The unique musky, skunky, and pungent aroma of cannabis is unmistakable: Most people can smell it before they even see it. Terpenes, the aromatic compounds that determine the scent of many flowers and herbs, bestow cannabis with its distinctive odor and contribute to its flavor.

Cannabis contains more than 150 types of terpenes. Although most terpenes are present in only trace amounts, the more prominent ones team together to give diverse cannabis strains their signature scent profiles. The combination of terpenes in Sour Diesel tell you of its pungent, gassy character, while Cherry Pie evokes the pleasant scent of sweet and sour cherry pie fresh out of the oven.

Beyond providing cannabis with its unique bouquet of scents, terpenes also hold diverse functions in the plant and can produce a range of therapeutic and mood-altering effects in cannabis consumers.