That early disappointment is one of many reasons the cannabis gene pool is in sad shape. Most growers don’t believe in the cure any more. 6 months used to be standard. Like, only 10 years ago. Before Boveda and hay weed. Ancient America apparently… Today it’s terp freezers and culled plants before they’re even harvested it seems lol.
Grapefruit mercaptan is created when fatty acids break down over time. Meaning shelf life, ultimately. Expiration dates on spices are relative to flavor, not market trends. I don’t keep my spice rack in the fridge or wait in line for garlic drops. Weed is an herb, not a fruit peel. Limonene fades, tastes bad, and doesn’t get you higher. Paired with carboxlic acids and glycosylate, grapefruit mercaptan does everything limonene doesn’t. It’s time to get over terps. They don’t appeal.
Breeding for ‘aromatic’ instead of ‘aliphatic’ cannabis will be a death sentence for any operation under legalization. If your nose can’t tell the difference, you will fall behind instantly. Cannabis won’t be sold “fresh”, or kept refrigerated once it’s on a global market. It’s going to be stock piled long term. The refrigerated live resin stuff will not even remotely be a thing in 10 years.
I’ve grown plenty of plants without terps, but never grown a plant without a sweet or sour smell and taste of some sort. You’re going to have lots of short chain carboxlic acids in organic cannabis regardless of genetics. You might have to grind the bud up but it’s there in all its nostril glowing glory.