With the relaxation of cannabis laws in many places in recent years, vaping THC has grown enormously in popularity as carts containing the main active ingredient in marijuana have become more readily available.
However, if you vape THC, it’s important to understand what it is you’re inhaling, and to help you unpick one of the thorniest issues when it comes to vaping THC, in this post, we dive into the great debate concerning CDT carts vs non-CDT carts.
What are CDT carts and non-CDT carts?
Before we go into the details of the CDT vs non-CDT debate, let’s take a step back and look at what these acronyms mean – what exactly is a CDT cart?
CDT stands for “Cannabis Derived Terpenes”, so a cart being sold as CDT is claiming that the terpenes it contains were derived from the cannabis plant rather than coming from elsewhere.
Non-CDT, on the other hand, means that the terpenes in the cart were derived from other plants, in which case they are technically referred to as Botanically Derived Terpenes (BDTs). Alternatively, the terpenes may be synthetic, something we’ll come back to later in the post.
But what are terpenes anyway? And why do you want them in your THC cart? Let’s look at this now.
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What are terpenes?
When you buy a cart containing THC for vaping, it has two main components, THC distillate and terpenes.
THC is the cannabinoid found in marijuana that’s primarily responsible for getting you high. Terpenes, on the other hand, are organic compounds that create the distinctive smell and flavor of weed – and due to the so-called “entourage effect” may also enhance the experience.
In addition, many terpenes are even thought to have therapeutic or medical benefits.
However, terpenes are not only found in cannabis, although cannabis is particularly rich in a wide range of them.
Terpenes are also present in many other plants, and you are likely to be familiar with some of them, even if you aren’t aware of what they are.
For example, if you’ve ever smelled the distinctive aroma of pine needles, that’s due to a terpene called pinene. Similarly, the unmistakable smell of citrus fruits is down to a terpene known as limonene.
Both of these terpenes are found in the cannabis plant along with several others, and it is the concentration of the various terpenes that produce the different tastes and aromas associated with different strains of weed.
Which terpenes are found in cannabis?
Terpenes are present in all cannabis plants, and it is the varying proportions of terpenes that give different strains their own distinctive flavors and aromas.
It is also thought that different proportions of terpenes combine with the THC as part of the entourage effect to change the feel of the high you get from different types of weed.
For example, the more energetic high associated with sativa strains and the more chilled buzz from indica varieties are likely to be related to the relative concentrations of terpenes present.
So which terpenes are found in cannabis? Here are some of the most important:
1. Myrcene
The terpene found in the highest concentration in cannabis is what’s known as myrcene.
It is also found in things like wild thyme, lemongrass and hops, and it’s the terpene that is responsible for the “hoppy” taste of IPA-style beers.
2. Limonene
Limonene, as you may be able to guess from the name, is the terpene responsible for the citrus flavor and aroma of fruits like lemons and limes.
3. Pinene
Another terpene whose aroma is easy to guess from the name – this is the compound that creates the unmistakable pine scent.
4. Ocimene
Ocimene takes its name from the Ocimum genus of plants that includes basil, but it is also present in other herbs such as mint and parsley.
It is found in low concentrations in cannabis, providing subtle notes of flavor to some strains.
5. Terpinene
Terpinene is one of the more minor terpenes found in cannabis, and it complements the other terpenes in a subtle way that is hard to pin down – it creates a deeper, richer taste without being particularly noticeable itself. It is also found in things like cumin and coriander/cilantro.
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Why are terpenes added to THC carts?
So now we know what terpenes are and what they do, but why do they need to be added to vape carts?
When you vape THC products, they usually contain THC distillate. As we mentioned, THC is the cannabinoid that’s primarily responsible for getting you high, and vaping pure THC distillate will certainly have this effect.
However, pure distillate doesn’t contain any terpenes, so it doesn’t taste much like smoking weed.
For this reason, most companies that produce THC carts add terpenes to recreate the taste and smell of smoking marijuana as closely as possible in their vape carts.
