The Smell of Weed

Weed is usually something that's earthy and woody. Some people say it smells like a skunk. But that’s not always the case. Some say it’s more citrusy or has a flowery taste to it.  This is because of the terpenes and flavonoids that are in there, and of course the form of this. 

The Influence of the Smell 

There are tons of ways that the smell in cannabis is influenced. The smell doe get influenced mostly by the terpenes within this. They create hydrocarbons that do have a smell to it, which is responsible for the aroma. All sorts of strains have different kinds of terpenes, which is why certain strains smell different from others. Another part of this is the flavonoids.  Cannaflavins are going to definitely impact the scent and the taste. 

Look into the Volatile Sulfur Compounds 

This is a compound that plays a huge part into the smell of the skunk. That's right, if the weed smells like a skunk, the volatile sulfur compounds are going to be a big part of it, and some say that the VSC is the main part of the smell.

There are some that have a higher  in the VSCs than others, especially the 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, which is one that contributes to how pungent something is. Those that don’t contain this, otherwise known as VSC3, is going to definitely not be as pungent.

When you Harvest it Matters 

The time you harvest plays a big role in this too. That’s because, if you harvest it later, it’s going to make a small that’s more pungent compared to others. This is due to the cannabinoids and terpenes that are in there which increase as the plant gets older and starts to mature. 

The form that it takes also does have a big part in this too.  When you have it start to get turned into a vape, it’s going to smell differently compared to if it’s smoked in a pipe, or with some rolling papers. 

Some people also use scented cannabis paper to help with the smell, masking it usually.

Finally, how fresh this is does matter too. Those old pieces of cannabis tend to have mold in them, since it creates mycotoxins, which are very pungent. If you see these, do not consume them. not only are they gross, they also can create some major health problems, so don’t have anything that may have some contamination or mold to it. 

The most common smells 

This is something that’s different for everyone. Something that doesn’t smell that bad to you may smell awful to another person. Those that tend to find it unpleasant are usually sensitive to certain smells. You can usually determine this based on the smells that are there. Limonene for example, is much more citrusy as well, and it also may taste like an orange too.

Pinene is usually something that makes cannabis begin to smell a bit like pine trees and is usually found within rosemary. It offers multiple therapeutic benefits that go with this, including reducing the allergies that are there. Linalool usually offers the more floral smell, and it smells like what chamomile and lavender doo. It’s great for anxiety, and chronic pain too.

Finally, we’ve got myrcene, which is responsible for the earthy, musky smell and is found in thyme, lemongrass, and even mango too. It works with anxiety, inflammation reduction, and also the pain reduction too.

Choosing cannabis plants based on their smells may impact the way your experience it, and it’s good to know that there are a lot of things that play into the cannabis smell.