Terp Talk

terpene

noun

ter·pene | ˈtər-ˌpēn

plural noun: terpenes, ‘terps’

The first thing you notice when you take a puff of a Bloom Brand vape is the taste, followed by the familiar feeling of your desired effects setting in. In order to replicate the same experience you feel smoking your favorite cannabis strains via Bloom vapes, we carefully craft a blend of over 50 terpenes per strain to create a unique profile closely matching the strain’s original flower counterpart and delivering bold, natural taste. 

What are they? 

Terpenes are the aromatic organic hydrocarbons found in many plants and fruits and are responsible for their scent and flavor. Terpenes are what you smell when you hold a bouquet of roses, pick out a christmas tree, peel and eat an orange, or use essential oils. These same compounds are what give each cannabis strain their unique taste and effect. In what is known as the entourage effect, terpenes produce subtle changes in the type of effects one experiences consuming cannabis. These compounds play a crucial role in why vaping Skywalker gives different effects than Maui Wowie.

Why does Bloom reintroduce natural terpenes vs. using cannabis-derived terpenes? 

Cannabis vapes with terpenes either come from two sources; cannabis terpenes (also called cannabis-derived) which are the original terpenes from the plant, and natural terpenes, also known as food-grade or botanical terpenes.

It is important to understand that terpenes are extremely unstable compounds that can be easily changed or damaged. During extraction, the applied heat and pressure end up damaging the original terpenes from the plant matter and degrading them from their original taste and effects in a process known as oxidation. Once terpenes are oxidized they no longer represent the original molecule and can never go back to their original form. 

Therefore, terpenes extracted from the raw plant material will no longer work as intended, changing the overall effectiveness of the strain. This is why oil that uses cannabis-derived terpenes typically tastes very similar to one another and does not have much differentiation between strain effects.

What does ‘food-grade’ actually mean and are these safe for me to vape?

Food-grade simply means that they come from a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified lab and arrive with Certificates of Analysis that validate their purity. In using certified pure food-grade terpenes we are able to ensure consistency throughout all of our strains. The same cannot be said about cannabis derived terpenes.

As a result, Bloom’s oil tastes much more vibrant, consistent, and can be standardized. By standardizing the terpene content and profiles of each strain, consumers can enjoy Bloom products safely and reliably across all strains and states.

Isn’t THC% the most important factor? 

This is another common myth – while THC is the dominant psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant, it is just one of many compounds that make up any individual strain. These other ‘minor cannabinoids’ such as CBD, CBN, CBG, CBC, etc., interact together with terpenes to create the unique ‘high’ one experiences from the plant through the entourage effect. Bloom is able to retain most minor cannabinoids in our oil thanks to ethanol extraction, giving users a more full spectrum of cannabinoids and food-grade terpenes. This results in more natural, long-lasting effect and taste.

To further enhance the vape experience, we fully customize the hardware in our devices to vape Bloom’s oil at the perfect temperature, ensuring you won’t burn any of the terpenes. This allows users to enjoy the full profile and taste down to the very last puff!