognise its traits when consuming it.

To master cannabis tasting, you must first know what you’re looking for. Here are the most common terpenes found in cannabis and the flavours and aromas they produce:

• Myrcene – earthy
• Limonene – citrusy
• Caryophyllene – spicy, peppery
• Humulene – woody, hops
• Pinene – pine
• Linalool – floral, lavender
• Terpinolene – sweet, fresh

Cannabis seeds containing genes of each terpene will produce similar aromas and flavours. Each strain has more than one terpene. The combination of terpenes produces a remarkable phenomenon called the ‘entourage effect.’ For example, combining myrcene, linalool, and caryophyllene terpenes can create a unique chocolate taste.

Similar to taste, terpenes also shape the pungent aromas that cannabis is known for. Make sure to have good air control for your indoor growing setup because these scents show up as early as the budding stage for most strains. This posts will help you develop your nose to recognise the vast range of scents in different strains. As a general rule of thumb, if you like the smell of a strain, there is a good chance that you’ll enjoy the taste! Terpenes interact with our bodies to produce effects of pleasure or aversion to certain scents.

Being aware of flavour and aroma profiles in your cannabis plant enhances the consumption experience. It also helps with understanding the effects of the cannabis when consuming it. Indica and Sativa strains have different dominant terpene profiles. Examining a particular scent in your plant will help you predict how it will make you feel.

The most common terpenes for Indica-dominant strains are:

• Myrcene
• Humulene
• Caryophyllene

The most common terpenes for Sativa-dominant strains are:

• Limonene
• Terpinolene
• Linalool

Terpenes are part of the genes stored inside each cannabis seed. However, you do have some control over how potent they will be once you grow them. Trichomes are the crystals that appear on your buds during harvest and regulate how strong the effects of the terpenes will be. The more trichomes you achieve with your cultivation, the better quality weed it will yield.

Developing your taste, aroma, and scent profiles when tasting cannabis

Just like you can improve your cannabis cultivation skills, you can also develop your ability to consume cannabis like a connoisseur. It’s time to pretend like you’re at a wine-tasting session—except this time with cannabis! The more you know about cannabis taste and aroma, the better you can prepare to experience it during consumption.

There are several best practices for developing your cannabis taste. If you need help with determining the flavour of a strain, a few tips to try include:

1. Know what you’re looking for
2. Try one strain at a time
3. Experiment with different growing techniques to improve the quality.

The art of tasting cannabis is a combination of training yourself to recognise flavour profiles and having good quality weed. Improving both areas will increase your chance of enjoying the pleasure of cannabis tasting.

Review our cannabis seed descriptions to identify what flavours and aromas are expected for the particular strain. It’s important for step 1: knowing what to look for. Expecting to smell the citrusy aroma of the Lemongrass strain or the cacao scent of the Chocolato strain prepares your brain for the rich aromas to come!

Our collection of premium cannabis seeds features scents including:

• Earthy
• Woody
• Pine
• Herbal
• Spicy
• Sweet
• Fruity
• Dairy/cheese
• Chocolate

Check this post to learn more about cannabis aroma vocabulary and which of our cannabis seeds to get if you prefer a particular scent.

The more you practice the art of cannabis tasting, the better you will get at it. After every harvest, ensure that you are tasting with purpose to cultivate your cannabis taste and scent profile. This is done by understanding the science behind the taste and smell, being more mindful during consumption, and improving the quality of your plant for a more enriched flavour and scent profile.

The Green Revolution in Gastronomy

The abundance of flavours present in cannabis has another major benefit—gastronomy! Chefs worldwide have gotten their hands on the plant and are using it creatively as an ingredient in food. The green revolution in gastronomy has evolved far past the classic ‘weed brownie’ made from your leftover shake after a harvest. They are more intentional in selecting the right strains with the perfect flavour profiles to pair with other ingredients to create recipes like never before!

We dig into the rise of cannabis in the culinary world to explore the best practices of using terpene flavours in cannabis as a ‘special ingredient’ in the kitchen. Cannabis has a different effect when eaten compared to other consumption methods—if you’ve ever eaten an edible, you know what we mean!

Cannabis gastronomy is now global, and different strains provide even more creative uses for cannabis in the kitchen. Growing weed at home gives you an immediate supply of one of the trendiest ingredients in gastronomy.

Want to try it for yourself? The blog post also shares simple recipes to try at home for:

• Classic Cannabis Brownies
• Cannabis-Infused Honey
• Cannabis-Infused Chai Tea

The growing popularity of cannabis-infused food has sparked even more creative uses for the plant in the kitchen. You can begin experimenting with cannabis gastronomy by starting with common cannabis-infused bases that you can add to nearly any kind of recipe. Some of the most common bases are:

• Canna butter
• Canna oil
• Canna tincture

Substitute cannabutter in the recipe of your favourite meal, or add a few drops of canna tincture into the mixing bowl, and you have an automatic recipe for an elevated meal.

In addition to being used directly in a recipe, certain strains can also enhance the flavours of certain foods.

Food isn’t the only thing trending in cannabis gastronomy. Cannabis-infused beverages are becoming popular to make at home. You can take distillate and oil and add it to your favourite drink.

Cannabis-infused drinks include beverages, alcohol, and even CBD-infused drinks that deliver the CBD’s medical effects with every sip. Check out our recipes for cannabis-infused drinks that you can make right at home.

Essential Accessories for the Cannabis Connoisseur

What separates experienced cannabis connoisseurs from beginners are the accessories they use to consume marijuana. The right accessories will enhance the taste and aromas you experience with each strain you grow.

Cannabis accessories can customise your experience by:

• Improving convince
• Delivering a different type of high
• Improving the taste

A successful harvest will yield lots of buds. Consuming cannabis in different ways and using various accessories will provide a new experience with each use. Our headshop provides the best cannabis accessories, such as pipes, rolling papers, grinders, rolling trays, filters, etc. Be sure to use high-quality accessories to improve your cannabis-tasting experience.

Using a grinder has several advantages. If you’re a cannabis connoisseur, you’ll appreciate this handy accessory for:

• Speed and efficiency
• Maintain terpenes on your buds
• Collecting kief

It gives you a better taste and is cleaner overall than breaking up buds with your hands.

The cannabis community is split between using pure weed or combining it with tobacco. We recommend smoking weed purely to deliver the best taste. Tobacco can overpower the taste of cannabis and isn’t advised if you want to consume it like a connoisseur. Also, using rolling papers or pipes will deliver the cleanest taste. We call it the ‘perfect puff!’