Cannabis 101 : Harvest, Drying and Curing
After the hard work of growing your cannabis plants, now you have to harvest, trim, dry and cure it. The drying and curing process is just as important as the growing stages. Drying cannabis and knowing how to keep the environment in an equal balance is key to a great smoking bud.
This article will explain and give detail on how to dry and cure your bud perfectly!
Quality of buds
Properly cured flower will be less harsh than a quick cured flower. When the flower is harvested and dries out to quickly after harvest; the flower holds in the sugars that were not allowed to properly break down causing a harsher smoke. Time cost money, contributing to the variety of cultivators and differing levels of quality.
Moisture Control
By the end of the drying and curing process when the flower goes in for testing , the state of Nevada only allows 15% moisture. Higher moisture content within buds can lead to yeast and mold issues. Properly cured bud will not only taste better but will affect of your high will be better as well.
Basically, in 3-5 days you want to test the stems to see if the flower dry enough to get into cure jars or bags. If the stem breaks after 3 days and doe not bend especially on the thicker stem portions, you may have dried it to fast. If you dry it too fast you will hinder the quality of the product. After 5 days you should have a good snap to the stem branches. If at day 5 the stems are only bending not breaking, you are not drying it fast enough. This may be an environmental issue, check your humidity and temp.
Curing
Now that your cannabis is dried out enough, let’s get this curing process started. To cure your cannabis pick one of the four curing methods: Air Dry Cure method, Water Cure method, Freeze Dry method, Sweat Cure method and Heat Dehydration Cure method.
Context below taken from Ed Rosenthal website. Best air curing education out there.
“In an ideal situation, most of the moisture should evaporate from the bud during the first three days, and then the drying process should be slowed.
To achieve this rate of evaporation in the first three days, a temperature of 68° F (20° C) and a relative humidity of 55% will ensure that the buds get to roughly 30-40% water content. From this moment on, the temperature should be dropped a few degrees down to 64° F (18° C) to slow the drying process. This allows the chlorophyll to decompose and the starches to be used up. If the buds dry too quickly, more of the chlorophyll will remain, and the smoke will be bitter and have a green aftertaste.
The humidity of the air is also critical: If it drops below 50%, the buds will dry too fast. A timer and heater/air conditioner system with humidity control will regulate air. In total, the drying process takes around 10 to 14 days for a perfect taste.
I cure cannabis by packaging it in a wooden or card- board box and pressing it slightly so that some of the trichomes break. Their oils and terpenes spread over the surface of the buds.
After packaging, I leave the buds in an environment of 64° F (18° C), 50% relative humidity, and total darkness for a period of 1 to 2 months. Checking regularly ensures correct conditions.
Make sure the humidity stays at 45-50% to prevent fungus and mold formation. If the buds smell moldy or like ammonia, the containers should be opened immediately, allowing the bud to dry in a warmer environment for a few hours before continuing the curing process. It is the result of curing undried plants.
Curing is an art and should be tried with small batches first.
It increases the intensity of the flavor and will slowly but steadily lower THC in favor of CBN, which is much less potent than THC.
The high of cured weed is always deeper and more introspective, often becoming a meditation and inner-vision tool.
The flavor becomes much more complex and refined, gaining in depth as well as in variation of bouquet.
Cured buds that were started a little moist look slightly brownish and have a typical deep smell, one that real smokers love from the bottom of their souls.
Buds cured when they were dryer retain more THC, chlorophyll, and a fresher bouquet.
Like very good aged wine, there is something unique about a well-cured crop that any aspiring connoisseur should experience at least once.”