Why a strain name is not a scent report
Terpenes are the main components of essential oils and the source of cannabis aroma, as a review of cannabis plant chemistry on PubMed Central explains. That aroma shows up on the listing as terpene values, not in the name. On October 7, 2026, terpene values showed on 98 of the 100 Derby flower listings we checked and on all 56 Hartford flower listings.
The indica, sativa and hybrid labels are a separate question, and our breakdown of indica vs sativa vs hybrid covers them.
Where terpenes live in the plant
On a female cannabis flower, terpenes are found in the trichomes, the same structures that hold the cannabinoids. Chemically, they are hydrocarbons made of small isoprene units linked to one another in chains. Myrcene and limonene are monoterpenes, while caryophyllene and humulene are sesquiterpenes. If a term on a package is new to you, our cannabis glossary defines more of the words you will run into.
Six common cannabis terpenes and where else they turn up
Every aroma and source in the table comes from that terpene's PubChem compound record, such as PubChem's entry for limonene. Where a row gives a second aroma, marked Molecules review, it comes from a review in the journal Molecules.
| Terpene | What it smells like | Where else it turns up |
|---|---|---|
| Myrcene | A sweet balsamic aroma (PubChem), or musky, earthy and fruity (Molecules review) | Oil of bay, verbena, hops and lemon grass |
| Limonene | Pleasant and lemon-like | Orange, lemon and grapefruit oils, and a major component of the oil extracted from citrus rind |
| Beta-caryophyllene | Midway between cloves and turpentine (PubChem), or peppery like black pepper and cloves (Molecules review) | Many essential oils, particularly oil of cloves |
| Linalool | Similar to bergamot oil and French lavender | Lavender, bergamot, rosewood and coriander oils, and fruits including apples, citrus and grapes |
| Alpha-pinene | A characteristic odor of pine | More than 400 essential oils |
| Terpinolene | A sweet, pine odor (PubChem), or a complex blend of floral, herbal and citrus notes (Molecules review) | Tea tree oils, and citrus oils from bergamot, mandarin, sweet orange and tangerine |
If you know hops from beer, two of these, plus humulene, will sound familiar. Hop essential oils usually have myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene as their three main components, and humulene has an earthy, woody aroma.
Reading the terpene values on a live menu listing
- Pick the store you plan to shop: the Derby live menu or the Hartford live menu.
- Open the listing for a flower product you are curious about.
- Find its terpene values. If any of the six names above appear, the table tells you what they smell like.
- Compare the terpene values on two or three listings before you choose.
On our flower aisle, the product list below the article shows live items from the menu of the store you have selected, with a switch to the other store. If you want to talk through a listing before you order, call us at 860-420-BUDS (2837) or stop by our Derby store or our Hartford store.
If you are shopping extracts instead of flower
The terpene counts above cover flower listings only. If you are comparing extracts, our guide to live resin vs rosin vs distillate explains how the three are made.
Questions shoppers ask about terpenes
What is the difference between terpenes and terpenoids?
Terpenoids are oxygen-containing terpenes. Linalool is an example: PubChem describes it as a monoterpenoid and a tertiary alcohol.