The main cannabis terpenes and how they smell: myrcene (balsamic, peppery), limonene (citrus), caryophyllene (spicy, woody, clove), linalool (floral), pinene (pine), humulene (woody) and terpinolene (sweet pine). Most of the monoterpenes boil between about 310 and 390 °F; the heavier caryophyllene and nerolidol boil near 490 and 530 °F.
Cannabis terpene chart
The cannabis terpene chart below runs from the first terpene to boil to the last, with how each one smells:
| Terpene | Smells like | Boils at |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha-pineneMonoterpene | Pine | 313 °F156 °C |
| CampheneMonoterpene | Camphor, piney wood | 316 °F158 °C |
| Beta-pineneMonoterpene | Piney, woody, resinous | 329 °F165 °C |
| MyrceneMonoterpene | Balsamic, peppery | 333 °F167 °C |
| LimoneneMonoterpene | Citrus | 349 °F176 °C |
| EucalyptolMonoterpenoid | Camphor | 349 °F176 °C |
| TerpinoleneMonoterpene | Sweet pine | 365 °F185 °C |
| LinaloolMonoterpenoid | Floral: lavender, bergamot | 388 °F198 °C |
| GeraniolMonoterpenoid | Sweet rose | 446 °F230 °C |
| CaryophylleneSesquiterpene | Spicy, woody, clove | 493 °F256 °C |
| NerolidolSesquiterpenoid | Faint: green, citrus, woody | 529 °F276 °C |
| HumuleneSesquiterpene | Woody | Not measuredat sea level |
Boiling points are PubChem’s, at sea level pressure; humulene has only been measured boiling under vacuum. Aromas are PubChem’s and The Good Scents Company’s. Monoterpenes have 10 carbon atoms and sesquiterpenes 15; the ones marked terpenoid carry an oxygen atom as well.
Terpene boiling points and dab temperature
Terpene boiling points line up against dab temperature like this, with Puffco’s low temperature range shaded:
Puffco’s low range, 420 to 475 °F, sits above the boiling points of most of the monoterpenes here and below those of the heavier sesquiterpenes, caryophyllene and nerolidol. A boiling point is a guide rather than a cutoff: terpenes evaporate well below their boiling points, which is how cured hash loses its monoterpenes in the jar, and in a dab they come off as part of a mix. What the chart shows is the order, pines and myrcene first and the peppery heavyweights last. Puffco’s advice is to keep dabs low, because higher heat degrades terpenes into a harsher hit.
Why this isn’t a terpene effects chart
This isn’t a terpene effects chart, and that is on purpose: research on what single terpenes do to a high is still early. In a 2024 Johns Hopkins study of 20 adults, vaporized limonene added to a 30 milligram dose of THC lowered ratings of feeling anxious and paranoid, while limonene alone felt no different from a placebo. More on what is and isn’t known in terpenes.
Why hash smells the way it does
Why hash smells the way it does comes down to which of these terpenes survive. Fresh, cold kept hash holds on to the light monoterpenes at the top of the chart; old, cured hash loses them and keeps the heavy ones, which is why traditional hash tastes peppery. As Bubbleman puts it, caryophyllene is the one that sticks around.
From the archive: Bubbleman on terpene profiles
From the archive, Bubbleman on terpene profiles in his own words, from two live Sunday shows. Tap a time to hear that moment.
New hash is all about preserving every single monoterpene, terpene, terpenoid, thiol, thiolate, ester, aldehyde, preserving it all. Old hash is actually about curing most of them out until you’re left with a very specific group of volatile organic compounds that are able to stick around the longest, beta-caryophyllene. That’s why it’s peppery.
On new hash and old hashIt’s the one that transfers the most, it’s the one that lives the longest, it’s the one that sticks around, it’s the funk. It just hangs out. It goes from bag to hand to shirt to hat. It transfers better than any other terpene.
On why caryophyllene lingers
Season 12, Episode 13, The Kootenay Episode
Skunkman Sam used to say he could tell if something had Skunk Number One in it just by the terpene profile graph from a gas chromatograph. He’d be like, yeah, there’s Skunk Number One in that.
On reading a terpene graph
Reading a terpene profile
Reading a terpene profile on a lab report means looking at which terpenes lead, not just the total. Two jars with the same THC can smell nothing alike because one leads with limonene and the other with caryophyllene. Bubbleman tells of Skunkman Sam, the breeder, who could spot Skunk No. 1 in a plant from the shape of its terpene graph alone.
Terpene chart questions
Terpene chart questions, answered short:
What temperature do terpenes boil at?
The temperature terpenes boil at runs from about 313 °F for alpha-pinene to about 529 °F for nerolidol; most of the monoterpenes boil between about 310 and 390 °F.
Which terpene smells like lemon?
The terpene that smells like lemon is limonene, which PubChem describes as having a citrus odor.
Which terpene smells like pepper?
The terpene that smells like pepper is caryophyllene, described as spicy, woody and clove-like, and it is the peppery note in aged hash.
Which terpene smells like pine?
The terpenes that smell like pine are alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, with terpinolene a sweeter pine.
Does a terpene chart show effects?
A terpene chart can’t reliably show effects, because research on what single terpenes do to a high is still early, so this chart sticks to smell and boiling point.
Sources for this terpene chart
Sources for this terpene chart:
- alpha-Pinene, PubChem
- Camphene, PubChem
- beta-Pinene, PubChem
- Myrcene, PubChem
- D-Limonene, PubChem
- Eucalyptol, PubChem
- Terpinolene, PubChem
- Linalool, PubChem
- Geraniol, PubChem
- beta-Caryophyllene, PubChem
- Nerolidol, PubChem
- Humulene, PubChem
- Myrcene, The Good Scents Company
- beta-Caryophyllene, The Good Scents Company
- alpha-Humulene, The Good Scents Company
- Nerolidol, The Good Scents Company
- Dab temperature guide: the best temp for dabs, Puffco
- Vaporized D-limonene selectively mitigates the acute anxiogenic effects of THC (Spindle and others, 2024), Drug and Alcohol Dependence
- The cannabis terpene gauntlet with 18 flavors, Bubbleman’s World on YouTube
- Hash Church Season 12, Episodes 13 and 24: Bubbleman on terpene profiles, linked above