By Amanda Breeze

Finding the perfect words to express the delight that is Cannabis aromas is a distinct challenge for every cannabis connoisseur.

I learned this lesson the first time I was asked to evaluate flavour and aroma differences between three different blue-crossed cultivars while working on a gorgeous grow in NorCaL. I was probably chosen for the task because I smoked the most pot, but it was a dream come true. I was getting paid to talk about weed!

Of course, I took my time and remarked on the unique aromas as I broke up the buds and rolled each one up. In a notebook, I wrote each name at the top of the page: classic Blue Dream, a variation called Blue Fire, and BlueDream x Cookies. Sitting there, I readied myself to write pure poetry living my best never-in-my-wildest-dreams moment on the top of that sun-kissed California mountain. I smoked all three doobies, pen in hand, and was confused to discover that it was a struggle to come up with a few words for each one. I suddenly forgot every smell and flavor in the world. My mind was completely blank!

What I was experiencing is known as the verbal barrier. In the book, The Nose Knows, author and sensory psychologist Avery Gilbert explains that a cognitive disconnect occurs when we experience a smell we know and try to describe it. He refers to it as a ‘tip-of-the-nose phenomenon’ wherein we recognize the odor but cannot put a word to it. As he puts it, “The average person becomes tongue-tied when trying to describe smells”. Although we experience aromas and odors every day of our lives, the brain struggles to connect smell and words. This is, in part, due to our limited vocabulary when it comes to describing aroma.

More recently, I was touring a greenhouse in full flower. Due to an unfortunate accident, none of the plants were labeled with their strain names. We were set to the task of trying to identify about 70 plants from a list of seeds. The deeper we went, the more confusing the list of names became. This one looked like a Northern Light, but so did these ones. Amid the chaos, the grower said- Oh, smell this one. I was immediately hit with the sweetest, fruitiest scent in the world; and shouted - GRAPE! Surprised, he replied- Holy fuck! You found the Oregon Grape!

Most of what is identified as “fruity” cannabis aromas are sweet and will fall into the higher light note category, the crisp citrus notes, or the lower base note of berries and grape. I am not any kind of fruit expert. I recognized the grape because I once spent a night sleeping in a grape vineyard in Freelton, New York while hitchhiking across the state. No joke- I straight up Slumdog Millionaired it. My memory of the vineyard that night is so strong I could never forget that smell. It has become a permanent impression or scent memory of grape’s aroma.

It is not likely that every person can commit the aroma of sleeping in a vineyard to memory. But there are many other ways to help train the brain and develop the skill of identifying aromas. Perfumers do it all the time! One approach is to hone specific cognitive skills by selecting classifications that the aromas can fit into, and create personal impressions. For example, the categories for cannabis might include piney, woody, and citrus. Focusing on the citrus category, we can learn the individual impressions by isolating the aromas of lemon, bergamot, tangerine, and orange. This can be done by exploring specific essential oils as well as isolated terpenes. As cannabis shares a lot of similar terpenes with other common plants, like limonene, and pinene, this could be a very successful technique to distinguish and describe the nuanced aromas found in cannabis flowers.

We need to train our brains to recognize these odors out of context. As Cannabis Sommeliers, we should be able to identify the similarities and differences between the flavor and aroma profile of a Blue Dream and Blue Fire. But more importantly, we need to be able to describe the aromas of individual strains with poetry and gusto! Recognizing the essence of a smell is equally as important as our ability to put words to it. “The challenge is to find a new way for scents to speak.”

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*This piece was inspired by Avery GIlbert’s book The Nose Knows. I highly recommend checking out all his work! The final quote is also taken from this book.

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Amanda Breeze is a Cannabis Educator and Founder of Emerald Temple Living. Her specialty is Cannabis Aromatherapy, and how scent influences our health and wellness. As a thought leader in the cannabis industry, she brings fresh perspective and new insights into the aromatic bouquets of cannabis, the therapeutic value of terpenes, and enthusiastic knowledge on the science of cannabis aroma.

Find her at www.instagram.com/Emerald.Temple.Living

www.emeraldtempleliving.com