What's all this talk about taste?

gangababa

Well-Known Member
...
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.
Whenever I open a jar or grind, my wife says "That smells good".
And I do not smell it.
Nor do I have the palate to identify the palette* of tastes of which I read.
A good mouth oiling diesel being the exception.
However, as the body carries 76 years, I will cut it some slack.

*taste
 

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
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.

This topic was already sort of covered here

But the two vapes you mentioned are not what I would suggest for flavor chasing, try to get yourself closer to an all glass pathway, with simple on demand near instant vapor... Definitely varies between strains, not only that, the actual herbs, strain to strain could be totally different from different place, also the consistency of the buds and how you process them for use... On top of the temperature settings and type of hits, there's really a ton of variables!
 

1973PortlandToker

Well-Known 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.

You may have a point. I've only had my Legacy Pro for about a month now and only toke on weekends due to my job. So far, to get clouds, I've started at max 464F in on demand mode. So as I get more used to it, I'll experiment with starting at lower temps and see if that makes a difference.

I don't really care about clouds, as long as I get zonked. It's a new vape (both of them) and I've been starting at high temp to ensure I get that zonk, but it may be totally unnecessary and even counterproductive.

What is ABV? I see that abbreviation all the time and have no idea.
 

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
You may have a point. I've only had my Legacy Pro for about a month now and only toke on weekends due to my job. So far, to get clouds, I've started at max 464F in on demand mode. So as I get more used to it, I'll experiment with starting at lower temps and see if that makes a difference.

I don't really care about clouds, as long as I get zonked. It's a new vape (both of them) and I've been starting at high temp to ensure I get that zonk, but it may be totally unnecessary and even counterproductive.

Okay that is why you are not getting the flavor haha what you want to do is start lower, try 380, and take long slow draw, full bowl, you can even get clouds much below that, really tasty vapors, with big hits...

What is ABV? I see that abbreviation all the time and have no idea.

ABV doesn't really make any sense because it means already been vaped, AVB however means already vaped bud, which is more proper to me as you see here:
 

vapeape77

Well-Known Member
Ha man 464F! And I thought 430f/220c is over the top to offer for flower on a vape… you might be dark roasting with your vapman too.

You’ll get there, It probably took me over a year when I first started vaping to figure out what I was doing.
 

Thumos

Well-Known Member
I like that ALP too, and I have used your max temp style on occasion. For taste though, dial it back to 170c or so and take some draws. It will taste pretty terpy. Step up if you want. I usually stay around 170-180c. Still, only the first 2 hits are terpy. I don't know if that's remediable or not (heard that Angus might present more terpy draws but IDK).
 

TheThriftDrifter

Land of the long vapor cloud
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.

Not sure if this is relevant to your situation, but I lost my sense of taste and smell post covid, six months later I reckon I've got 95% of them back. Thank goodness!
Love them flavors, both foods and buds.
 

howie105

Well-Known Member
Different users mean different sensitivities. I have always enjoyed the taste of good pot regardless of the temperatures it is consumed at. That said, if I am looking primarily for flavor, I am going to be vaping. Because one has more control, temperature range, and different hardware options.
 

fubar

Ancient and opiniated inhaler
wait @1973PortlandToker bro, you're taking slow draws or fast?
slow draws low temp is the best setup for taste
around 170-C180C in most vapes, ~200C in TP80

tl;dr Taste is a personal and variable thing, but go slow and low as recommended above works best for me too.

Update after reading this:
I'll notice slight difference in the tingle of the terps of some strains or strong pine/fruity notes but I get really big flavor on dabs

if there's flavour in a dab, maybe that's because the material kind of all boils off in a flash - so everything is present in that first taste. Never tried but it sounds pretty good to me. I only use dry herb vaporisers so that's what my experience is limited to. The chemistry doesn't change.

The odours tend to be the terpene molecules that come out mostly at the start of your extraction profile. At a given temperature, they have high vapour pressures so they vaporise fast. Table 3 of https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2021.0173 shows some vapour pressures at 180C. Cannabinoids are low compared to smelly terpenes so slower to leave the bud. Graph copied below to illustrate.

Indeed they happen right at the start for me.

"Taste" is really complicated but the tongue you expose to vapour coming and going is mostly responsible for core flavour dimensions like "salty" and "sweet", not terpene odours.
The back of your nose is where most flavours are detected.
Perversely, any particular combination of nerve cells stimulated by a terpene are quickly exhausted temporarily.
Take a while to recover from a heavy bout of detecting I guess. Non-vaporising people will smell your vapour a lot longer than you will in my experience.

