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The origins of the grape terpenes in cannabis

art.spliff

Active member
ICMag Donor
Around 1996 purple was something to look for. Bomb crystally or trichome covered in hairs with purple specks. Purple or maybe purple kush if you want to sound like a historian. Mostly green and sticky with an occasional half purple bud and leaves. Around 2000 or so grapes was a common term to ask for purple trees. Some grapes maybe purple but all purples aren't grapes. When something is popular like that, most end up being copies of what it is who actually knows, maybe 2-3% or 5-10% of batches, purchases, are noteworthy. The fragrance or strength of the flower, what you may be describing as a grape terpene does not necessarily always go with the color purple strictly speaking. Lots of grapes that aren't purple. And lots of purple leaved plants with low resin, dark almost brown instead of bright lime green. Also hard flowers as in tough nugs dense difficult to crumble may be kind of a specialty preference. Grand daddy purple the cultivar name was in a song reference, as in hype variety named by a hip hop artist. Designer like. Has little to do with good cannabis in an enthusiast sense, decades later. The highest quality or most memorable grapes I saw were infrequent, maybe good weed but few and far between if that, unknown unreliable source.
 

JetLife175

Well-known member
Veteran
First grape tasting plant I ever came across was a Mendo purps pheno. Zero potency, but all flavor.
 

Bud Jones

Well-known member
First Grape terp strains I had were the Bog Bogglegum NL5 leaner . And before that in the early 90’s Grunk . a Florida staple . Grape Super Sk Pheno.. Both great potency .
 

therevverend

Well-known member
Veteran
I agree with art. The mid 90s were when fruity purple strains really shone, the best stuff I've ever smoked. I started writing about it and I decided, hell, I may as well start a thread about it. Unfortunately I fucked up and lost everything I wrote. When I have more time I'll re-write it, make that thread. Go into the origins of the sweet fruity purple strains, grape types being part of the family..

As far as the real strong Grape flavors, Grape Ape is my current favorite. I've always preferred it over Granddaddy. I've read Grape Ape is offspring of GDP, I've also read it's not, no idea what the truth is. There's also the 'Grape God' types, strong grape flavor and the purple is a bit more recessive, the plant usually comes out green. Really nice effects from those lines. In clone or seed form these strains haven't changed at all since the early 2000s when I became aware of them. Here's a picture of a Grape Ape hybrid that I found had the perfect sweet grape flavor. Welch's Concord or whatever you call it.

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Some of these Grape Apes have a 'vintage wine' type smell, others have more of a cutting grape candy flavor. I've seen Grapey plants like the one above since at least the late 90s.
 

JetLife175

Well-known member
Veteran
First Grape terp strains I had were the Bog Bogglegum NL5 leaner . And before that in the early 90’s Grunk . a Florida staple . Grape Super Sk Pheno.. Both great potency .

I’ve been chasing that grunk for years to no avail. Always wanted a shot at that one.
 
Purple Urkle is the parent of Grandaddy Purps that has the Grape flavor and Purple Buds.

I loved Purple Urkle and haven’t really seen it around since GDP produces more, faster. I also preferred the high of the P.U.
 

therevverend

Well-known member
Veteran
Purple Urkle is the parent of Grandaddy Purps that has the Grape flavor and Purple Buds

I've always gotten more funky fruity type smells from Urkle which is why I didn't mention it. Neither it nor GDP are as consistent as Grape Ape which has the strongest most consistent grape flavor of anything I've seen. I don't think we'll get the truth of how all three are related, they are similar and could be sisters, mother/daughter, or more distantly related. Definitely part of the Mendocino Purple family. CSI Humboldt has good examples of Purple Urkle and other purple Northern Cali stuff.

Ten years ago I was given seeds of a strain called Purple Louie. No idea if that's the true spelling. The seeds came from a European grower in Mendocino, he also had Grape Ape in seed form. His story was that he got the strains from a homesteader in southern Humboldt. It's extremely fruity and sometimes has similar grape notes. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish from Grape Ape but has it's own distinct smell and shape. Here's a couple pics.

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Notice the large size and candleabra shaped colas. Much bigger yield then the other strains mentioned so far. Grape Ape and GDP will get big but not like the Louie.
 

Rocky Mtn Squid

EL CID SQUID
Veteran
I use to see/smoke real purple weed back in the late 70's-early 80's when I lived in Hawaii. It had an amazing "loud" bag appeal, and always commanded a higher price - no pun intended.

