What's all this talk about taste?

1

1973PortlandToker

Well-Known Member
People talk a lot about how wonderful the flavor is in some vapes. What are you talking about?

I have two outstanding portable vapes. Yes, cannabis has a certain taste or "flavor" when vaped. But it's kind of a flat cannabis flavor. It doesn't vary a lot between strains, either. Nothing to get excited about.

Yes, I can taste food. Fresh blueberries, other food, has distinctive and sometimes wonderful taste. But cannabis? I couldn't swear that I've tasted a terpene if my life depended on it.

Clue me in here.
 
V

vapeape77

Well-Known Member
1973PortlandToker said:
People talk a lot about how wonderful the flavor is in some vapes. What are you talking about?

I have two outstanding portable vapes. Yes, cannabis has a certain taste or "flavor" when vaped. But it's kind of a flat cannabis flavor. It doesn't vary a lot between strains, either. Nothing to get excited about.

Yes, I can taste food. Fresh blueberries, other food, has distinctive and sometimes wonderful taste. But cannabis? I couldn't swear that I've tasted a terpene if my life depended on it.

Clue me in here.
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Try doing a comparison of Dutch Treat, Super Lemon Haze and Gorilla Glue mid to top shelf buds in a Crafty at 180c/360f. Some vapes don’t offer much flavor after the first couple hits unfortunately, not sure what vape you use as a dd…. Anyway imo even most tokers can taste the differences between Dutch Treat and GG, so give a taste-off a try in a hybrid or convection vape.
 
Z

Zipford

Well-Known Member
In my experience, when vaping a given load, the taste starts off like cannabis and then progresses to tasting like ABV (even while effects can still be had). Seems like only for the first two hits does cannabis taste predominate. But for those first few hits, different vapes seems to deliver a more clear cannabis taste, others deliver more muted flavors or take on an ABV taste, even for early hits, after they are used for a while.

I find that the smell (and thus flavor) of different strains does vary, but it obviously depends on what strains you buy. While some people may evaluate cannabis taste like fine wine, to me it is just a question of the vape actually giving you a nice strong cannabis taste in early hits and not taking on an ABV flavor over time.

I think the issue of vaping taste also embeds some comparison to smoking cannabis and what that tastes like versus a great vape.

Out of curiosity, what vapes do you use?
 
FlyingLow

FlyingLow

Team NO SLEEP!
I did not develop a distinguishable palate until after fucking combustion entirely for a couple months.

If you continue smoking at all, I find (and many others) that your taste buds just don't evolve/recover/develop the same way and you will never taste what a non-smoker can taste.

When I vape, I pick up all nuances between strains.
...but smoking all tastes like shit to me. I can't distinguish anything as it all just tastes like I am being shit on in my mouth.

Once you go full vape, it is hard to go back. I never will.
 
vapviking

vapviking

Old & In the Way
I concur with @FlyingLow and the taste question presents one of the dichotomies of vaping v smoking.

First, it is counterintuitive to think that vaping might be a more effective delivery method than combusting. Many of us much prefer the vape high.

Second, it takes virtually a complete transition before the full flavors come through.
So, yeah, if vaping and smoking are both in the mix, flavor is not coming through as well. And if tobacco smoking is involved, well good luck!
I recall that when I stopped cigarettes I was soon saying, holy sit, even freash air tastes good now! It's that kind of thing.

One benefit to vaping is that we get to choose, via temp settings, etc., the types of things being released as vapor.
At the low temp end are the terpenes, present in varying forms and degree in all plants. Vaping at lower temps will highlight the terp flavors (while they last!)

Different canna strains have been developed to highlight different terp profiles (and of course all the other stuff).
 
Abele Rizieri Ferrari

Abele Rizieri Ferrari

Well-Known Member
There's several variables. Type and quality bud (and how similar is/are the one you're comparing with). What vape and what type of heating. Which temps you use. What type of vapor path wrt materials.

I think most people that aren't completely new would be able to distinguish amnesia haze from pretty much all indica leaning strains, even when smoking it.

As for the more nuanced flavors, to me that's what they are, nuances. So I sense the difference between a sweet or or a umami flavored profile, but it's not like eating an orange vs an olive. There are occasions though that a hit of does give a real specific flavor that then even corresponds to leafly descriptions (to my surprise, because I always took that with a grain of salt).

Try brushing your teeth before vaping, it will enhance flavor as well.
 
Cheebsy

Cheebsy

Microbe minion
As had already been stated, If you still smoke, then that's probably your problem.

My other thought is try a different grower if it all comes from the same place. Some growers just don't care enough to enhance ask the plants potential and it can all end up tasting very similar.
 
V

vapeape77

Well-Known Member
Btw I didn’t intend to suppose @1973PortlandToker is a smoker when I referenced toking.

This may also help you dial in terps
Example: Super lemon haze
LIMONENE (177°C / 350°F

Gorilla Glue
CARYOPHYLLENE (119°C / 246°F)
www.royalqueenseeds.com

Ideal Temperatures For Vaporizing Cannabis - RQS Blog

There's more to vaping than hitting a button and inhaling. It's a nuanced method. Learn how to customise every hit with different temperature brackets.
www.royalqueenseeds.com www.royalqueenseeds.com
 
coolbreeze

coolbreeze

Well-Known Member
1973PortlandToker said:
People talk a lot about how wonderful the flavor is in some vapes. What are you talking about?

I have two outstanding portable vapes. Yes, cannabis has a certain taste or "flavor" when vaped. But it's kind of a flat cannabis flavor. It doesn't vary a lot between strains, either. Nothing to get excited about.