Try occasionally, but don't much like inhaling vapour through my nose, because it's too much sensation for me, even going low and slow as recommended above and it paralyses any real sense of smell for a while. Do not like.

Blowing at least some vapour out through your nose, particularly from the earliest vapour, will probably help figure out the flavour thing.

Those tasty terpenes disappear fast for me. Subsequent vapour taste is probably mostly those slower cannabinoids. Hard to describe but a kind of all terpenes at once almost rich chemical taste for me.

If the earliest vapour smells horrible when blown out your nose, try a lower temperature setting on your device - it's probably too hot. You can always raise it again to get all the THC goodness out when you've had that first taste of the extraction at a lower temperature. Not sure there's a reliable dry herb technology to provide both flavour and THC impact simultaneously since they are sequential in the extraction profile?
The ritual can be part of the fun if flavour is of interest.

can.2021.0173_figure1.jpg
 
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tinctorus

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
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.
I'll notice slight difference in the tingle of the terps of some strains or strong pine/fruity notes but I get really big flavor on dabs
 

hinglemccringleberry

Well-Known Member
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.
I wish, but that's just not the case with me. Low temps are great for flavor but low temps do fuckall to get me high :/

Also there can be a lot of variability in flavor in the same bag of weed depending on age and the form that it's in. My whole nugs stored in mason jars with a humidity pack taste bonkers good at low temps. That same weed ground up, dried up and sitting in my stash tin for a few weeks has lost a lot of flavor, even at low temps.
 

VapePerson

Searching for Tremendous
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.
It's eerily similar to a sommelier situation IMO--if you vape a LOT you will start to notice subtle flavor characteristics. Eventually you'll get good enough to describe the exact flavors in what you've smoked, go and check leafly, and then get it right on the money. It's a skill like anything else; the same applies to audio. I've done enough audio work to tell you that you've got to train your ears; the same thing applies here.

I think the most vivid flavor I ever tasted was from an exotic; the name of the strain escapes me. I'd tried some unground in my dynavap; it had the most beautiful honeysuckle overtones with a subtle lemon and cream base. Tremendous. The second best I'd ever tried was zkittles, which actually tasted like a bouquet of fruits to me. I wish I'd bought more of both. I'd also argue that some strains are meant to be smoked, and some are meant to be vaped, and the taste can change drastically between the two methods.
Cigars are a great example of this. I always thought all cigars have the same ashtray taste until I had a really good smoke.
💯A good cigar is out of this world flavor wise.
 

Farid

Well-Known Member
Most distinct flavors I've gotten have been from GG, Jack Herer, Afghan Kush, K-Train, and Lake Tahoe OG, and GDP. Today I find a lot of the strains I try have the same "cookies" flavor that is decent but pretty boring to always have.

@VapePerson I'm not a big cigar smoker, but everything I've had from Illusione has really impressed me. The CG4 especially.
 

VapePerson

Searching for Tremendous
Today I find a lot of the strains I try have the same "cookies" flavor that is decent but pretty boring to always have.

@VapePerson I'm not a big cigar smoker, but everything I've had from Illusione has really impressed me. The CG4 especially.
I had near-world-record Brownie Scout at one point (IIRC it measured in at 36% THC, if you believe the state dispo's lab results) and while it worked wonders for me effects-wise, it tasted so boring. Just a very mellow "cookies" note. IMO with really high THC %s, the flavor is often muted; this would make sense, because super high THC means less terpenes. When you have over a third of the flower by weight as THC crystals, you're physically running out of space for other compounds.

Thanks for the rec, I'll make sure to pick them up next time I do a cigar run! If you can, try to find Long Live the King by Caldwell. That was THE BEST stick I've ever had. Perfectly rolled, amazing burn, with a well-honed draw. It had a spicy base with leather midtones and a peppery topnote. I couldn't stand up afterward from the nic rush. :sherlock:
 
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Veritas629

Well-Known Member
Lowering the temps to around 180C will definitely help tease out the delicate flavors you're missing. Also, I find that flower that has been stored carefully is more flavorful. I grow my own and keep it in mason jars with 62% Boveda packs. Dried out buds from a ziplock always have less taste to me. Even if you don't grow your own, put those nugs in a glass jar with a Boveda or similar 2-way humidity pack. Good moisture makes the vape smoother too!
 