Furthermore, without the terpenes, there is no entourage effect, so the high you experience would be more one-dimensional, lacking the natural depth of the high you get from smoking flower – some might describe the high you get from smoking pure THC distillate as synthetic.
So in short, adding terpenes makes vaping a THC cart taste and smell more like smoking weed – and it also plays a role in giving you a deeper, more satisfying high.
However, when it comes to non-THC carts for regular vaping, terpenes are not added, so you don’t need to worry about this issue.
For example, if you use a top-end disposable such as the Tron 20,000 Puffs from Spiritbar, a device containing only premium ingredients that provides users with up to 20,000 puffs, you a guaranteed a vape that you can enjoy in the most convenient and hassle-free format possible.
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What are the claimed benefits of CDT carts?
It should now be obvious that terpenes are a necessary part of any THC vape, but what are the supposed benefits of CDT carts?
As the argument goes, you need terpenes to improve the flavor and smell of the vape as well as the quality of the high, so for the highest-quality best possible experience, you should use only terpenes that have been extracted from cannabis plants rather than other sources.
The terpenes found in cannabis were put there by nature, and there’s no way to produce anything better, so if you want your THC vape to be as authentic as possible, you need to use only terpenes that have been taken directly from cannabis plants.
After all, this seems intuitive, right? Well, it’s not quite as simple as that.
Why is the question about CDT carts vs non-CDT carts the wrong one to ask?
As we’ve seen, terpenes occur naturally and in great diversity and concentrations in cannabis, but they are also present in other plants – and the fact is, the chemical structure of terpenes is identical, regardless of which plant they come from.
This means, for example, there is absolutely no chemical difference between pinene sourced from cannabis and pinene sourced from pine.
The only difference is that pinene occurs more abundantly in pine than in cannabis, so sourcing pinene from pine is cheaper – and this is passed on to the consumer through lower prices for the cart.
So while it might make sense to use something like myrcene derived from cannabis – since cannabis plants contain lots of it – it makes more sense to source terpenes like ocimene and terpinene elsewhere since the amount found in cannabis is tiny.
So unless genuine CDTs have some magical properties unknown to science that BDTs don’t possess, there’s no discernible difference between BDTs and CDTs – other than the price.
A more pertinent issue to consider, however, is whether a cart contains synthetic terpenes, so why are these to be avoided?
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Why should you avoid synthetic terpenes?
If the cart you are vaping doesn’t contain CDTs or BDTs, it probably contains synthetic terpenes, and these are not recommended.
In fact, synthetic terpenes are not terpenes at all but rather are compounds added just to recreate the smell and taste of weed.
However, the flavors they produce are not natural and don’t taste like the real thing – they taste and smell stronger and less authentic and are usually overpoweringly sweet or thick.
Think of the difference between drinking orange concentrate and pure, freshly squeezed orange juice, and the difference is similar – there’s simply no comparison.
But there’s more. Since the chemical structure of synthetics is different from natural terpenes, they play no role in the entourage effect – so not only do the smell and taste feel manufactured, but so does the high itself.
Finally, some of the components of synthetic terpenes may actually be harmful to your health –so in short, you’re best off avoiding them altogether.
Bear in mind, though, that you’ll never see “synthetic terpenes” written on the ingredients list – instead, look out for things like “natural flavors” or “natural fragrance”, innocuous-sounding terms that are commonly used to hide nasty things you don’t really want to be inhaling.
Opt for CDT or BDT carts – but avoid synthetics
As we’ve seen, there should be no difference between CDT and BDT carts in terms of effects or flavor and smell, so either option is fine – most high-quality THC vapes contain a blend of both types anyway, substituting BDTs for CDTs when it makes economic sense.
However, you should be aware that cheap non-CDT, non-BDT carts will contain far inferior and possibly unhealthy synthetic terpenes that will taste fake and not produce a satisfying high, so these products are best avoided.
