We could all use a treat every once in a while, but candy that uses cannabis flavors might just be the ultimate treat. Celebrate National Candy Month by learning about the wonderful fusion of candy and terpenes. 

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In case you didn’t know, June is National Candy Month! Its purpose is to celebrate and spread awareness for the many unique, fun treats and candies created by confectioners. If images of lollipops, mints, and gummy bears are floating through your mind, you’re on the right track. Today, however, terpenes have opened a door for confectioners that would leave even Willy Wonka drooling. 

Using terpenes is a simple way for cannabis edibles to ensure consistent flavor and effects, but it also means that non-cannabis food and beverages can utilize those flavors too. Honestly, the opportunities are endless! So, prepare yourself, because National Candy Month is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Celebrate National Candy Month with Terpenes!

For the confectioner on the go, here are the highlights!

• Terpenes are a great way to infuse candy, other food items, and beverages with flavor, aroma, and effects.
• When it comes to edibles, terpenes help ensure your customers are getting the full benefits of the Entourage Effect.
• Terpenes can help ensure that your edibles have the desired effects (relaxing, energizing, uplifting, etc.)
• Terpenes are sensitive, so simply adding more plant matter won’t necessarily ensure a consistent flavor. Luckily, adding terpenes in towards the end of production helps create consistent flavors, aromas, and effects in all your products.
• If you’re not interested in cannabis, no problem! You can still play around with cannabis flavors without having to use any cannabinoids whatsoever.

Disclaimer: We want to remind everyone that our terpenes are cannabis free and 100% legal. However, we do work very hard to isolate the specific terpene profiles of popular strains so both cannabis consumers and non-cannabis consumers can enjoy and benefit from them. While there are cannabis-derived terpenes, at this time we only produce botanically derived terpenes.

Using Terpenes in Food and Beverage

If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list on your favorite foods or beverages, you might have noticed the phrase, “contains natural and artificial flavoring.” In general, both of these items are produced in a flavor house lab with the purpose of ensuring the desired flavor in a product. Every time an item is baked, fried, or frozen, the flavors can get lost, so adding in those “natural and artificial” flavors helps to keep that from happening.

Many cannabis flavor houses, on the other hand, are choosing to use natural terpenes to infuse their products with the most accurate flavors and aromas as possible. These compounds aren’t new by any means though. In fact, they’re naturally produced by most plants, and they’re what give them their innate aroma and flavor. 

Love the relaxing scent of lavender? You have linalool to thank for that! Are you more into spicy, earthy aromas like black pepper? Beta-Caryophyllene is responsible for that flavor. Technically, every time a bartender muddles herbs for a cocktail, the unique blend of terpenes in those plants is what provides the additional scent and flavor.

However, with the progress in terpene science over the last several years, all sorts of food and beverage products have started to strategically utilize terpenes. There’s terpene infused gummies, mints, truffles, and more. Even beverages are using terpenes for their sugar-free, calorie-free flavor potential. You might even find terpenes in your beer pretty soon! 

Considering all the different flavors and therapeutic benefits terpenes possess, it really should come as no surprise that terpenes and edibles are a match made in heaven.

Why Terpenes Belong in Edibles

Whether you’re a cannabis or candy connoisseur, it’s all about the flavor and the experience. When it comes to cannabis, however, the flavor can drastically affect the experience in several ways. 

If you’re producing cannabis products, we assume you know all of the badass benefits that different cannabinoids possess. Additionally, terpenes have a long list of benefits all on their own!

Many terpenes are anti-inflammatory, reduce anxiety, promote sleep and relaxation, and some can even elevate your mood. What’s even more interesting, is the relationship between cannabis and terpenes.

Ever wonder why some strains seem to energize you while others give you couch-lock? A huge part of the cannabis experience is dictated by the unique terpene profile of each strain! A strain that’s known for its pain-relieving properties probably has a lot of beta-caryophyllene in it, while more energizing strains probably have higher amounts of limonene.

For that reason, and a few more that we’re about to cover, terpenes really belong in edibles.

Jack Herer

Terpenes are Important for the Entourage Effect

The Entourage Effect is a phenomenon in which the therapeutic benefits of both terpenes and cannabis are enhanced when they’re together. Basically, if you just use a THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) isolate, you won’t reap the full benefits that you’d get from a product containing the full-spectrum of cannabis compounds.

