CANNABIS CLASSES

Only just recently legalized in California, there is certainly an explosion of activity around Cannabis. It’s commonly refered to as our third most familiar intoxicant (move aside nicotine and alcohol), but there is much more to the plant than just getting high.

Hailing from Central Asia, some of the first recorded instances of cannabis cultivation and consumption come to us from shamanic graves in Northern China from as far back as the 6th century BC. Further southwest, Herodotus vividly describes a group of Scythians inhaling the smoke from cannabis flowers, and who can disregard the rich tradition of hashish smoking in the Middle East that started about 800AD? Closer to home, the early American colonists were known to grow low THC hemp for practical uses (clothing, rope, paper) and 19th century Europe saw doctors studying the effects of cannabis extracts on alleviating pains related to cholera. The studies must have produced good results, because by the late 19th century extracts could be found in most pharmacies in Europe and the US.

The depression-stoked fears of immigration in the US led to the creation of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 – which curtailed the “evil weed” popularly understood to be favored by people coming north over the border to escape the Mexican Revolution. President Nixon made a bad situation even worse by deciding to list marijuana as a schedule I drug, right up there with heroin. But, now, after about a century of demonization, we’re seeing a happy return to this most mellow and potentially healing of plants, with studies and cultivation strategies flourishing to match the current demand.

It is in the spirit of curiosity that the IAO teams up with Oren Cohen – founder of Terpene Experts –  for the first in a series of classes relating to the flavors and fragrances of cannabis, with a four week introduction to working and identifying terpenes for use in fragrance, flavors and… well… anywhere else you so desire.

Introduction to Terpenes is a four-week primer workshop that meets every thursday for two hours to explore the origins, profiles and uses of terpenes.

Terpenes are the aromatic oils secreted in the flower’s resin glands that give different strains of cannabis their particular aromas: Anywhere from the floral aromas of some strains to the fuel aromas of others, from blueberry sweetness to sour funk. Learn more about terpenes in this great article on Leafly.com.

Although terpenes are used in a wide range of industries, each of our four sessions will cover five common terpenes used specifically in cannabis products. As a class, we will smell the terpenes as a group, explore their olfactory profiles, make comparisons and – of course – ground our discussion in real-world applications and materiality.The goal of the course is simple: To introduce curious students to the mechanics of aroma development, with application in the rapidly expanding California cannabis industry.

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Dates: Thursday June 14, 21, 28, and July 5, 2018

Hailing from California, Oren Cohen is an olfaction artist and the CEO of Terpene Experts.

With a creative instinct for aroma, he has put his keen olfactory sense to use as a professional flavor and fragrance creator for a decade, with deep experience in cannabis, e-liquid, and the restaurant industry.

> Learn more about Oren here