{"id":23776,"date":"2019-07-13T18:27:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-14T01:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmapdx.com\/?p=23776"},"modified":"2019-10-04T15:47:52","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T22:47:52","slug":"an-education-sesh-with-mule-extracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmapdx.com\/an-education-sesh-with-mule-extracts\/","title":{"rendered":"An education sesh with Mule Extracts"},"content":{"rendered":"
What\u2019s in a flavor?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As many a cartridge enthusiast can attest, the aromatic integrity of cannabis concentrate often falls short of its flower form.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, there are a lot of extractors out there who struggle to preserve the full range of flavor compounds in fresh bud. Many introduce additional flavorings and contrived terpene ratios, throwing off both the balance and the integrity of the product. Luckily, our concentrate buyer Ben<\/a> knows where to find the best in craft cannabis cartridges. And we the staff can attest that\u00a0<\/span>Mule Extracts<\/span><\/a>, an Estacada-based craft CO2 extraction company, has flavor retention down to a science.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In one of our most memorable staff education \u201cEDU\u201d sessions, Mule\u2019s Kyle and Kevin came to Farma to chat with us about how they do it. We learned about essential oils, olfaction, extraction, and the fascinating complexity of it all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a <\/span>psychological component<\/span><\/a> to our experience of smell and flavor, two of our most important and intricately connected senses. That\u2019s because our olfactory (sense of smell) system is connected to our limbic system, which is responsible for mediating emotions, behaviors, and memory. In fact, it\u2019s the only sense that isn\u2019t mirrored, but directly connected to the brain and the one most deeply associated with memory.<\/span><\/p>\n The taste of cannabis during inhalation is critical to our experience of the plant; but the wafting aroma from the dispensary jar might be just as important: \u201cThere\u2019s much more to the sensory experience of cannabis than just terpenes,\u201d said Kyle, resident chemical engineer and Mule\u2019s director of product development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In reality, there\u2019s an entire orchestra of compounds that contribute to a strain\u2019s aroma and flavor profile, and each one is totally unique (hence the incomprehensibly massive<\/span> amount of distinct cannabis <\/span>chemotypes<\/span><\/a>). Colloquially known as essential oils, every strain has its own individual blend– like an aromatic fingerprint. The combination of these aroma compounds with cannabinoids is what gives a distinct characteristic to a strain\u2019s high–and its therapeutic effects<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n While western medicine is still waking up to their potential <\/span>medical value<\/span><\/a>, there is some <\/span>research<\/span><\/a> out there that suggests essential oil therapy (aromatherapy) might be a thing for a <\/span>reason<\/span><\/a> (take <\/span>this study<\/span><\/a> for instance, which showed that inhaling lavender oil after surgery could help with pain) – notably demonstrating a distinctly analgesic effect. Could it “just” be placebo? And would that make it any less effective? We’re gonna need more studies to know for sure, but hey, if it works, it works.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe psychology of smell and taste<\/b><\/h3>\n
Essential oils vs. terpenes: are they the same thing?<\/b><\/h3>\n