The blind test for medical cannabis flowers
How the test at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin works, what you receive and how healthcare professionals find your batches in the directory.
The offer at a glance
Sample sent directly to Humboldt-Universität
You send a sample of your batch directly to the test team at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. A trained panel assesses it blind according to a fixed protocol.
Documented in photos and video
The test team documents it in photos and video under identical conditions. On request, the analytical laboratory determines cannabinoids and terpenes.
Batch profile in the directory
The result is a batch profile that appears in the availability and listing directory for healthcare professionals alongside other suppliers' batches, under the same rules for everyone. There, pharmacies and wholesalers see in one place what is available and what is coming soon, and send their enquiry directly to you.
Why an independent test
Today, pharmacies decide mainly on price when purchasing. Not because quality doesn't matter, but because it can hardly be compared. Every supplier shows its own photos in its own lighting, describes its flowers in its own terms and provides the information on its own professional website.
This is where the blind test comes in. Every batch goes through the same procedure: the same sample quantity, the same light, the same criteria, the same panel. This lets you prove the properties of your goods instead of merely describing them.
You pay for the test, not for visibility
You pay for the test, not for visibility and not for the result. Order, filters and presentation in the directory are the same for all suppliers, with or without a test. There is no ranking, no overall grade and no paid placement. The result is published regardless of the outcome.
Three tiers at a glance
The tiers differ only in the scope of testing. Everything that concerns your presence in the directory applies equally to every profile.
The listing shows your own information, marked as “manufacturer's statement, unverified”. A purity screening can be booked as an add-on to CT Basic and CT Pro.
The process step by step
- 1
Register and create a profile
You register on cannabis-transparent.de and create your profile. Your flowers are already in the strain directory. With the profile you add your product range, announcements and sales contact, even without a booked test.
- 2
Book the test and send in a sample
You choose CT Basic or CT Pro and send 15 g of the batch directly to the test team at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, either in the sealed original container or as a sample filled by you. Cannabis-Transparent does not accept samples and is not part of the supply chain. You confirm that the sample represents the batch. The results page later states in which form the sample was received and when it was tested. You can have batches tested before market launch or from current stock.
- 3
Receipt and blinding
On receipt, the test team documents packaging and seal and assigns a blind code. The panel knows neither brand nor strain. Only what lies in front of the assessors is evaluated.
- 4
Sensory assessment by the panel
Three trained assessors evaluate each sample independently of one another. They work according to a training guide that defines, for each criterion, the definition, procedure and identifying features: daylight lamp of around 5000 K, magnifier with 30x to 60x magnification, grid paper as a base, fresh gloves per sample and a fixed order from appearance to texture to smell. Nothing is smoked or vaporised in the panel.
- 5
Standardised documentation
From 10 g of each batch, documentation is created that looks the same for all suppliers. The same quantity, the same light, the same scale: only then can two batches be assessed side by side.
- 6
Laboratory analysis (CT Pro)
The analysis is carried out by the analytical laboratory of the Urban Plant Ecophysiology division of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Dahlem site. It specialises in the qualitative and quantitative determination of secondary plant compounds and works with chromatographic separation techniques and methods developed in-house.
- 7
Result, test label and publication
Every week there is one test day and one lab day. After approval by the test management you receive your result, and the batch appears in the directory with its test label and full profile. The result is published as it was determined. Withdrawal is not possible, and the test fee is payable even if the result is unfavourable.
Step 4
What the panel assesses
The three individual judgements produce one result per criterion: the majority applies, and if all three differ, the middle value. The criteria are reported individually, not combined into a grade. There is a pause of 30 to 60 seconds between two samples so that the sense of smell can reset.
Step 5
What the documentation includes
Overall view on grid paper with ruler and colour reference
The full 10 g laid out, with size distribution, popcorn share and stems
Macro shots of the trichomes on a digital light microscope at fixed magnification
Broken-open flower showing the inner structure
Ground sample using the standard procedure
360° video of a flower on a turntable
The images are on your batch's product page at CT. You can use the link in your materials for healthcare professionals.
