By Luke Sumpter

The taste of your weed flowers isn’t set in stone! Rather, it’s a variable that growers can easily influence using nutrients, strain selection, and even—wait for it—dried fruit peels! Find out how to make your weed taste better than ever.


Can You Really Enhance the Flavour of Weed?

Many cannabis strains taste great by default, considering they’re grown and processed with due care and attention. However, there are scenarios where the terpene profile of a strain may not be adequately expressed, or someone isn't happy with the flavour of the end product. With this in mind, some may wonder how to make weed taste better. If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, you’ll be pleased to know there are a range of options available to growers of all stripes.

You can improve the taste of weed using methods as simple as good strain selection, and as obscure as applying essential oils to your buds. Organic gardening strategies, such as bioinoculants and companion planting, can also help to tip terpene profiles in a more favourable and flavourful direction. Continue reading to discover how to make your cannabis buds tastier than ever—before, during, and after harvesting.

Adding flavour to cannabis

How to Add More Flavour to Your Cannabis Before Harvest

Achieving a flavourful stash starts even before you put seeds in the soil. If you want to optimise the aroma and taste of your plants for the highest-quality results, consider the following tips and methods.

Start With Naturally Flavoursome Strains

When it comes to growing weed, cultivators can resolve so many issues by simply choosing the right genetics for the task at hand. Instead of choosing a wimpy, weak, and underwhelming strain and hoping to improve it with an ideal environment, skip the nonsense and set yourself up for success from the start. Pairing superb genetics with refined environmental metrics will result in high-quality, exceptionally flavourful buds.

The age-old process of selective breeding has allowed seed banks to develop tailored terpene profiles that suit every possible taste out there. While some strains are purely bred for THC content, CBD content, or particular morphological characteristics, others are created chiefly with flavour in mind.

If you want buds packed with fruity, skunky, or earthy scents, then you need to choose the right cultivars from the get-go.

Royal Bluematic

Our skilled breeders at Royal Queen Seeds created Royal Bluematic by crossing the legendary Blueberry with a high-performing ruderalis specimen. This resulted in an autoflowering cultivar that explodes from shoot to harvest in as little as 11 weeks, and is packed with mouth-watering terpenes. Prepare to experience moreish tastes of fruit, blueberry, and earth with every hit. As a bonus, she serves up a powerful stoning high perfect for the evening. Expect a rewarding yield of 425–475g/m² from indoor plants and up to 120g/plant from their outdoor counterparts.

Royal Bluematic
23_genetic background_1 Blueberry x Ruderalis
33_Yield indoors_1 425 - 475 gr/m2
31_plant height outdoor_1 60 - 75 cm
25_flowering time_1 7 - 8 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 14%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 10% Indica 60% Ruderalis 30%
34_yield outdoor_1 70 - 120 gr/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 70 - 100 cm
27_harvest period_1 11 - 12 weeks after sprouting
22_Effect_1 Powerful , Stoned

Buy Royal Bluematic

Sundae Driver

Sundae Driver has become a go-to cultivar for many growers, for a variety of reasons. Above all else, her insanely pungent terpene profile has elevated her above the many hundreds of other strains available. The complex mix of phytochemicals within her buds gives rise to delicious flavours of berries, earth, and vanilla. To add even more to the equation, her stunning and compact buds boast mesmerising shades of dark purple. This progeny of Fruity Pebbles OG and Grape Pie maintains a medium height and delivers a euphoric and motivating high. Prepare to harvest up to 450g/m² and 500g/plant from indoor and outdoor plants respectively.

Sundae Driver
23_genetic background_1 Fruity Pebbles OG x Grape Pie
33_Yield indoors_1 400 - 450 gr/m2
31_plant height outdoor_1 90 – 140 cm
25_flowering time_1 9 - 11 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 23%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 50% Indica 50%
34_yield outdoor_1 450 - 500 gr/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 130 - 170 cm
27_harvest period_1 Early October
22_Effect_1 Balanced, Euphoric, Motivating

Buy Sundae Driver

Somango XL

Growers usually have a specific preference when it comes to a strain's taste. Some love sugary notes, others prefer things skunky, and many simply can’t resist fruity phytochemicals. If you autumn into the latter camp, then you need to become acquainted with Somango XL immediately. Born out of a cross between Somango and Critical 47, this indica-dominant hybrid emerged with boatloads of fruity terpenes and a THC content of 18%. Brace yourself for a hard-hitting stone when you cram these buds into bong bowls and blunts. Expect to stash away up to 575g/m² from indoor plants and 600g/plant from those raised outside.

Somango XL
23_genetic background_1 Somango x Critical 47
33_Yield indoors_1 525 - 575 gr/m2
31_plant height outdoor_1 60 - 100 cm
25_flowering time_1 8 - 10 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 18%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 25% Indica 75%
34_yield outdoor_1 550 - 600 gr/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 120 - 200 cm
27_harvest period_1 Late September
22_Effect_1 Powerful , Stoned

Buy Somango XL

Grow Using a Super Soil Mix

Have you heard of super soil? If not, you’re missing out! This type of growing medium guarantees productive, vigorous, and terpene-filled plants. You see, super soil is carefully crafted to include everything plants need to achieve an optimal level of health and performance. Weed plants need a specific set of nutrients to carry out biological processes such as the creation of energy and the synthesis of terpenes. Treat your plants to a super soil mix and they’ll return the favour in the form of higher concentrations of terpenes and, therefore, superior flavours.

