Like many cannabis professionals, Andy Elise Tabuena’s passion for the plant led her to a career summersault. While completing a degree in biochemistry and interning at a biopharmaceutical company, she had an epiphany: she was bored. So she enrolled in a cannabis sommelier program, studying terpenes. Now she’s considered the authority.

Hiii: You are a chemist for Terpene Warehouse, what does that mean? What do you do?

Andy Elise Tabuena: We specialize in producing high-quality terpene blends for cannabis, food, and beverages. We research, formulate, and test natural terpenes to enhance the aroma, taste, and most excitingly, the effects of various products.

Hiii: What, exactly, is a terpene?

AET: Terpenes are the molecules responsible for providing plants with their aromatic profiles, whose primary purpose for the plant is to protect against insects, animals, fungi, bacteria, and UV radiation.

Hiii: What is helpful for cannabis consumers to know about terpenes?

AET: First, terpenes are considered psychoactive molecules because they interact with the chemistry in the brain but are non-psychotropic on their own—meaning that just terpenes alone won’t get you high.

Hiii: How do terpenes affect the smoking experience?

AET: Terpenes indirectly interact with THC to affect the smoking experience by increasing the assimilation of other cannabinoids, dopamine, and serotonin throughout the body. This synergy between terpenes and cannabinoids is the influential force that determines the effects of hemp and cannabis products on the user.

Hiii: Can we talk a little now about effects? Which terpenes are the best for: anxiety, sleep, energy?

AET: For anxiety, I highly recommend a terpene profile heavy in linalool. The same goes for sleep—linalool will calm you down and help facilitate the process of getting sleepy. There have also been a lot of studies that show the calming and sedative effects of terpinolene. For energy, I would look for a profile with a higher concentration of limonene and also alpha and beta-pinene. Beta-caryophyllene and myrcene have both been shown to have anti-inflammatory benefits so when you’re in pain, look for products high in those terpenes.

Hiii: When a budtender says “terpene profile,” what are they talking about?

AET: A terpene profile is all the terpenes in a plant and, more specifically, at what ratios. The ratio is what’s really important because there is definitely a top ten to twenty that all cannabis plants are going to share, but the ratios are what define smell, taste, and again, the effects.

Hiii: A budtender told us to forget about the THC percentages and pay more attention to the terpene profile. Where is the sweet spot for terpene percentages?

AET: In flower you’re typically not going to see more than two to three percent total terpene content.

Hiii: Ok, let’s do a lightning round. I am going to name a few terps. Can you tell me how each is unique? First, Ocimene…

AET: You’ll find this in uplifting type strains such as Jack Herer, Strawberry Cough, and Green Crack. A really woody and green aroma.

Hiii: Eucalyptol…

AET: The classic Girl Scout Cookies strain is known to have high amounts of eucalyptol. This strain is known for producing euphoric effects, followed up by waves of full-body relaxation. A distinct and complex minty and herbal taste.

Hiii: Borneol…

AET: A lot of strains are high in borneol: all the hazes, OG Kush, and Sour Diesel. The long-lasting cerebral effects mute stress without encumbering the body. It smells like strong camphor.

Hiii: Terpineol…

AET: It appears in a lot of OGs like White Widow, Skywalker, OG Kush, and Fire OG. It has a minty lilac aroma which can also indicate that a strain will have a more sedative effect.

Hiii: Geraniol…

AET: Purple Punch, Agent Orange, and Fruity Pebbles are all high in geraniol. Effects include relaxation in both mind and body, filled with a lightly buzzy and pleasant weightiness. It is, from a chemistry standpoint, an alcohol. In a formulation it can have almost solvent-like properties with a really nice but subtle floral aroma.

Hiii: How can one find the best terps for themselves?

AET: Everyone is going to have a unique profile or range of terpene profiles that suit that particular individual. If you are unsure if you are going to like a particular strain: smell it. Your nose knows, and more likely than not, if you smell a profile and instantly do not like the scent, you are probably not going to enjoy consuming it and experiencing its psychoactive effects. Vice versa, if you smell a strain and think, “Wow, that smells amazing,” it’s more likely your metabolism will be compatible with that terpene profile, and you’ll have a good time. The more attention a person pays to the terpene percentage printed on all legal cannabis, the more a person can fine-tune their high.

Hiii: Tell me, are you glad you switched careers? Is there a future in cannabis?

AET: Definitely, switching careers was the best decision. The cannabis industry has a bright future with endless room to grow.

Terpene Warehouse is a chemistry lab specializing in the research of aromatic compounds naturally found in cannabis in order to recreate the profile using the purest botanically derived ingredients.

What happens when you put a finance guy together with mechanical and software engineers, coders, chemists, and a chef? It could be said: the future of cannabis. Terpenes are set to become the holy grail of cannabis cultivation.

Todd Shermer, founder of Terp It, was introduced to the process over ten years ago when he was analyzing a potential investment client as a finance guy. A doctor had turned his medical practice exclusively to the use of medical cannabis. Todd witnessed the transformative power of cannabis on people with juvenile epilepsy, chronic pain, and debilitating insomnia. He was all in.

Ten years later, Todd has engineered and programmed a technology wunderkind for cannabis. A machine that infuses 100% natural, pure, GMP-tested, lab-certified terpenes into cannabis flower to achieve your fav flower strain and the cannabinoids you dig most.

With this process, you can take the weed you love, amplify naturally occurring compounds, enhance aroma, add the right amount of fluffy moisture, specifically enhance the effect, and infuse a couple of terps your body craves. You can even influence pre-rolled joints to the core and remediate problematic harvest issues.

”There’s nothing synthetic, and the terpenes we use are 100% certified natural,“ enthuses Todd. ”Our primary supplier, Terpene Warehouse makes the cleanest, purest, most unique, and consistent terpenes in the market.“ The two now have offices in the same complex, to take collaboration up a notch.

On the podcast Inside Cultivation, host, Big Mike goes deep and observes, ”You have to realize, our industry is evolving, and these technologies are going to be used. And whether you choose to use them or not... you should be aware.” Watch that interview here: The Science Behind Terpenes: Terpene Warehouse