By Miguel Ordoñez


What makes a cup of Colombian coffee different than Coffee from Brazil or Costa Rica? Why do some regions produce especially flavourful apples, particularly great types of tea, or cheese with a unique flavour? The influence of environmental factors on the unique character of natural products is known as terroir. A major tenet of Champagne-making, the concept of terroir has more recently been applied to cannabis cultivation.

WHAT IS TERROIR?

The French phrase “goût de terroir”, which translates to "taste of the land", points to a quite compelling concept: the conditions where something is cultivated—which encompasses everything from soil to climate—impart distinct characteristics and qualities that greatly impact the final product.

The idea of terroir is believed to date back to the 14th century, when Cistercian monks in the Burgundy region of France were looking into factors that influenced the quality of wine, such as the types of grapes being used, or on what type of land they were cultivated. Terroir remained relatively obscure, though—at least until the 20th century, when international regulations on wine origins began to be implemented.

Although terroir may be most prevalent in the world of wine, the concept can also be applied to many other natural products, including coffee, tobacco, cheese, fruit, vegetables, and beverages like spring water or whiskeys from certain regions.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TERROIR

Saying that terroir merely indicates the geographical origin of a product would be a grand oversimplification. Rather, terroir encompasses all environmental factors that can affect crops, from local growing conditions like soil composition, to climate, terrain, and particular farming methods.

CLIMATE

The local climate and precipitation in a particular region has a large impact on how crops will develop. For example, citrus fruits may require lots of sunshine to develop optimally, while other types of plants may prefer a more temperate climate with frequent rainfall for optimal harvests.

SOIL

Regional soil composition is another important factor that will greatly influence crops. Some areas may have particularly mineral-rich soils that support the growth of certain plants more than other regions could. Different soils also have a unique microbial makeup containing certain bacteria, fungi, and other beneficial microorganisms that can be vital for plant growth.

ELEVATION

Elevation plays a large role in the growth of plants. Not only does altitude affect the amount of sunlight plants receive, it also influences the amount of water plants can absorb, as well as the nutrients available in the soil. Some plants grow very well at high elevations, while others can only grow at lower altitudes.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TERROIR

GEOMORPHOLOGY

Geomorphology, the study of the natural topographic features on Earth, can also greatly influence the final characteristics of a crop. This includes everything from how well the soil and bedrock drains water, to what degree plants are exposed to the elements, and the slope of the growing area.

LOCAL TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES

Local tradition and culture impart their own influence on terroir. An example is farmers who harvest only by hand, or those who use unique methods of fertilisation. Another example is seen in artisanal cheese-making, where farmers in certain regions let dairy cows graze on grass to infuse a special quality and taste to the final product.

IS CANNABIS INFLUENCED BY TERROIR?

The concept of terroir isn’t some pseudoscience with little basis in reality; in fact, how terroir affects growth is well-established. For instance, a 2015 study found terroir to sustain a significant impact on the terpene concentration of Muscat of Bornova, a white grape variety grown in Turkey.

Given how soil, climate, and harvesting practices all affect the terroir of grapes and other natural products, it certainly stands to reason that the same can be said for cannabis! After all, many growers attest to the unique phenotypic expressions of plants grown in their specific region, under their hand. This means changes to aroma and flavour, and potentially cannabinoid concentration as well. Most cannabis enthusiasts and cultivators will know that different locations throughout the world, such as Afghanistan, Thailand, California, and Morocco, are each renowned for producing cannabis with distinct qualities that couldn’t be maximised to the same degree in any other terroir.

EXCEPTIONS

On the other hand, when it comes to terroir, one needs to take into account the differences between cannabis and, say, grapes grown for wine. Cannabis is an annual plant, whereas grapes are perennial. Therefore, some claim that “true” terroir seen in wine cultivation cannot be applied to plants that remain in the soil for only one season.

The other issue is, when comparing the terpene profiles of grapes with those of cannabis, the latter are significantly more complex. This doesn’t necessarily mean the factors that affect terpene content don’t influence terroir; however, it makes it harder to quantify.