Inoculate With Mycorrhizal Fungi

Did you know that around 90% of all land plants form an alliance with soil-dwelling fungi? Yeah—they literally allow these organisms to fuse themselves to their roots. Once connected, they kickstart a mutually beneficial relationship. Plants create sugars using sunlight, and pump them down into the root zone to allow the fungi to dine on carbon-based molecules. In return, the fungi shuttle nutrients into the root network. However, mycorrhizal fungi offer much more than nutrients. They also help to protect plants against root pathogens and, as research[1] demonstrates, boost concentrations of desirable terpenes.

Consider Companion Planting

Companion planting refers to growing beneficial plants in close proximity to your cannabis crop. This strategy offers numerous benefits; it drives soil microbiology, deters pest insects, and draws in beneficial predatory and pollinating species.

And, although studies in this area are lacking, some growers attest to the effectiveness of using aromatic companion plants to boost terpene levels in nearby cannabis plants. It’s known that plants can communicate using terpenes; indeed, many vegetable growers claim that growing basil near their tomatoes dramatically increases the flavour of their crop. Why not give this trick a go and see the results for yourself?

Companion planting

Apply Bloom Booster Supplements

Bloom boosters are exactly as they sound; these products contain everything that weed plants require to develop healthy flowers packed with cannabinoids and terpenes. The formulas vary depending on the product, but generally they contain the elements listed below. As well as assisting flower development, these minerals drive terpene synthesis, thereby increasing the flavour of the buds.

  • Magnesium: This secondary macronutrient serves as a cofactor for enzymes that help to build the precursors of terpenes.
  • Zinc: Essential in the activation of key biosynthetic enzymes, zinc catalyses the conversion of simple precursor molecules into more complex terpene compounds.
  • Iron: This micronutrient serves as a cofactor for enzymes involved in the creation of terpenes such as geraniol and farnesene.

How to Add More Flavour to Your Cannabis During Harvest

Right then, you've just discovered some key ways to make your weed taste better during the cultivation process. Next up, we’re going to cover some ways to improve the flavour of your buds during harvest. If your flowers aren’t smelling too special at this stage, there are still several steps you can take to give them an edge—some controversial, others more routine.

Stop Watering

Adequate levels of light, bioinoculants, and nutrients help cannabis plants to achieve peak health and produce massive levels of terpenes. But make no mistake, pampering your crops isn’t the only means of sending concentrations of aromatics sky-high. You see, in nature, plants manufacture terpenes to deal with external stress, including pests, pathogens, and adverse weather.

Research[2] shows that drought conditions force plants to produce more terpenes in an attempt to preserve themselves during such an event. More specifically, they produce more monoterpenes. In cannabis, these compounds include the likes of myrcene and pinene. With this in mind, stop watering completely several days before harvest for a bump in terps.

Hydrate Cannabis Buds With Flavoured Water

We get it—this method sounds bizarre. But hear us out! Some growers swear by this technique as a means of improving the flavour of their crop. Post-harvest, take a living branch with several colas still attached. Fill a glass with water and add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil. Place the cutting into the glass and let it soak up the water for the next couple of days. Proceed to dry and cure as normal. This one sounds weird, but you’ll need to try it for yourself!

Watering cannabis

How to Add More Flavour to Your Cannabis After Harvest

We’ve covered effective ways to improve the flavour of your weed buds before and during harvest. Now, you’re going to discover how to send taste through the roof after processing your buds!

Use Food-Grade Extracts or Essential Oils

First up, we have another unusual option. Please, view this as a possibility rather than an endorsement! Some growers take a rather extreme step of coating their buds in food-grade extracts and small quantities of essential oils. These products markedly change the taste of weed flowers and allow growers to fully customise the flavour and aroma of each bud. However, it’s possible for these applications to cause lung irritation, or worse, when combusted and inhaled.

Add Dried Fruit Peels

This option is definitely safer, more sensible, and still effective. Adding dried fruit peels to your stash jars can help to infuse surrounding buds with mouth-watering terpenes. While not as pungent as essential oils, this less-concentrated source of terps imparts a subtle boost in flavour. Flavouring weed with orange peel is a firm favourite, but lemon, lime, and grapefruit are also great options. Just make sure your peels are fully dried out before adding them to jars to avoid introducing excess moisture into the environment.

Take Your Time With Curing

Curing plays an extremely important role in making weed taste better after harvest. This process involves placing dried buds into airtight jars to facilitate the breakdown of unwanted, harsh-tasting molecules such as starches and chlorophyll. Ideally, growers should cure their buds for at least two weeks. We know the temptation to blaze is often irresistible, but curing for around eight weeks will pay off in the form of deliciously enhanced flavours.

Video id: 509743497

The Secret to Extra-Flavoursome Weed

There you have it! You’re now equipped with several effective strategies for improving the flavour of your cannabis buds. You know that strain selection reigns supreme, and how to influence terpene levels during cultivation. On top of this, you’re ready to influence the taste and aroma of your flowers during and after the harvesting process. So, what are you waiting for? Put these techniques to the test and decide which methods you prefer the most!

External Resources:
  1. Terpenoids in plant and arbuscular mycorrhiza-reinforced defence against herbivorous insects - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Short-term severe drought influences root volatile biosynthesis in eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L) - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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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: