New Presentation on Creating a Cannabis Aroma Lexicon

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, October 9, 2024 – A presentation on how to build an aroma lexicon for cannabis is now available online. The presentation was given last month at the American Chemical Society Fall Meeting in Denver by Headspace Sensory founder Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. and co-author Joseph A. DiVerdi, Ph.D. from Colorado State University’s Department of Chemistry.

“Chemists and sensory experts have made great strides recently in understanding the compounds that give cannabis strains their distinctive odor,” says Gilbert. “We used to think it was all about terpenes. But now we know that non-terpene molecules provide key aroma notes such as skunk, tropical fruit, and cheese. We are finally getting our arms around the full range of the cannabis odor spectrum.” 

As a result, says Gilbert, it is time for the cannabis industry to create an aroma lexicon or standardized vocabulary. “Smell is the most salient sensory feature of cannabis,” he says, “and an official lexicon would encourage better communication between experts and consumers, and between breeders and cultivators.”

He notes that official lexicons already exist for wine, beer, coffee, and tea.

The presentation is titled “How to Build an Aroma Lexicon for Cannabis,” and it covers the practical steps required, including selection of descriptive terms, identification of key aroma compounds, standardized sensory testing procedures, and the creation of an intuitive presentation format.

Free copies of the presentation can be downloaded here.

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New Paper on Cannabis Genetics and Aroma

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, October 28, 2022 – A new paper finds that genetically variant cannabis samples smell different than genetically consistent samples of the same strain. The paper, by Headspace Sensory founder Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. and researchers from the University of Northern Colorado, opens a new path toward understanding variability in cannabis aroma. 

“We know that strains have distinctive aroma profiles,” says Gilbert. “What this work demonstrates is that relatively minor genetic differences can alter that profile.”  

The research was part of a doctoral dissertation by lead author Anna Schwabe. She and her colleagues at UNC analyzed the cannabis samples for genetic consistency using 10 variable microsatellite DNA markers. Based on these results, samples were selected for odor evaluation by 55 sensory panelists in work carried out by Headspace Sensory’s Gilbert.

“The sensory results confirmed yet again that certain strain aroma profiles are consistent,” says Gilbert. “They also show that within-strain odor anomalies can be detected by untrained panelists.” According to Gilbert, the results highlight a need for the industry to involve consumers in a conversation about product quality, consistency, and sensory aesthetics.

The study was published online today in the open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology. Copies can be downloaded here.

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Avery Gilbert Quoted in Science News on the Skunky Notes in Marijuana

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, November 30, 2021 – Science writer Ariana Remmel has published a story in Science News on the new chemistry behind the skunky scent of marijuana. In it she describes the work of researchers led by an R&D team at Abstrax Tech in California and quotes Headspace Sensory found Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. regarding the significance of the findings. 

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Does Cannabis Have a Future as a Luxury Product? Headspace Sensory’s Avery Gilbert Addresses the Question in New Paper

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, October 17, 2021 – Headspace Sensory founder Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. has published a new paper in the Taylor & Francis business journal Luxury. Titled “Cannabis: The uncertain path from agricultural commodity to luxury consumable,” the paper compares cannabis to established luxury consumables such as perfume, wine, and whiskey.

“Current high-end cannabis production may not have the long history and established heritage of perfume, but California winemakers have shown how quickly determined producers can achieve luxury status,” says Gilbert in commenting on the new paper. He notes that the expanding industry is currently on a commodity trajectory despite attempts to create distinctive, artisanal, high-end products.

“I believe there are several ways for the industry to create luxury products, but they require us to discard traditional ways of thinking about cannabis, and adopt a more flexible and consumer-friendly attitude,” says Gilbert.

In particular, Gilbert believes that the fixation on named cultivars, what he calls “the fetishization of strains,” limits the product’s appeal to new consumers and inhibits a wider discussion of sensory aesthetics. “As we know from wine and perfume, connoisseurship enables a deeper relationship between creators and consumers, and this is absent in today’s cannabis space,” he says.

According to Gilbert, the insistence on single-strain designations inhibits another critical element of luxury consumables: blending. “Wine and perfume, like cannabis, are not far removed from their agricultural origins, yet the creativity of the vintner and perfumer lets them soar to levels of sensory delight that justify a luxury price tag,” he says. “Until blending of cultivars and even flavoring become acceptable, there is little room for creativity and the development of luxury brands.”

Gilbert’s paper can be found at this link.

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