Depends on the weed and the vape. If you get something high in terps the weed generally tastes like how it smells. If you vape at too high a temp though you don’t really get much flavor, and even when you do get the flavor it’s usually only the first couple hits.
 

Thumos

Well-Known Member
I don't want to derail the conversation, but I'd sure appreciate some direction in terms of flavor. Which has stronger flavors while vaping: herb or concentrates? I don't need potency--just looking for the best/longest lasting flavor. Thanks!
 
Thumos,

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
I don't want to derail the conversation, but I'd sure appreciate some direction in terms of flavor. Which has stronger flavors while vaping: herb or concentrates? I don't need potency--just looking for the best/longest lasting flavor. Thanks!

There is no universal rule, they're not all equal, but if you get really high quality rosin then it should taste better and last longer than high quality herbs (but there are oh so many variables then in how you use it)
 

Thumos

Well-Known Member
There is no universal rule, they're not all equal, but if you get really high quality rosin then it should taste better and last longer than high quality herbs (but there are oh so many variables then in how you use it)
Gotcha. It's a bit of a dilemma for me. I have a low tolerance, and I prefer CBD only all day till before bed. I don't need more psychoactive effect. But the flavor...grew up smoking herb with my mom (yeah, don't judge), and I crave the flavor. Have yet to find any herb that is really pungent in flavor, and I can source terps. I just really don't know how best to vape them--sprayed on herb or mixed in 'trates. Of course I'd prefer to go all-natural and find awesome bud. But, I'm a bit disappointed in the last 30 years of breeding. Looks like all breeders cared about was maximizing yield and potency. Aroma and taste took the back seat. Thanks for the response!
 
Thumos,

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
Gotcha. It's a bit of a dilemma for me. I have a low tolerance, and I prefer CBD only all day till before bed. I don't need more psychoactive effect. But the flavor...grew up smoking herb with my mom (yeah, don't judge), and I crave the flavor. Have yet to find any herb that is really pungent in flavor, and I can source terps. I just really don't know how best to vape them--sprayed on herb or mixed in 'trates. Of course I'd prefer to go all-natural and find awesome bud. But, I'm a bit disappointed in the last 30 years of breeding. Looks like all breeders cared about was maximizing yield and potency. Aroma and taste took the back seat. Thanks for the response!

I feel you, I think I have some nice stuff but most of it is dry and not well maintained... And a lot of it is yeah not tasty same old focused on getting visual trichromes high THC but it's not a pleasant experience... I've never tried the spraying terps but I have heard from @iDRINKBLEACH about them and am tempted because I really value the flavors, tried getting what I thought would be nice CBD and there is some good flavor but it's gone instantly and they're kind of boring to use those buds... Could try more from a different place but it's like so tedious lol
 

Thumos

Well-Known Member
I feel you, I think I have some nice stuff but most of it is dry and not well maintained... And a lot of it is yeah not tasty same old focused on getting visual trichromes high THC but it's not a pleasant experience... I've never tried the spraying terps but I have heard from @iDRINKBLEACH about them and am tempted because I really value the flavors, tried getting what I thought would be nice CBD and there is some good flavor but it's gone instantly and they're kind of boring to use those buds... Could try more from a different place but it's like so tedious lol
Exactly. I have some D8 flower that is terped and kiefed, and I like the taste much better than any CBD or other I've found. Alas, I don't want to be mentally affected during the day, and the CBD flower I've found mirrors your description to a T.
 

BL4ZE

Well-Known Member
Gotcha. It's a bit of a dilemma for me. I have a low tolerance, and I prefer CBD only all day till before bed. I don't need more psychoactive effect. But the flavor...grew up smoking herb with my mom (yeah, don't judge), and I crave the flavor. Have yet to find any herb that is really pungent in flavor, and I can source terps. I just really don't know how best to vape them--sprayed on herb or mixed in 'trates. Of course I'd prefer to go all-natural and find awesome bud. But, I'm a bit disappointed in the last 30 years of breeding. Looks like all breeders cared about was maximizing yield and potency. Aroma and taste took the back seat. Thanks for the response!

I think there's some good tasting stuff out there, but you've got to find the right grower. Yes, a lot of the breeding has been focused on fast flower times, yield and high thc %. And it's driven by the consumer market that seems to think the higher percentage thc the better the cannabis. Not realizing that you can have a 15% variety that has a better overall cannabinoid and terpene profile thus leaving the user with a better experience.
 
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