Yes, I can taste food. Fresh blueberries, other food, has distinctive and sometimes wonderful taste. But cannabis? I couldn't swear that I've tasted a terpene if my life depended on it.

Clue me in here.
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The decent-quality delivery weed I get tastes pretty good and distinct in certain vapes, and utterly unremarkable in others. Get yourself a taster vape (Vapman, Vaponic, etc) and see if it makes a difference for you. Try a very gentle heating with your Vapman and it should taste pretty good and the flavor should last well into the roast.
 
1

1973PortlandToker

Well-Known Member
Cheebsy said:
As had already been stated, If you still smoke, then that's probably your problem.
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I don't do tobacco at all. As for cannabis, a bit of background.

I smoked joints heavily in my teens in the 70s. Then I got away from cannabis in adulthood, and am just now coming back to it decades later since it's been legalized and I'm older. Recently I got two amazing vaporizers, a Legacy Pro and a Vapman. I've only occasionally combusted cannabis in the meantime. Can't "taste" a thing other than a flat cannabis flavor when I vape.

So maybe my taste buds will start noticing flavor after a while. But so far, nothing significant.
 
V

vapeape77

Well-Known Member
1973PortlandToker said:
I don't do tobacco at all. As for cannabis, a bit of background.

I smoked joints heavily in my teens in the 70s. Then I got away from cannabis in adulthood, and am just now coming back to it decades later since it's been legalized and I'm older. Recently I got two amazing vaporizers, a Legacy Pro and a Vapman. I've only occasionally combusted cannabis in the meantime. Can't "taste" a thing other than a flat cannabis flavor when I vape.

So maybe my taste buds will start noticing flavor after a while. But so far, nothing significant.
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Already been vaped…. The brown stuff

How about your bud? Going to a good shop? Some farms just don’t do flavor as mentioned above it’s all blah taste.
 
Babylon Drifter

Babylon Drifter

Black Taoist
Maybe some of those fancy vapes ain't so awesome afterall. I get flack for using an antique like the MFLB all the time but I can identify every strain I vape by flavor alone. My wife and I make a game of loading the box and testing each other and both of us are right 90% of the time.
 
Z

Zipford

Well-Known Member
1973PortlandToker said:
I have an AirVape Legacy Pro and a Vapman. Both are outstanding.
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Haven't used either of those. Some people have a less sensitive palate. Or you might not be buying dramatically different tasting strains.

At the end of the day, I think taste just means that vapor tastes like cannabis, not anything else. So just like one blueberry tastes the same as the last, I wouldn't be worried if you're "only" tasting cannabis. I think the metric for taste is compared to combustion, although I do think some people can tell one strain from the next if they vape regularly and pay attention.
 
V

vapeape77

Well-Known Member
Zipford said:
Haven't used either of those. Some people have a less sensitive palate. Or you might not be buying dramatically different tasting strains.

At the end of the day, I think taste just means that vapor tastes like cannabis, not anything else. So just like one blueberry tastes the same as the last, I wouldn't be worried if you're "only" tasting cannabis.
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That sounds like you don’t experience lots of different strains to me…I use to think all weed taste like gas or a skunk till legalized out here less than a decade ago. Now I get it… when first legal I use to open a jar of blue dream and smell it all day long
 
Z

Zipford

Well-Known Member
vapeape77 said:
That sounds like you don’t experience lots of different strains to me…I use to think all weed taste like gas or a skunk till legalize out here less than a decade ago. Now I get it…
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I do stay within Sativa, but within that family I do try various strains. But I tend to go through one variation at a time so I'm not switching between types too often and I make really no effort to tell one variation from another -- I'm not trying to train myself to tell strains apart. But when I have smelled a few of the strains I have onhand, they definitely smell different.

Given that they smell different I'm sure they taste different too -- they taste like they smell. I just don't focus there. I suspect OP may be in the same boat
 
T

topographic

Active Member
Not tasting anything but 'flat cannabis' can be a matter of how you are using your flower vape. If you have been focused on efficient and rapid extraction, try turning your vape temperature way down.

I habitually start sessions at 350°F. My better half starts even lower, at 330°F. At those temps you won't exhale a cloud, but you will taste terpenes -- and even though there's little or no visible vapor, you will get high. Bump up the temperature on the next session to complete extraction.

A number of folks have mentioned fruit and pine flavors. You'll also encounter weed tasting of lavender or sort-of-bergamot (think earl gray tea).

Not tasting anything can be the fault of the vape. Frankly I should have skipped every portable flower vape I bought between the Arizer Air II and the XMAX v3 Pro. (The Flowermate Slick was a particularly horrible impulse purchase. I liked the idea of a removable 18650 battery, but the lowest temperature was too high and the vapor tasted of weed and overheated printed circuit board.)

Finally, it can be the weed. Terpenes drift away & break down quicker than THC. If your eyebrows don't fly up when you first open and sniff your newest jar/bag, your flower may be potent but have no flavor.
 
Farid

Farid

Well-Known Member
I disagree with the notion that if you smoke at all you can't notice flavor subtleties when you vape. Sure if you smoke all the time maybe, but if you cleanse your palate you can smoke and still notice differences in flavor between vapes.

Smokers can still certainly pick up on flavors in smoke, though it seems less in your face than flavors from vapes. Cigars are a great example of this. I always thought all cigars have the same ashtray taste until I had a really good smoke. The difference with vaping is the taste is a more direct representation of how the bud smells compared to smoke, which is much more subtle. I do not get much of any taste from smoking weed now, since I vape regularly. I might get something, but it's not nearly as noticeable. I do still, however, get strong flavor from good quality tobacco.

I agree, if you're a daily smoker, you're unlikely to really experience all the flavor vaping offers.
 
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