Welcome to our second annual installment of “The Best-Tasting Buds on Earth.” These rankings are derived from our Cannabis Cup competition data, culled from lab reports for each of our events held in the previous year (2016).
This year, we have a different look to the rankings for the terpene content in our featured strains, organizing them by Cannabis Cup competition rather than a rolling list as we did last year. The reason for this is twofold: First, each lab in the various Cannabis Cup competition tests for a different number of terps—some for more, some for less. How many and which terpenes are tested for obviously affects the percentage of mass for the terp content observed in the flowers, so each section will note the lab and the number of terpenes tested. Second, this new system of ranking helps to demonstrate which strains are performing well in terms of flavor and aroma in each distinct region of the United States, showing us what growers, patients and recreational users prefer in various areas of the country.
Additionally, we rank the strains first in order of their overall terpene content within that competition and then again using a national ranking (the number in parenthesis) to show how the strain compares across the country. With more and more interest and research being done on the overall effects of particular strains (versus the isolated effects of specific cannabinoids or terpenes via extraction), the importance of broader terpene profiles is starting to come into focus. So when you hear people say they still prefer smoking a joint of flower to taking a (much stronger) dab of a concentrate, this is the reason why.
Cannabis Cup competition: Southern California Cannabis Cup, February 2016
Testing lab: Canna Safe Analytics (CSA), Murrieta, CA
Terpenes tested: Alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, bisabolol, caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide, geraniol, humulene, linalool, limonene, myrcene, terpinolene (11 total)
Notes:
Cannabis Cup competition: Southern California Cannabis Cup, April 2016
Testing lab: Canna Safe Analytics (CSA), Murrieta, CA
Terpenes tested: Alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, bisabolol, camphene, carene, caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide eucalyptol, geraniol, humulene, linalool, limonene, myrcene, nerolidol, p-cymene, terpinolene (16 total)
Notes:
Cannabis Cup competition: Michigan Cannabis Cup, June 2016
Testing lab: PSI Labs, Ann Arbor, MI
Terpenes tested: Alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinene, beta-ocimene, beta-pinene, bisabolol, camphene, 3-carene, caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide, eucalyptol, gamma-terpinene, geraniol, guaiol, humulene, isopulegol, linalool, limonene, myrcene, nerolidol 1, nerolidol 2, ocimene, p-cymene, terpinolene (23 total)
Notes:
What follows is a list of the major and minor terpenes that play a prevalent role in the taste and smell of our favorite marijuana strains. Listed are the primary flavors and aromas they elicit as well as their medicinal contributions, many of which are also utilized outside of the cannabis industry for treatments and household uses (such as perfumes, soaps, food flavoring, etc.).
On top of their isolated effects as individual compounds, these terpenes combine with cannabinoids such as THC and CBD to create a much broader experience within the user. This total experience is known as the “entourage effect,” which takes into account the overall effects of a particular strain outside of specific metrics like THC potency or primary flavors. The entourage effect will still vary from person to person, but it indicates that a strain has certain qualities when taken as a whole, versus having specific cannabinoids and terpenes isolated and consumed via extraction (such as in hash or concentrates).
Cannabis Cup competition: Northern California Cannabis Cup, June 2016
Testing lab: Steep Hill Labs, Berkeley, CA
Terpenes tested: Alpha-pinene, beta-caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide, citronellol, humulene, linalool, limonene, myrcene, phytol, terpinolene (10 total)
Notes:
Cannabis Cup competition: Michigan Cannabis Cup, August 2016
Testing lab: PSI Labs, Ann Arbor, MI
Terpenes tested: Alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinene, beta-ocimene, beta-pinene, bisabolol, camphene, 3-carene, caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide, eucalyptol, gamma-terpinene, geraniol, guaiol, humulene, isopulegol, linalool, limonene, myrcene, nerolidol 1, nerolidol 2, ocimene, p-cymene, terpinolene (23 total)
Notes:
Cannabis Cup competition: Southern California Cannabis Cup, October 2016
Testing lab: Canna Safe Analytics (CSA), Murrieta, CA
Terpenes tested: Alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, bisabolol, camphene, carene, caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide, eucalyptol, geraniol, humulene, linalool, limonene, myrcene, nerolidol, p-cymene, terpinolene (16 total)
Notes:
Cannabis Cup competition: All 2016 Cannabis Cups, CBD Flowers category
Testing labs: Steep Hill Labs, Berkeley, CA; PSI Labs, Ann Arbor, MI; Canna Safe Analytics (CSA), Murrieta, CA
Notes:
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