The Best Terpenes for Vape Pens and Cartridges

Want to create memorable pens consumers love? You NEED to use terpenes! Read on to learn why and discover the best terpenes for vape pens.

Whether you’re making a disposable CBD vape pen, a THC distillate for cartridges, or a high-potency dab pen, your consumers want products with specific flavors, aromas, and experiences. That’s where terpenes come in!

Terpenes are the organic hydrocarbons found in most plants that dictate their natural flavor and aroma. They’re also the reason why some plants have effects like relaxation and energy (among several others). This is important because you can infuse terpenes into your products to intentionally give customers the flavors, aromas, and experiences they’re looking for.

Infusing cartridges with terpenes is one of the fastest, most efficient ways to differentiate your products and expand your product line while attracting new customers.

Read on to learn about infusing terpenes into vape pens and cartridges and discover which terpenes your customers are the most excited about!

 

Why Should You Use Terpenes In Your Cartridges

Depending on the type of product you’re creating, the natural flavor and aroma of your ingredients might get lost during the manufacturing process. 

For example, cartridges that use concentrates and extracts can draw out some flavor and aroma from the original plant matter. However, some of it will naturally get lost in the process. This happens because terpenes are sensitive. 

Even before the plant matter gets to your facility for processing, the terpene content can be altered and/or destroyed by things like weather, soil quality, and farming practices (to name just a few). On top of that, consistency is a major hurdle when it comes to sourcing terpenes from plant matter.

Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that you source plant matter from a heavily controlled environment. In a perfect world, that means it would have a consistent terpene profile. Unfortunately, you can still lose terpenes during transport and especially during the manufacturing process. 

When that happens, the plants will have altered or diminished flavors, aromas, and even sensorial effects. Yes, you read that right. Terpenes play a huge role in the way products make us feel! 

If you’re relying purely on plant matter to infuse products with flavor and effects, this becomes an issue. Luckily, adding terpenes to your products towards the end of the manufacturing process allows you to do several things…

• Terpenes ensure your products have a consistent flavor.
• Terpenes ensure your products have a consistent aroma.
• Terpenes ensure your products produce a consistent experience.

The keyword in that list is “consistent.” Part of a product’s success hinges on its consistency. Consumers want products that give them their desired experience EVERY time, not just once in a while. 

And that, our lovely readers, is one of the biggest benefits of adding terpenes to your cartridges.

Benefits of Using Botanical Terpenes in Vape Pens and Carts

In addition to consistency, using botanical terpenes offers manufacturers several valuable benefits. “Botanical” terpenes are those that have been extracted from everyday fruits, herbs, spices, etc. On a molecular level, there is NO difference between cannabis-derived, hemp-derived, or botanically-derived terpenes. They will, however, save you time, money, a major legal headache, and more.

• Botanical Terpenes Taste and Smell Exactly Like the Real Thing

True-to-type aromas and flavors can help brands stand out from the competition while raising the bar for the entire industry. Considering that authenticity has been an issue for the cannabis market, this kind of dedication to quality can help promote consumer trust and brand loyalty.

• Botanical Terpenes DON’T Include THC and Terpenes DON’T Get You High

Both cannabis and non-cannabis products can use botanical terpenes to infuse products with the aromas and flavors of iconic cultivars. In addition, the lack of cannabinoids means they can easily ship worldwide without the same legal headache involved in shipping cannabis-derived terpenes or hemp-derived terpenes.

• Botanical Terpenes Cost Less

Compared to terpenes extracted from cannabis, extracting terpenes from botanical sources is significantly less expensive, and those cost savings are passed down to you.

• Is Vaping Botanical Terpenes Safe?

Yes! When botanical terpenes are used correctly, they can be safely consumed in a variety of products including vapes and cartridges. At Abstrax, we believe the cannabis industry needs comprehensive safety evaluations to ensure consumer safety. That’s why we’ve joined forces with other industry leaders, like VapeSAFER, to promote a safer and more robust vape industry.

Speaking of safety…

Stop Putting This Into Your Cartridges!

Before we jump into the specific terpenes you should be using in your cartridges, let’s quickly cover another very important topic. Stop putting the following items into your cartridges…

• Vitamin E acetate (tocopheryl-acetate)
• Heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, etc.)
• Synthetic cannabinoids
• Pesticides like myclobutanil
• Synthetic beta-Myrcene

Certain chemicals undergo changes when heated. That means you need to consider how the vaping process might alter any ingredients. Sometimes the heat is harmless, but other times heat can alter chemicals and make them dangerous. 

The list above has items that have either been proven to be harmful in cartridges OR there’s not enough research to determine whether or not they’re harmful. The bottom line is that you only want to include ingredients in your products that you know are safe.

The 5 Best Terpenes for Cartridges

Alright, now for the good stuff!  There are a LOT of terpenes, so it can be kind of overwhelming at first. You can start with terpene isolates if you want, but you can also choose from the big world of iconic cannabis profiles or even the massive, ever-growing selection of high-intensity flavors and aromas that don’t smell like cannabis at all.

Need some direction? We’ve got your back.

1. Native Series Terpene Profiles for True-to-Type Cannabis Flavors & Aromas

The Native Series is a collection of Advanced Terpene Profiles that taste and smell exactly like the original cannabis material. They contain prenylated cannasulfur compounds (PCSCs) so they have the authentic gassy aroma that so many cultivars are loved for. Recently, we’ve even begun adding newly discovered cannabis flavorants to enhance their authenticity even more!

2. Signature Series For Official Terpene Profiles of Legendary Cannabis Strains

If you want to give your customers the most authentic version of iconic cannabis cultivars, you’ll want Signature Series profiles. These are meticulously crafted by our flavor scientists in collaboration with the original cultivators. So, they’re not just great, they’re perfect. Our most recent addition to the Signature Series even helped expand our understanding of cannabis gas categories!

3. Cloudburst Series for Maximum, High-Intensity Flavors & Aromas

The botanically-derived blends in the Cloudburst Series were engineered to provide maximum flavor. Our chemists faithfully recreated the sweetest, most in-demand fruit and dessert flavors and cranked up the intensity. We’re talking about candy-like Peach Rings, juicy Baja Smash, and even seasonal flavors like Spiced Apple Cider!

4. Entourage Series for Powerful Effects in Fun & Exotic Flavors

When you want to give your customers the full experience of the entourage effect without the cannabis flavor, the Entourage Series is exactly what you want! Regardless of whether your products are designed to be psychoactive, these terpenes are going to give them a phenomenal experience in fun flavors like Bubble Gum, Mojito, Pumpkin Pie, and more!

5. AI Terp Effects for a Flavorless/Odorless Boost in Effects

The terpene blends in the AI Terp Effects series were created by combining our state-of-the-art research and manufacturing capabilities with budboard's proprietary machine learning R&D software. This allowed us to create blends optimized to deliver specific effects (based on over one million data points. Want specific effects? Reach for Energized, Relaxed, Inspired, Peaceful, or Focused.

Abstrax Tech | Improve the Industry With High-Quality Cartridges

One of the biggest hurdles for cartridges has been their bad image. “Black market” cartridges often cut corners by using poor-quality ingredients, thickening agents, failing to remove residual solvents, or even “cutting” their products with other substances. 

That’s why we’re so passionate about providing pure, botanically sourced terpenes. The harder we work to promote high-quality cartridges, the stronger the overall cartridge market will become. Join us in our efforts to promote safe, high-quality cartridges. 

Want expert assistance formulating your next vape pen or cartridge? Contact us today and let’s get to work!