THE FUNDAMENTALS (🌿=T. H. C. <---Bots don't like that word)

Taking 🌿 without terpenes is like cooking without spices. Even though terpenes by themselves don't do much, they add a large amount of richness and complexity to a 🌿 experience. If you're someone who has switched between using flower and normal edibles, then you likely know how big the difference can be. Most people also tend to have a favorite strain. Terpenes play a large role in the overall experience felt from each individual strain and we're starting to understand them more.

When fruit and vegetables grow, terpenes develop and are the compounds that give each plant their unique aroma and flavor. This is why one strain can smell floral, while another smells cheesy! However, even though terpenes are a non-psychoactive compound, they don't just create smells and tastes... they are quickly becoming a primary factor in differentiating strains. One strain can feel completely different than another because of its unique terpene and cannabinoid profile. This is where the classification for Sativa and Indica come from. Strains are classified in these two groups by the effects they generally tend to give the user.

There is no such thing as an "Indica 🌿", it is always just 🌿, but when you combine it with terpenes and/or various cannabinoids, you create synergies leading to unique experiences. An Indica-like experience is typically throughout the body, relaxing, and suppressive. A Sativa-like experience would be more in your head and energetic/creative. You could even test this yourself at home. Take blank 🌿, but don't eat any fruits/veggies around the same time and monitor the experience. The next day take terpenes (our gummies or lots of fruit), with the same amount of🌿and note the differences. We've done blind testing with placebos and each time it's clear which person had the 🌿 + Terpenes. The feeling tends to be more 'full-bodied' with a spectrum of different effects depending on the person and which terpenes are used.

Misconceptions

Most people don't know what terpenes are and they can be confusing. In the past there has been a lack of research due to 🌿 being illegal. More recently, terpenes and their interactions with 🌿 have been able to be studied, but there is much more to do. Here are some of the current misconceptions:

1. Terpenes are only useful for adding aroma and flavor
2. Terpenes have huge health benefits
3. Terpenes give psychoactive effects

There tends to be two extreme groups when it comes to terpenes, those who think they are useless placebos and those who think they are a magical compounds. Be careful when getting information from either of these groups as they tend to be highly biased or misinformed. Develop your own opinions below by reading some of the studies that have been done!

Industry Challenges

Now that you know what terpenes are and how they contribute to the overall experience, it's important to understand the issues facing the 🌿 industry. It is difficult to properly maintain terpenes inside of your favorite green products. This is because terpenes are highly sensitive (you can read more about this below). Most edibles and vape concentrates you will find at dispensaries have undergone processes to extract 🌿 from flower using very high temperatures. So high in fact that it kills off most of the terpenes. This could mean your "Indica" edible is really just a blank 🌿 edible with trace amounts of terpenes and/or cannabinoids.

Flower producers face a different set of challenges when it comes to preserving terpenes. From the moment the buds are picked, terpenes are degrading at a fast pace. The curing/drying process takes time and every second terpenes are degrading. The best flower companies are the ones who recognize this and take measures to fight it by packaging quickly, using proper packaging material, and adding humidity packs.

Technology is improving though and manufacturers have come up with ways to properly infuse edibles using live resin/rosin. This has been a huge step towards getting cannabis consumers higher quality products.

If you want a proper cannabis experience you should be seeking out products that preserve the terpenes. Live resin/rosin, flower, and products with terpenes infused back into them are going to be your best bet! If you want to take it a step further, our gummies let you craft a custom experience or you can take it with any 🌿 product and lean your experience towards certain effects.

Here one minute and gone the next, terpenes are extremely volatile. If they aren't handled with care, they will be lost. This is an issue because a large amount of 🌿 products on the market do not take proper care to preserve terpenes. Packaging and extraction method matter!

PACKAGING

In a study done on terpene preservation, it was found that commonly used packaging in the industry allowed for large amounts of terpene loss. Of the tested packaging, only glass and PET containers with foil lined caps were able to retain their terpenes to a significant degree.

🚫If you care about terpenes, avoid these packaging types:🚫

• Thin-walled plastic bags (Non-Mylar)
• Low grade plastic (PP, PS, etc.)
• Cardboard / paper

Even if you do avoid these, there can still be other issues with the sealing mechanism. For example, many mylar bags use a cheaper plastic click-lock seal, which allows for easy terpene degradation. Stick with foil-lined seals that are air tight!

EXTRACTION

Much can be said on cannabinoid and terpene extraction methods, but one thing is clear: Terpenes are very sensitive to temperature.

Boiling points vary between terpenes and each one degrades at different rates given the circumstances. Unfortunately, the temperatures required for 🌿heat activation/extraction are high enough to either rapidly degrade existing terpenes or completely wipe them out. This leaves a vast majority of products on the market with only trace amounts of terpenes. Our product shines in this situation by allowing you to add back in your own custom picked terpenes to craft a strain of effects unique to you.

There are alternatives though, where 🌿 is extracted via water, flash freezing, etc. These methods do a much better job at maintaining terpene profiles and potency. Our terpenes work with these products as well by allowing you to customize your experience more effectively in one direction.

For our product, we combat the high temperature issue by introducing the terpene isolate into the gummy mixture as late as possible, while at the lowest temperature possible. It also helps because we don't have to extract 🌿 and can use terpenes derived from other sources.

STORAGE

Terpenes don't like light, oxygen, or low humidity. Here's how you can preserve terpenes assuming they are stored in a proper container:

• Store in a dark place
• Keep the cap tightly sealed
• Open the cap as little as possible