A few growers I knew back then were using Afghani Indica genetics. I still recall going out at night during the winter. All my local buddies would be wearing pants, long sleeves and a coat. I would be wearing my usual t-shirt, shorts and sandals

I suspect it has its origins from some kind of Afghani indica, but I cannot prove that. Cold nights in the Hindu Kush Mountains will make any buds change color to purple.


RMS

:smoweed:
 

flylowgethigh

Non-growing Lurker
ICMag Donor
Had some "Killer Grape" a year or two ago. Real nice flavor and great effect. Per leafly its Querkle x Killer Queen. I just went looking at leafly and it was a Subcool strain. I liked it, and hope my guy has cuts.

Royal Wedding is Wedding Cake x Purple Punch. Got all 3 in jars.

These were probably beautiful flowers.
 
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Akss

Well-known member
First Grape terp strains I had were the Bog Bogglegum NL5 leaner . And before that in the early 90’s Grunk . a Florida staple . Grape Super Sk Pheno.. Both great potency .

I found the grape pheno of super skunk in a pack about 20 years ago. It was like the description at the time which is now different from what i seen. It used to say brush against this plant and the room becomes filled with a powerful skunk aroma. Left undisturbed though youd walk in the room and it smelt like concord grape.. i ran that clone for many years. Used to take it at 49 days. And it was very well liked around here. crossed some pollen from the ss to ak47 cut i had and the grape came through in some one im still running. Also made a few s1 and just started some recently two were trifoliate two regular. Well see what happens with them...
 

Bud Jones

Well-known member
I found the grape pheno of super skunk in a pack about 20 years ago. It was like the description at the time which is now different from what i seen. It used to say brush against this plant and the room becomes filled with a powerful skunk aroma. Left undisturbed though youd walk in the room and it smelt like concord grape.. i ran that clone for many years. Used to take it at 49 days. And it was very well liked around here. crossed some pollen from the ss to ak47 cut i had and the grape came through in some one im still running. Also made a few s1 and just started some recently two were trifoliate two regular. Well see what happens with them...
Damn that cross sounds killer !! I’ll have some of that 89 SS pollen soon .. Hmmm 🧐🌱
 

CannaRed

Cannabinerd
I recently heard a GWMFG podcast where it was stated that the "artificial grape" smell came from a specific compound. They named the compound, and I believe they said it was an ester and not a terpene.
Should be an episode in the late 20's to early 30's. I'll try to remember to find a link later.
 

browntrout

Well-known member
Veteran
I've seen the grape bubblegum taste in a local M/F hashplant seedline, not much smell on those phenos but the taste is sublime.

Would love to try a welch's for sure.
 

hyposomniac

Active member
I recently heard a GWMFG podcast where it was stated that the "artificial grape" smell came from a specific compound. They named the compound, and I believe they said it was an ester and not a terpene.
Should be an episode in the late 20's to early 30's. I'll try to remember to find a link later.

81BQpWMDaKL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


I believe that's an Ester-containing product.. Ive never used this stuff, but I always suspected ive smoked it - remember about 5 years ago, much of the commercial weed coming through my shitty town had a distinct purple grape juice smell, and to a lesser extent flavor. And that was the ONLY thing it smelled like, not natural and no complexity.. like hay weed that was juiced up.
There were also some unnaturally berry smelling packs too, like a cheap berry candle, turn your stomach.
That said, i love grape juice and proper grape weed.
 

CannaRed

Cannabinerd
View Image

I believe that's an Ester-containing product.. Ive never used this stuff, but I always suspected ive smoked it - remember about 5 years ago, much of the commercial weed coming through my shitty town had a distinct purple grape juice smell, and to a lesser extent flavor. And that was the ONLY thing it smelled like, not natural and no complexity.. like hay weed that was juiced up.
There were also some unnaturally berry smelling packs too, like a cheap berry candle, turn your stomach.
That said, i love grape juice and proper grape weed.

The speaker was saying that this compound was found naturally in the plant. I'm guessing these products overload the plant with this compound.
 

G.O. Joe

Well-known member
Veteran
They named the compound, and I believe they said it was an ester and not a terpene.

Methyl anthranilate - I doubt that whatever reason plants are purple or not has anything to do with whether it's part of the fragrance profile.
 
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