Drying and Curing Cannabis: The Art of Enhancing Effect and Flavor

The process of growing cannabis does not stop at harvest time. Properly drying and curing your fresh cannabis stash is paramount to prevent mould contamination from taking place. These procedures will also result in buds that taste better and offer a superior high.

WHY DO I NEED TO DRY AND CURE MY CANNABIS?

Curing is super important because it helps preserve your weed so it can be stored over time—while still retaining its unique flavour and maximising potency. When you harvest your buds, they contain excess sugars and starches that eventually come under attack from airborne bacteria and enzymes. By curing your buds, you actually encourage the degradation of these nutrients, making for a smoother, better-tasting final smoke.

Drying

Properly and evenly drying your bud will help preserve it's potency, vibrancy, and color. When dried improperly or unevenly, buds can develop mold, burn unevenly, and lose fragrance or flavor. Hang-drying is the simplest and most efficient way to make sure it dries evenly, and at an optimal pace. For the best drying results, follow theese steps:

1. Cut the plant, either at the base or into large branches.


2. Hang the plant upside down in a room with the temperature set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or 21 degrees Celsius, and a dehumidifier set at 50%. Check and maintain the temperature and humidity daily.


3. Once the stems are dry enough to snap slightly when bent, remove them from the lines and cut them into smaller sections.


4. Place those sections inside of a large tote and close it with a lid. It isn't necessary for the lid to be completely closed or sealed.


5. For the first couple of days, turn over and rotate the cannabis in the totes to ensure even drying.


6. Also “burp” the totes in the first couple of days by opening it and allowing fresh air to filter out the damp air inside.

It's important to avoid losing trichomes during the drying process use a marijuana dryer by not letting your branches hit any surfaces while hang-drying. Contact with a surface can damage trichomes and break them off of the plant. Depending on environmental conditions, the initial drying process usually takes three to seven days.

Curing

Curing is the final stage in the drying process, allowing for a controlled breakdown of residual chlorophyll in the colas so they are neither too moist nor too dry.

To cure your bud, place it in glass jars or a tote for about 4-8 weeks. During the first two weeks, open the containers daily and allow fresh oxygen to filter through the air in the container. Open the containers every 2-3 days in the last two weeks of curing. The curing process should be gradual to ensure a proper balance of air and moisture that will preserve fragrance and flavor.

How to Perfectly Dry & Cure Your Marijuana Every Time?

What you need:

• Wide mouthed mason jars – 1 quart size. These are sometimes labled as “32 oz” jars.


• Place to Dry or Drying rack (optional) – I usually hang my buds from clothes hangers in my closet but you can hang buds from almost anything! String and creativity go a long way. It’s only recommended to use a drying rack if there’s high humidity or a lot of buds to be dried in a small space, because a drying rack can dry buds too quickly in average humidity conditions.


• Hygrometer (optional) – I like the Caliber IV Hygrometer because it easily fits inside quart mason jars. This measures the humidity of the air inside your jar, so you can make sure it’s not too humid or too dry for optimal curing.


• Humidipaks (optional) – Boveda Medium 62% packs are cheap and specifically formulated for storing cannabis so it does not dry out or get crispy

Best RECOMMENDS for you

ECO Farm Electric Medicinal Plants Dryer

Save Time, Money, and Space

How long does it take to dry medicinal plants? Typically it can take a week or more until it’s fully dried. Not to mention, drying medicinal plants takes up a lot of valuable space. Space that could be used to expand your grow.
Why not save time, space, and ultimately money when you’re drying your medicinal plants? ECO Farm takes up a little over one square foot and can dry at least 6 ounces in that small space.

HerbsNOW Herb Dryer

The HerbsNOW dryer gives you the perfect environment to dry your medicinal plants every time. Using advanced technology, HerbsNOW provides you with a pre-set, ideal temperature that has been tested exclusively for drying medicinal plants.

Multi-directional airflow, along with open-weave trays ensures each bud is dried consistently. This also means you do not need to rotate or touch the buds during the drying process.

HerbsNOW provides all of this in a captured environment, meaning you get high-quality, consistent drying in a small, enclosed space. Take back all of the space you’ve needed for hang drying because HerbsNOW only needs one square foot to give you consistent drying every time.

Cannabis Curing Increases Potency

Why bother going through the entire growing and harvesting process unless you’re intent on getting the most potent weed possible?

During a process known as biosynthesis, cannabis plants produce tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and other cannabinoids. The process involves certain compounds getting converted into different blends. For instance, THCA becomes THC during this process.

Failure to properly cure weed means it ultimately contains a lower level of THC and other cannabinoids. When you cut down your cannabis, make sure it is kept in temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is also essential to maintain a humidity level between 45% and 55%. By doing this, you facilitate the biosynthesis process and ensure your crop is laden with THC.

Curing Affects Flavor and Quality of Smoke

In case you didn’t know, the pleasant and unique smell and flavor of cannabis you experience are due to its terpene content. However, these volatile and fragile compounds are in danger of evaporating and degrading even at very low temperatures. Companies that mass produce low-grade marijuana often use a rapid-fire hot cannabis drying process.

For better quality bud, use a slow curing process to preserve the terpene content.

When marijuana is poorly cured, it creates the ideal environment for enzymes and bacteria to break down unwanted materials. It also results in the breaking down of the unhealthy sugars formed when chlorophyll decomposes. These sugars and minerals are what cause the unpleasant throat-burn you sometimes get from smoking.

Curing Preserves Your Cannabis

If you intend to store your cannabis for a long time, high-quality curing of the weed is essential. When you cure the plant correctly, you can store it in an airtight container for approximately two years without a significant loss in potency. Otherwise, it will lose its cannabinoid content and become more susceptible to mold growth.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, you have to dry your marijuana buds if you wish to enjoy them later on. It is an easy, albeit slow process. All you need is patience and a storage room at the right humidity and temperature. It is up to you whether you wish to wait a few more weeks or months for curing. You can try your weed immediately after drying it, but we recommend curing it for better flavor and a more potent high.