Whether you consume it or not, the smell of cannabis is recognizable among a thousand. But the legalization of grass in certain countries, and in particular in some American states, is in the process of evolving these plants, the producers dismented so that their flowers give off smells and more and more gourmet tastes. Cherry, citrus, lime, and candy … The evolution of hemp consumption methods and the appearance of a consumer trade in CBD have changed the practice to transform it into real experience, sometimes compared to oenology.
According to Pamela Dalton, researcher at the Money Chemical Senses Center in Pennsylvania, this trend is directly due to the growth of the recreational use of cannabis. “We consume all kinds of unpleasant drugs with a taste or smell, but to be entertained, we are looking for a pleasant substance in all points of view”she explains to the American radio group NPR. “This is what partly explains hybridization and evolution (cannabis): create a substance from which we appreciate the smell, which is pleasant and which promotes relaxation.”
A story of terpenes
“I am almost 70 years old, and the cannabis that I felt at 13, 14, 15 years old was much more skunk (common variety of cannabis) than everything I feel today”says the scientist. But then, how did the producers caught up there? They explain that the perfumes and flavors of their plants largely depend on the terpenes, the chemical compounds also present in certain plants, certain fruits and certain trees.
Kyle Perrell is Director General of District Cannabis operations, a plantation located in Hagerstown in Maryland, where he produces almost seven tonnes of cannabis each year. He explains that he uses Caryophyllène, Limonene and Linalol type terpenes to produce one of his varieties, Gelato Cake. These elements, he says, give its flowers floral scents, cloves and citrus.
But the district cannabis district variety is the Layer Cake, a cousin of the Gelato Cake. It is “One of the most popular and most sold varieties on the Washington and Maryland markets for several years now”explains Andras Kirschner, founder and chief producer of the plantation. He describes it as a complex flower with scents of grapes, cognac, with Kerosene background notes.
Thanks to this particular variety, Andras Kirschner won the prize for Grand Champion at the National Cannabis Championship (NCC) of 2024. An event among others that highlights the most refined cannabis flowers. A philosophy which is reminiscent of that of the big wine competitions which take place in France but which is not likely to make them shade: the consumption of cannabis is always illegal in France in 2025.
