WHY WEED PENS OFTEN USE DISTILLATE WITH CANNABIS-DERIVED TERPENES

If you’re vaping with weed pens, you’ve probably heard all about terpenes and how important they are in the cannabis consumption process. If not, you’ve come to the right place to learn why companies infuse THC distillates with cannabis-derived terpenes in their weed vape pods. 

What do cannabis terpenes do?

Cannabis terpenes are molecules in the cannabis plant that produce its aroma and flavor. They exist in all plants; cannabis has been found to contain over 100 of them. Common examples include myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene, and pinene, and the list continues to grow.

When you put your nose to Peach Gelato flower and smell cream and citrus, it’s because of terpenes. When you dab Gorilla Glue live resin and taste chocolate, funk, and pine, it’s because of terpenes.

In weed pen oils, you commonly find three umbrellas of terpenes: cannabis-derived terpenes, botanical terpenes, and synthetic terpenes. They all act as flavoring agents when added back to refined cannabis oil formulas. 

Why are cannabis terpenes important?

For one, terpenes are important because they act as natural defenses against plant eaters. Terpenes are why deer and other wild animals don’t eat weed.

For two, terpenes are important because they contribute to the overall experience of your cannabis by making it smell, taste, and feel good. Without terpenes, it would be hard to discern the difference between the flavor and effects of cannabis strains like Wedding Pie and Blueberry Space Cake.

For three, terpenes are important because they help promote the entourage effect, which is the notion that cannabis compounds work most efficiently when consumed in totality, versus in isolation. This is where the value of distillate oil infused with cannabis-derived terpenes lives.

What is distillate cannabis oil?

There are many different types of cannabis concentrates. Distillate oil is one of the most commonly used for weed pens. Standardly, it is mixed with a terpene additive to reintroduce flavor.

Distillate is a solvent-based type of cannabis oil that has been distilled down to a single cannabinoid. In most cases, this is THC oil, but there is also CBD distillate. By doing this, distillate becomes the most potent form of THC cannabis oil possible.

The only catch is that, because distillate is only THC, that means there are no terpenes, flavonoids, lipids, or any of the other chemicals that produce the full experience we feel from cannabis.

It also means that distillate tastes like nothing, making it pretty unappealing to anyone wanting a real experience from the diversity of cannabis strains. This also reduces the therapeutic qualities in a sense.

Knowing this, companies will reintroduce terpenes to the refined THC oil, to give the end user a more desirable effect.

Vaping distillate oil with cannabis-derived terpenes

By now, you understand terpenes bring out the flavor in cannabis oil, and distillate is a type of cannabis oil. They are vaped together—no one vapes terpenes alone. If you’re wondering why, well, for one, they need a carrying agent to reach the viscosity necessary to vape.

For two, terpenes have no potency, so vaping them would just produce harsh smoke with radical flavors. There would be no actual head change, i.e. high. 

Vaping cannabis distillate oil all by itself

You will get extremely high from vaping cannabis distillate oil, even if it isn’t infused with terpenes.

With its high potency, the head change comes on almost immediately after your first puff and will last quite a while, depending on how much of it you consume. However, because of its lack of terpenes, that is all you feel: high.

Cannabis distillate won’t provide the nuance in effects of different strains, though you may see strain names on many distillate pens’ packaging.

This is why users tend to prefer vaping distillate with cannabis-derived terpenes or botanical terpenes. The next step up in terms of getting a full-spectrum high from cannabis would be vaping live resin or solventless live rosin, which provide a closer experience to consuming a strain’s flower than a strain-specific distillate with added terpenes.

Why do companies use distillate infused with cannabis-derived terpenes? 

There are a few advantages for companies to use distillate in their vape pens, versus other types of oils. For one, adding cannabis terpenes to distillate oil is a cost-effective way to make budget-friendly cannabis vape pods. With distillate solely being THC, it can be extracted from all types (and levels of quality) of cannabis flower.

Cannabis consumers typically shop with their wallets in mind first, before they consider top-shelf quality. With that, they need basic level one lines of products, and using distillate opens up that field. Plus, most cannabis vape consumers just want the oil to taste good and get them incredibly high with a quick onset time.

Whether the pens are made with cannabis-derived terpenes or botanical terpenes, in combo with pure THC oil, this mission is accomplished. 

At STIIIZY, for all of our weed vape pods, we only use premium cannabis flower, and we offer a proprietary weed pen battery system.