Terpene Library
Learn about the aromatic compounds that shape each strain
Crack black peppercorns and lean over the grinder — that hot, dry bite in your nose is caryophyllene. It's in cloves, cinnamon, oregano and basil: the spice-rack terpene. In cannabis it's why some strains smell less like fruit and more like something cooking.
You already know what myrcene smells like. It's the heavy, faintly sweet earthiness of a ripe mango, the back half of a hop flower, the smell of a bay leaf when you crush it between your fingers. In cannabis it's usually the most abundant terpene in the jar — in plenty of strains it's more than half the total terpene load. A lot of what people call "that weed smell" is really just myrcene.
Eucalyptol is the cold you feel at the back of your nose from a eucalyptus leaf or a strong chest rub. Tea tree, bay, sage and cardamom carry it too. In cannabis it's uncommon and unmistakable — a cooling note that reads almost like menthol.