Hello My Strain is: A Surprising and Fascinating Series

A series on how terpene profiles define our favourite strains/cannabis products

Having access to in-depth product terpene profiles can help you understand more about a product’s composition, and what category of scent profiles that product might fall under. Anyone who knows cannabis will tell you about the importance of terpenes. Total terpenes, for example, is a good indicator of how fragrant a bud will be, while specific terpenes are known to modulate particular smells, tastes and even the experiential effects of cannabis.

Many strains are named after their smells which, in turn, are largely due to terpenes. There are lots of guides out there that talk about the particular smells of terpenes and what other foods or plants they are found in: Myrcene is found in mangos, pinene is found in pine trees, caryophyllene is found in black pepper and so on. While the presence of those terps can explain some basic smells, what about the complex smells?

To answer these questions, Cannametrics has teamed up with MSC to compare strains from the legal, recreational market and see how similar products with similar names and smells were when it came to their terpene profiles. With MSC’s strong analytical capabilities, we’re running validated analytical terpene methods to determine how terpene profiles might define a strain or a popular scent category. What we’re finding is very interesting.

“Everyone is interested in terpenes. I couldn’t be more excited to be working with the MSC team, using cutting-edge science, to explore how terps work together to create the specific aromas we know and love. This is cannabis connoisseur science."

Eric Jacobsen, Co-Founder and CEO of Cannametrics Tweet

The Findings

Cannametrics is thrilled to be releasing this recurring series spanning the next few weeks dictating our findings with Molecular Science Corp. We’ll be diving into popular cultivar families and the compounds that make them inherently distinct. Our science-based findings and discoveries will be posted on our Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and our blog

Up First: The Terpenes of “Cake” Strains

There is no ice cream cake terpene so what causes these strains to have that particular smell? Is the terpene mix in other cake strains the same? If so, can we predict precisely how a strain will smell based on terpene data alone? We grabbed 5 representative “cake” samples and ran them through MSC’s advanced analytical testing. What we found was really striking. 

Stay tuned for our results on Cake Strains!

About Molecular Science Corp

Molecular Science Corp. (MSC) is a leading analytical services company focused on cannabis and cannabis-derived products, and pharmaceutical products containing cannabinoids or other controlled substances including psilocybin, ketamine and MDMA. MSC operates a state-of-the-art, GMP laboratory in Toronto, Ontario under a Health Canada Analytical Testing License for cannabis, a Drug Establishment License and a Dealer’s License.

MSC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canbud Distributon Corp. (CSE:CBDX)

Why MSC is passionate about this project with Cannametrics

MSC and Cannametrics both recognize the (growing) importance of terpene data to consumers of cannabis products. MSC is passionate about partnering on this project with Cannametrics because it allows two companies with shared beliefs about the importance, accuracy and accessibility of terpene profiles for the products that consumers choose to purchase. This project allows MSC and Cannametrics to perform a preliminary, real-world investigation of common cannabis product categories/strain profiles to try and understand how reliable terpene data can help inform cannabis consumers about the products they are buying, when often they are not able to see or smell the products prior to purchasing.

Ariel Elise

This endocannabinerd specializes in tackling medieval misconceptions about cannabis. Ariel advocates for cannabis knowledge to be accessible to everyone. Ariel’s passionate about engaging with Canadian Retailers and supporting their businesses through the platform. Also a loving dog mom and avid CBD promoter for pets. They/Them pronouns.