Chemicals and the Taste of Cannabis

[D.S. Toker. MD]

I have a friend that convinced me that organically grown cannabis can be much tastier than cannabis grown using chemical ferts and ive grown a few plants each of the last few years of organic. My main patch of weed is guerilla and has to have chems applied as i cant visit them but every few weeks and chemical ferts are easier in that grow scenario.

But i grow 4 plants organically in my back yard, with no chems of any kind. I even pick off the bugs by hand, or blast them off with the water hose. I grow 2 strains. Blueberry, and joey weeds sugarberry. Both plants are from mothers and are tasty.

The problem: Ive tested it for 3 years now. Using cured weed of 90 days or so, if i mix up the buds from the chem grown and the organic grown, i cant tell the difference in taste between them, and others that i give the bud too cant either. In unmarked taste tests, my wife guesses wrong nearly every time. Half of the time people come back and tell me the chem grown weed had the better taste!!

Are the postive effects of organically grown weed all in the head or what?

 

[mean mr.mustard]

It's my belief that most if not all complaints about taste being affected by chem nutes are resultant from overfeeding.

 

[guest456mpy]

I have to totally agree with m. m. m. on this.
The skill of the grower is much more important than the method.

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

All other things being equal, organics does not grow better tasting herb.

I have had organic snobs mistake my GenHy grown herb for organic too many times to think anything else.

These threads always put me in mind of Penn and Teller's show.
They did blind taste test at a farmer's market, and the people kept picking the wrong sample... then they took two halves of the same banana and labeled one half as organic, and everyone talked about how much the 'organic half' tasted better... demonstrating the powerful effect the psychology of belief plays on perception.

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

Thats pretty much been the results of my banana test grat3fulh.

I just wasnt sure if it was/is something Im doing or not doing. My wife tells me i couldnt taste shit if it had a mouthful of it, so ive let quite a few others test it out but its clear that their pick is random, because 1/2 the time, they choose the wrong bud as being "tasty".

 

[freeon]

Jeez guys, bananas are such a poor example for a test. Bananas are not grown with the same level of pesticides/chemicals of say an apple or a peach which are high in comparison. Organic apple vs conventional apple would have been much ,much better test.

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

you must not understand the test.
It was two halves of the SAME banana, just labeled differently... They fooled the crowd into claiming one half of the banana tasted better than the other half, based solely on thinking it was organic...


When they offered the organic tomato vs. the conventional tomato... the conventional tomato got picked as better tasting. Same with the Apples... the conventional apples are picked as better.


It's all placebo, with the bananas.

Watch for yourself... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zqe4ZV9LDs

At the farmers market, 70% of shoppers preferred the non-organic tomato,
80% preferred the non-organic apple, 9 out of 10 fooled by the Banana...

 

[Frozenguy]

you must not understand the test.
It was two halves of the SAME banana, just labeled differently... They fooled the crowd into claiming one half of the banana tasted better than the other half, based solely on thinking it was organic...


When they offered the organic apple vs. the conventional apple... the conventional apple got picked as better tasting.


It's all placebo.

Kind of like putting a baby in the middle of a circle of people, and telling them its a boy. They will comment on how strong and adventurous he is, so curious and exploratory.
They take the baby away, dress it differently and bring it back and say its a girl, observe. They say how delicate and cute she is, quiet, a little princess..


I think chem weed can taste good, but has the potential to taste like ass where as its harder to make organic herb taste like ass. I've grown chemical and organic in hydro and soil (no organic hydro) and I've noticed bad tasting chem and good tasting chem weed with different growing configs but hardly ever tasted bad organic weed.

I just dont like the chemicals, especially considering some of the crap they are putting on shelves these days. The problem is newb growers ( a lot of them) still use too much chem nutes.

 

[freeon]

I don't doubt that perceptions/prejudices can taint experiences. Hell, I don't doubt that perceptions/prejudices are being manufactured day in and day out through the media.

But when it comes to produce , conventionally grown produce is way behind.

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

I don't doubt that perceptions/prejudices can taint experiences. Hell, I don't doubt that perceptions/prejudices are being manufactured day in and day out through the media.

But when it comes to produce , conventionally grown produce is way behind.

Watch for yourself... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zqe4ZV9LDs

At the farmers market, 70% of shoppers preferred the non-organic tomato,
80% preferred the non-organic apple, 9 out of 10 fooled by the Banana...


placebo

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

Taste depends on flush. change your flush water everyday, and clean your roots out well, and let the plant die slowly while draining the chemicals and nutes, and it doesnt matter what you use.

you want better taste use molasses the whole time.

 

[Frozenguy]

Watch for yourself... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zqe4ZV9LDs

At the farmers market, 70% of shoppers preferred the non-organic tomato,
80% preferred the non-organic apple, 9 out of 10 fooled by the Banana...


placebo

I agree there are placebos, Penn and Teller are illusionists. And I wonder how many different tests they filmed before choosing this one. Their producers/investors (even if themselves) are out for one purpose and that is to disprove the organic is better "myth". While interesting to watch, and truthful events (probably), it should still be taken with a grain of salt as it was a small sample size. Plus, who knows how many people they edited out.

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

I dont feel like i influence my test subjects. I tell them simply that i have 2 plants and i intend to make a mother from the best tasting one. Which one?

 

[EnjoiKush]

I've grown organics and GH with Heads formula in coco pretty extensively.

The herb quality and taste is pretty similar in both mediums. I pick organic over GH tho because its much easier to deal with in my situation. I also like how organics can be almost entirely free if done smart(Composting bins ftw).

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

I agree there are placebos, Penn and Teller are illusionists. And I wonder how many different tests they filmed before choosing this one. Their producers/investors (even if themselves) are out for one purpose and that is to disprove the organic is better "myth". While interesting to watch, and truthful events (probably), it should still be taken with a grain of salt as it was a small sample size. Plus, who knows how many people they edited out.

regardless of the editing...

At the farmers market, 70% of shoppers preferred the non-organic tomato,
80% preferred the non-organic apple, 9 out of 10 fooled by the Banana...

 

[Silence]

It's my belief that most if not all complaints about taste being affected by chem nutes are resultant from overfeeding.

I agree, also some give them a few days flush.. and rush the product out....

kopite

 

[Corpsey]

have not noticed a change in taste from my chem buds and organic, but i do know that it makes growing easier and the plants are also happier.