All that said, considering terroir as it relates to your cannabis grow doesn’t have any downsides. After all, the more attention you pay to the specifics of your unique environment, as well as your personal practices as a grower, the more you will be able to maximise the success of your plants.

HOW TO MAXIMISE TERROIR TO GROW BETTER CANNABIS

Harnessing terroir in the grow-op essentially means doing your best to replicate the conditions where the strain developed. Obviously, this isn’t fully possible; but it’s a good guideline to support your plant from all angles. While you can’t replicate the exact same climate, you can strive to create a similar soil texture and encourage other factors related to a strain's native environment.

HOW TO MAXIMISE TERROIR TO GROW BETTER CANNABIS

Ultimately, your terroir will be unique, which means you can place your own personal “stamp” on a cannabis strain:

For example, an artisanal cannabis grower from Humboldt, CA found good results using specific nutrients to complement the natural soil profile of the region. In combination with alpaca manure sourced from a local farm, and by amending the soil with compost tea, he was able to create the perfect biochemical conditions for his plants.

Another grower, this time from Ontario, Canada, added Rhizophagus irregularis to the soil in the seedling stage, as this is believed to greatly benefit absorption of nutrients by developing plants. He amended the soil with local composted manure, compost tea, and plant compost used as top dressing alongside vermicompost produced on-site from local organic matter. He used water from a local well that he occasionally mixed with the compost tea. Grown this way, his plants reached gigantic sizes with average yields of 4kg/plant. What this shows is that it is possible to grow cannabis plants to their full potential by way of the local environment and organic amendments—with no commercial fertilisers or nutrients.

THE EVOLUTION OF CANNABIS CULTIVATION

The landscape of cannabis cultivation is changing. Back in the day, it was mostly about the divide between “great weed” and “bad weed”. Beyond that, average stoners didn’t really know or care about the intrinsic details like cannabinoid or terpene profiles. This is very different today, where cannabis consumption is now (almost!) as socially accepted as drinking wine, with more and more connoisseurs wanting to smoke only the best of the best.

There are now efforts by growers in California to do for their famous weed what the Champagne appellation has done for the French sparkly wine: It is illegal to label any product as Champagne unless it both comes from the Champagne region, and is produced under the rules of the appellation.

The Mendocino Appellations Project (MAP) would protect the intellectual property of the farmers in Mendocino County, Humboldt, and other parts of the Emerald Triangle. The perfect example of cannabis terroir, these growers have unique cultivation methods and strains that are not to be found elsewhere.

But unlike Champagne appellation, which functions as a quality classification system that protects unique characteristics and factors related to production and reputation, cannabis appellation efforts are still in the early stages. Science is currently exploring if and how terroir affects the development of cannabis and its terpenes and cannabinoids. If results show significant influence, it likely won’t be long before we see premium-grade cannabis viewed in the same way as Champagne.

Moreover, cannabis appellations could potentially benefit smaller, independent growers facing competition from Big Cannabis with its low-quality product produced in gigantic indoor grow-ops. No question, there are those who would happily pay a premium for a certified stash from Mendocino.

Cookies settings

We are requesting your permission to use your data for the reasons stated below:

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data from a particular website that get stored on a user’s computer while they’re surfing the internet. Cookies have several different functions. Some of them track browser activity that enables businesses to deliver targeted advertisements. Other cookies serve to remember user login details to different websites to make jumping on social media, or other sites, a more fluid process. Because each cookie has its own unique ID, these pieces of data allow website owners to measure the unique traffic coming into their site.

Why do we use cookies?

Cookies come in handy when you visit our website. They ensure you stay logged in, that you can shop safely, and that the items you add to your cart stay there before you make a purchase. But cookies also help us. The data they provide allow us to improve our website and enable us to present you with targeted advertisements that are compatible with your interests.

What kind of cookies do we use?

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

How can I disable or delete cookies?

Not a fan of cookies? No worries. You can disable them (with the exception of necessary cookies) in your browser settings. However, blocking cookies may impact your browsing experience and prevent you from enjoying all of the technical features of our site.

Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: