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If you’re reading this as part of our craft series, you’ve already seen the pattern.
Craft methods are slow. They’re hands-on. They’re built around careful handling.
And a big reason for that is simple.
Terpenes are fragile.
This article is a short, plain guide to what terpenes are, why they matter in craft cannabis, and how small-batch, traditional craft methods help protect them. If you want the full map of this topic, start with our craft cannabis guide and work outward from there.
Want to see more about the specific terpenes that make VCC drops consistent fire? check out Understanding Terpenes: The Aromatic Language
Terpenes are aromatic compounds made by the cannabis plant. They help shape what you smell and taste when you open a jar. They also help explain why two cultivars with similar THC numbers can smell completely different.
People talk about terpenes like they’re a bonus feature.
In craft cannabis, they’re closer to the main event.
Terpenes develop in the plant’s resin, mainly in the trichomes.
Trichomes are the tiny resin glands you can see when flower is grown well and handled gently. They hold much of what people associate with cultivar identity, including a big part of the terpene profile.
Two things drive terpene profiles more than anything else:
This is why growers talk about genetics with respect. A cultivar isn’t just a name. It’s a set of tendencies that show up in aroma, structure, and resin behavior.
If you want the full process story behind this, read how craft cannabis is grown. It explains how genetics, environment, and harvest timing shape what ends up in the jar.
Terpenes matter in craft cannabis because craft is built around cultivar expression.
That means:
Terpenes are one of the simplest ways to understand that. Think of craft cannabis like food. You can grow tomatoes for shipping. Or you can grow tomatoes for flavour.
Both are still tomatoes.
But one tastes like Mother Nature and the other like a hockey puck.
Craft methods tend to protect terpenes because they reduce rough handling and avoid rushing the steps where aroma is easiest to lose.
Terpenes can be lost at almost any point.
The common causes are boring but real.
Heat and light are rough on aroma.
High temps during drying, storage, or processing can reduce volatile terpenes. Even short bursts of warmth can flatten what should have been a bright, readable nose.
Every extra transfer is a chance to scuff trichomes and shed resin.
That matters for aroma. It also matters for consistency. A product that is over-handled can end up smelling different from jar to jar in the same run.
When the post-harvest timeline is compressed, terpene retention is one of the first things that can suffer. That is why craft growers talk about drying rooms and cure time like they are part of the grow.
They are.
A terpene profile is simply the mix of terpenes present in a cultivar.
You will sometimes see terpene percentages listed on packaging or in product listings. Packaging and labelling rules for legal cannabis in Canada are regulated under the federal framework, which includes strict requirements for what can and cannot appear on labels.
Here are a few common terpenes and the kind of aroma notes people often associate with them. This is not about effects. Just smell and flavour.
| Terpene | Common aroma notes (plain language) |
|---|---|
| Myrcene | earthy, musky, herbal |
| Limonene | citrus peel, bright, sharp |
| Pinene | pine, fresh forest, resinous |
| Linalool | floral, soft, lavender-like |
| Caryophyllene | peppery, spice, dry warmth |
Two reminders that keep people honest:
That is why craft producers care about consistency.
You are trying to protect a living mix, not a single ingredient.
British Columbia has a long relationship with cannabis. Vancouver Island is one of the regions where small-batch culture has been part of local life for decades. That history shaped a certain style of growing. It favours hands-on work. It favours small rooms. It favors patience through drying and curing.
Terpene preservation fits naturally inside that tradition. If your reputation is built on aroma, you don’t rush the steps that keep aroma intact.
At Victoria Cannabis Company, terpene preservation is not a “terpene talk” thing. It is a handling thing.
We focus on traditional craft steps that protect aroma integrity:
We also try to keep the conversation sane. We care about terpene expression and cultivar identity.
We don’t treat THC as the only story, check out Why Low THC Cannabis Deserves More Love.
If you want the foundation, read what is craft cannabis.
If you want the full process, go to how terpenes develop during growing in our grow guide. If you want to connect aroma to formats like pre-rolls and concentrates, read craft products and terpene profiles in our product-types article.
You can also explore traditional craft cannabis, read our craft approach, or visit Victoria Cannabis Company.
If you are shopping locally, you can use where to buy in Victoria and the Victoria cannabis store listing.
Terpenes shape the aroma and flavour of cannabis. They are part of what makes one cultivar smell different from another, even when cannabinoid numbers are similar.
Small-batch production allows more careful handling during drying, curing, trimming, and storage. That matters because terpenes are volatile and can be lost through heat, rough handling, or rushed post-harvest steps.
Terpenes develop in the plant’s resin, mainly in trichomes. Genetics and the growing environment both influence how a terpene profile expresses.
Cultivar genetics, growing conditions, harvest timing, drying method, curing, trimming, and storage all affect terpene retention and expression.
Some producers list terpenes to help customers understand aroma and cultivar identity. Legal packaging and labelling requirements still apply, so what appears on labels must fit within the federal framework.
Most cultivars have a recognizable profile, but it can shift by batch. Small differences in environment and harvest timing can change how the aroma presents.
Canada’s legal framework regulates how cannabis is produced, packaged, and tested, including requirements tied to good production practices and compliance.
Reviewed by: Kyp Rowe, VP Brand, Victoria Cannabis Company.