This is particularly important for anyone trying to create an edible with particular effects. When you rely on JUST the plant matter, a lot of the natural terpenes get destroyed during the production process. So, adding terpenes back in helps you enhance the flavor AND it ensures that your products will create the effect you’re going for.

Terpenes Help Promote the Desired Effects

As an example, say you’re trying to create a Blueberry-Lemonade beverage with the Blue Dream cannabis strain. 

First...yum. 

Second, if you’re using Blue Dream, you’re probably trying to create a product that boosts alertness while inducing a sense of calm. This Sativa-dominant hybrid is a favorite of creatives and conversationalists alike. So a product that uses Blue Dream should provide those effects as well.

Third, simply adding more plant matter to your products doesn’t necessarily mean more terpenes will survive the manufacturing process. That’s why being able to add specific terpenes back into your products is so necessary. Plus, it’s the easiest way to ensure a consistent effect, flavor, and aroma throughout your products.

                  Blue Dream                                         Berry Gelato

Terpenes are the Key to Consistency in Edibles

You may have figured this out by now, but terpenes are pretty sensitive. Not only is it VERY easy to lose terpenes during production, but the terpene profile of a plant can also actually change due to a large number of variables. 

No joke. That’s why two identical plants grown in different conditions might not smell or taste exactly the same. Things like weather, soil quality, and even farming techniques can drastically alter the expression of certain terpenes. 

With that in mind, unless you’re using cannabis that is always grown under strict monitoring and regulating, it’s very hard to ensure flavor and aroma consistency. Combine that with the difficulties of keeping terpenes intact during production and...things get pretty tricky. 

Luckily, all you have to do is add terpenes back in towards the end of production. Simple as that.

What Kinds of Food and Beverages Can Benefit from Terpenes?

The word “edible” is actually a giant umbrella term that includes a variety of different cannabis-infused foods and beverages. So, what sorts of foods and beverages can benefit from terpenes? Honestly, a lot! But here are a few to get you started.

CANDY

Ok, this is also a giant category. But it’s National Candy Month, so we’re going to give candy its moment in the spotlight! Here are just a few candies that will be even more mouthwatering with the addition of terpenes:

• Gummies
• Mints
• Lollipops
• Licorice
• Candy Canes
• Cotton Candy
• Hard Candy
• Taffy

Chocolate

Any other chocoholics here? Because the only thing that makes chocolate any more delectable is terpenes and/or cannabis.

• Brownies
• Chocolate Ice Cream
• Fudge
• Mousse
• Truffles
• Chocolate Bar

Beverages

Seriously, beverages and terpenes are a phenomenal combination! Terpenes don’t add sugar or calories, making it a great option for seltzer water and wellness beverages. Plus, with water-soluble terpenes, you don’t have to worry about terpenes just sitting on the top of your beverage. 

• Cocktails
• Sports Drinks
• Cannabis-Infused Drinks
• Tea
• Energy Drinks
• Beer

How About Just Food in General?

Absolutely! While it’s currently more popular among the fine-dining crowd, infusing everyday food items with terpenes will soon be common in kitchens everywhere. 

We’re envisioning terpene infused cheesecakes, salad dressings, smoothies, soups, and maybe even a terpene-infused steak marinade.

Wow, is anyone else really hungry all of the sudden?

Not into Cannabis? No problem! 

Any of the items we mentioned above can obviously be made without cannabis in them. Whether you’re avoiding cannabis for legal or health reasons, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun. 

Even without cannabis, terpenes can still help you create products that are calming, energizing, anti-inflammatory, and more. Plus, even if you don’t use cannabis in your products, essential cannabis businesses have shown us that using cannabis flavors is one of the best ways to thrive in the food and beverage industry.

Terpenes Ensure That the Snozberries Taste like Snozberries

We hope you’ll consider celebrating National Candy Month by getting crafty with some candy of your own! Whether you’re more into lemon-drops or licorice, adding terpenes (and cannabis if that’s your thing) is one of the easiest ways to create unique products that will keep people coming back for more. 

If you’re ready to start getting crafty, feel free to contact us today for terpene recommendations and maybe even a custom formulation. And be sure to tag us the next time you post about your terpene-infused candies and treats!