THC is no longer the headline. Terpenes are..
Mr.GramGram · 02 March 2026 · 4 min read · updated 30 July 2026
Ten years ago selling a strain by its THC percentage made sense — the spread on the market was wild, anywhere from 10% to 22%. Today any commercially viable genetic sits in the 24–28% band. Anything above that is overfeeding, marketing copy, or a lab drawing pretty numbers. The real difference between strains is no longer the percentage; it is which effect and which aroma you actually get.
What terpenes are.
Terpenes are the aromatic molecules the plant produces alongside the cannabinoids. There are around 200 of them; about twenty matter in cannabis: limonene (citrus), myrcene (herbal), caryophyllene (pepper), linalool (lavender), pinene (pine), terpinolene (fresh greenery). The combination and the ratio of terpenes decide how a strain smells — and, more importantly, how it works on you.
Entourage.
Cannabinoids and terpenes work together — this is the entourage effect. The same THC with a different terpene set produces a different experience: with myrcene, sedative and couch-locked; with limonene, lifted and bright; with caryophyllene, bodily and muscle-relaxing. Two strains with identical THC numbers can behave completely differently.
How we measure it.
We use two tools. The first is the nose: several people independently describe the aroma of every phenotype in a blind format, and we keep the ones whose descriptions converge. The second is GC-MS analysis of the terpene profile, which we run on every batch. A terpene tag will soon appear on every strain page in the catalogue — right above the table with THC and flowering time.
| Terpene | Aroma | Also found in |
|---|---|---|
| Myrcene | Soil, damp grass, ripe mango | Mango, hops, thyme |
| Limonene | Citrus peel | Lemon, grapefruit, juniper |
| Caryophyllene | Black pepper, clove | Pepper, clove, rosemary |
| Linalool | Lavender, floral sweetness | Lavender, coriander, bay laurel |
| Pinene | Pine needles, resin | Pine, rosemary, dill |
| Humulene | Hops, dry earth | Hops, sage, coriander |
Questions and answers.
Why has the THC percentage stopped being the main criterion?
Because the spread collapsed. Ten years ago the market ran anywhere from 10% to 22%, and the number genuinely told strains apart. Today any commercially viable genetic sits in the 24–28% band, so choosing by percentage carries almost no information.
How many terpenes actually matter?
Around 200 terpenes are known, but only about twenty matter in cannabis. Myrcene, limonene and caryophyllene make up the bulk of most profiles — the rest work as shades layered over that base.
How is a terpene profile measured?
Two ways at once. Blind sensory work: several people independently describe the aroma of each phenotype, and only those whose descriptions converge go through. And GC-MS analysis, which gives a numeric profile instead of a subjective description.