What is a Cannasseur?

What is a Cannasseur?

In travel and tourism we introduce people to new terms all the time.  Tourists to San Francisco learn the meanings of terms like Miner 49er, Golden Gate, marine layer, and Barbary Coast.  Travelers to the giant redwoods learn of Shinrin Yoku, or forest bathing.  On wine tours guests learn about terms like fermentation, varietals, legs, and nose. On 420 tours people learn terms like cannabinoids, terpenes, feminized, sativa, indica, ruderalis, dabs and clones.  On both wine tours and weed tours, guests learn about terms like terroir and flavor profiles, but there’s one new term being bandied about that is oddly controversial for some reason – cannasseur.  Maybe it’s because some people find it pretentious.  Maybe some find it too tongue in cheek.  

Canna curious guests learn about cloning on a cannasseur tour to pot farms in California’s Emerald Triangle

You may have heard the word cannasseur, or heard about weed tours offering a cannasseur experience.  Maybe this is your first time encountering the word cannasseur, or maybe you consider yourself a cannasseur.

Guests enjoy the $5 dab bar at Kure Wellness Center in Ukiah

But what exactly does the term “cannasseur” mean?

Guests check out budding plants by green light at the largest indoor grow in Mendocino county

The Urban Dictionary explains that  Cannasseur is a play on the words connoisseur and cannabis.

Miriam Webster describes a connoisseur as 

1: An EXPERT

especially : one who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge as in a connoisseur of music

2: one who enjoys with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties as in a connoisseur of fine wines.

Either one of these definitions would fit.  Anyone who has visited pot farms in California’s Emerald Triangle knows that growing the best cannabis is most definitely an art, but you don’t need to be a grower or spend every day imbibing on Mendocino farms to be a cannasseur.  The second definition gets closer.  If you appreciate all the subtle differences in aroma, flavior, and high, you could reasonably call yourself a cannasseur.  

A cannasseur smelling the flowers at Emerald City Genetics huge indoor grow in Willits, California, in The Emerald Triangle

The Urban Dictionary sums it up pretty well.

A cannasseur, according to The Urban Dictionary,  is one who enjoys the consumption of cannabis, and studies the many varieties and their differing effects.

Enjoying dabs and laughs at Kure Wellness Center in The Emerald Triangle

Basically, it all comes down to loving cannabis, and appreciating the differences between different strains.  You don’t have to be a total weed nerd, or have weed farmers on speed dial, or have graduated from Oaksterdam University, or memorize the list of all dispensaries in San Francisco.

All you need is love.  

To be a cannasseur all you need is love