The quality of cannabis is not always about how it is grown but, most importantly, what happens to it and how it is handled after it has been harvested. Weed tastes and smells differently depending on how it has been dried and cured.
Some will taste and smell fantastic, while others will taste like dried grass. Curing buds for better taste and smell is therefore essential. Below is a guide to curing marijuana to preserve its flavor.
Curing Buds For Best Taste: What is it and Why Should You Do It
Curing can be described as the process of slowly removing moisture from the center of the buds. This gives the weed more time for chlorophyll to break down to provide an enhanced, tastier, and smoother smoke. The curing process is vital because it is usually full of unusable water when the plant is harvested.
Drying will only ensure the water on the outside evaporates while the buds still hold water. To pull out the rest of the water from buds, begin the curing process after the weed has appropriately dried. Curing buds for the best taste, smell, and increased potency is a slow process that should not be ignored.
Cannabis Curing Enhances Flavor
Cured cannabis will be tastier than the one which is not cured. This has a lot to do with the chlorophyll and the sugars in marijuana, which do not contribute to the excellent taste of the weed, unlike terpenes.
Well flushed weed can have a harsh taste because of these components. For this reason, chlorophyll and the sugars should be broken down to remove them from the weed.
Curing is a slow process that ensures these elements are slowly broken down to not interfere with the terpenes that flavor the weed. If it happens faster, the terpenes may as well disappear with them. Enhanced taste of the buds is all about terpenes preservation.
More terpenes mean increased potency, flavor, and smell. More terpene is needed for an enhanced marijuana flavor, and these elements can only be preserved through curing the buds.
Cured Weed Has Increased Potency
Curing buds is also crucial in increasing the power of the weed. This power relates to the smell and the taste that provide a clean and smooth smoke. Increasing the potency of the weed has a lot to do with enhancing the taste and smell.
With curing, this is possible because the weed is given enough drying time to remove the moisture from the center of the bud while ensuring the leveled amount of water around the whole bud for a smoother smoke.
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To ensure the potency of the buds in terms of taste and smell, it is essential to maximize the terpenes and the terpenoids. In other words, terpenes are precisely what is needed for an increased weed potency. Therefore, the best way to make marijuana’s smell and taste solid and robust is by preserving the terpenoid content of the buds.
The only way terpenoid content in the buds will be reduced during the breakdown of the chlorophyll and the sugars where the terpenes will disappear. Ensure a slow breakdown process to preserve the terpenes that increase the smell and taste of the cannabis.
How to Cure Marijuana Buds for the Best Taste
Curing is a slow process that takes at least two weeks after the buds are properly dried. Curing is mainly aimed at getting the water in the center of the bud evenly distributed through the whole bud to allow the bud to dry slowly and evenly.
Curing follows the following procedure. The process may take up to six months, depending on the method of storage and the condition of the bud. The longer it takes to cure the weed, the better it gets. Cannabis can be stored for months as long as kept in air-tight containers with the proper humidity and temperatures.
Store your Buds in Air-tight Containers
Curing is done by placing the dry cannabis into an air-tight container. Ensure the container is not complete but 2/3 full. If using transparent containers like jars, store them in a dark place.
Ideal Temperature for Cannabis Curing
18-200 c is the perfect temperature for weed curing. These temperature levels allow moisture to move around the buds freely. The temperature can be lower but not lower than 150 c because such lower temperatures promote mold growth in the storage jars.
The buds may also sweat unnecessary moisture in the jars if the temperature is higher than 200 c. The curing cannabis should be stored at the above ideal temperatures in light-proof containers or dark areas.
Cure your Weed with Optimal Humidity Levels
It is essential to monitor the humidity inside the jars when curing buds using a humidity sensor. The sensors are placed inside the pots, or you may also buy those jars with built-in sensors. The humidity levels should be maintained between 58-62% to ensure a prolonged cure and fresh smoke when curing.
To ensure optimal humidity levels of the buds, humidity packs can be used. However, they are not highly recommended, for they may taint the flavor of the weed. If you are not using humidity sensors, you carefully observe the buds to check if they feel dry or dump.
When to Burp the Marijuana Buds
To experience a huge curing difference, it is essential to know the right time to burp the curing jars. Burp the jars every day for 15 minutes for the first two weeks to let in new air and remove the old air out.
You can then slowly work down each day by one minute so that you will only open for a minute on the last day. Be keen to check for any irregularities of rot and mold. In case of any of these, remove the affected bud before the whole jar is contaminated.
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When using humidity sensors in curing buds for the best taste, it is necessary to burp the jars when humidity rises above 61% or falls below 57%. The first two weeks of curing are very vital in determining the quality of the cure.
During this time, burping should be done every day for at least 15 minutes. This period can even be longer if the buds are wet, in which case the containers should be left open until they start to dry.
Whenever burping is sure to observe the following ideal temperature and optimal humidity levels, you should also check out for signs of mold and rot during the same.
Burping the curing jars should never stop, even though the burping time between the processes will reduce. Burping can only stop when using vacuum-packed storage containers. Fresh air should continuously be kept in the curing jars.
Daily burping is recommended during the first two weeks of curing, after which it may be done two to three days a week.
Final Thoughts on Curing Weed for Optimal Flavor
The most important considerations during curing cannabis are humidity and temperature levels. They should be ideal and optimal and not below or above the requirement. Curing should be done on properly dried cannabis.
Even though the weed will have dried and moisture evaporated, the humidity in the center of the buds will still be present. Allowing the weed to dry so that the center is also dried may interfere with the terpene content in the bud.
Curing is vital in preserving these aroma components in cannabis. It is usually a slow process that reduces the breakdown process of the starch and chlorophyll while reducing the loss of terpenes. This increases the potency of cannabis in both smell and taste.
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Air-tight containers are used to ensure proper sealing to avoid air circulation in the jar. You will notice a vast difference in the product if you use cannabis and it is not cured. Most people skip this process, but it is recommended to cure weed for enhanced potency and flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cannabis Curing
The following are responses to the most common questions by cannabis users and growers.