Step 6
Laboratory analysis (CT Pro)
On a modular UHPLC system of the Shimadzu Nexera series it determines 13 cannabinoids: total THC and total CBD as well as Δ9-THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, CBN, CBG, CBGA, THCV, CBC, CBDV and Δ8-THC as individual values. Using gas chromatography on an Agilent DB-5ms column, the total terpene content and ten terpenes are measured: myrcene, caryophyllene, limonene, linalool, humulene, α-pinene, β-pinene, terpinolene, fenchol and ocimene.
These values yield the chemotype profile of your batch. The laboratory analysis does not replace your batch release and does not call it into question. It describes the batch using a uniform method so that healthcare professionals can compare it side by side with other batches, for example when a flower is unavailable. CT makes no recommendations; the choice and the therapy decision remain with the pharmacy and the doctor.
What the test label means
Every batch that has gone through the blind test receives the test label. It confirms that the batch was tested and documented according to the uniform procedure at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and states the test scope (CT Basic or CT Pro) and test date. It applies only to the tested batch.
The test label is not a quality grade. The individual characteristics are a description, not a rating. A loose flower is not worse than a compact one, it is different, and that is exactly what the pharmacy should be able to see.
Safety-relevant findings. If the panel finds a safety-relevant defect, for example suspected mould or foreign bodies, we inform you before publication. The finding is published with the result, and CT's product warning procedure applies, including the intended report to the competent authority.
Who sees what
Healthcare professionals log in via DocCheck.
Your profile in the directory
The availability and listing directory is a closed area for healthcare professionals. The strain directory lists all flowers from all manufacturers, with PZN, THC, CBD, terpene content, irradiation and origin. Pharmacies filter by manufacturer, availability, irradiation and test status. Instead of searching the professional websites of individual manufacturers, they find everything in one place, see what is available and what is coming soon, and send their enquiry directly to you. Other wholesalers also contact you this way.
All profiles are displayed according to the same rules. A test adds the test result and images but changes nothing about order or visibility.
You maintain availability and announcements yourself, or we do it for you as a service. If laboratory values are available for your batch, healthcare professionals can view the chemotype profile directly in the directory.
Your access also includes
Manufacturer view
Your portfolio, your test results and the summarised patient feedback in one place.
Professional newsletter for doctors and pharmacies
It lists new products, announced and newly tested batches according to fixed rules that are the same for all suppliers. If you announce your batches one to two months before market launch, you receive enquiries early, directly.
Information, not sales
Nothing is sold on Cannabis-Transparent, neither to patients nor to pharmacies. The portal shows the test results and your sales team's information in one place so that the pharmacy has everything at a glance. Ordering and delivery take place directly between you and the pharmacy as usual. CT receives no commission on orders.
Patient feedback on your batch
Patients describe flowers on CT using the same characteristics as the panel: trichomes, structure, moisture, grindability, smell and aroma. Panel and practice can therefore be compared side by side. You also see whether, from the patients' point of view, the batch matches the manufacturer's information and how it compares to earlier batches of the same strain.
Feedback is processed pseudonymously and shown in summarised form only from five reviews per characteristic (k ≥ 5). Conclusions about individual persons are not possible; data protection under the GDPR.
Frequently asked questions
Who is my contractual partner?
Cannabis-Transparent UG (haftungsbeschränkt). The testing takes place at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
Where do I send the sample?
Directly to the test team at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. You receive the shipping address with the booking confirmation.
What does the test cost?
The price depends on the test tier and the number of your batches. You will receive an individual quote from us.
Can I take part without a test?
Yes. The listing is free of charge. Tested batches additionally show the test result and images; this changes nothing about order and visibility in the directory.
Can I withdraw a result?
No. The result is published as it was determined, even if it is unfavourable. Only then does it remain meaningful for healthcare professionals.
May I use the photos and videos myself?
The images are on the product page at CT. You link to this page in your materials for healthcare professionals.
What is the difference between CT Basic and CT Pro?
CT Basic includes the blind test, documentation and test label. CT Pro adds laboratory analysis of cannabinoids and terpenes and thus the chemotype profile of your batch.
How to get started
Register on cannabis-transparent.de, create your profile and book the test for your first batch.
Get started as a manufacturer