Vindicated
Well-Known Member
Let me start by saying this is an open thread and anyone who has an opinion is welcome to share their thoughts. My goal is to learn from each other through civil discussion and debate.
As the title points out. This is about RIU forum member Simon D and his curing methods. In his post titled The Perfect Cure, Simon mentioned that curing occurs when relative humidity is between 60% to 65% RH. He goes on to argue that at lower and higher humidity levels curing does not take place.
I found it nearly impossible to fact check this claim, so I began researching tobacco curing. What I eventually found was many references to curing at 70% RH and even some instances where people cured at 80% RH. I'm also relying on personal experience with curing at different humidity ranges, which is what initially led me to question the claim that no curing occurs above 65% RH.
From what I understand about curing, the higher the humidity the faster the cure takes place, but higher humidity comes with a huge risk. High humidity (generally anything above 73% RH) can very easily lead to mold problems. As a precaution, most tobacco growers stay at or just under 70%RH for short term air curing. For longer term storage, humidity is dropped to even safer levels (around 60% RH) to account for fluctuations in ambient temperature, which can also influence the rate at which mold grows.
After the initial cure is set, many tobacco growers will adjust the humidity even further to produce a more pleasurable and smoother hitting smoke. Cigar smokers seem to prefer to stay at 65% to 70% RH indefinitely, while pipe smokers prefer a dryer smoke at 50% to 55% RH. Cigarettes, joints and chewing tobacco users seem to like an even lower RH at around 45% to 50%. Below that and the tobacco gets very brittle and harsh to smoke.
In my experience I've found the rules for air curing tobacco is the same for curing cannabis. It's important to also mention there are several ways to cure tobacco, some involving ovens or light bulbs that don't apply to cannabis users, but the basic principles behind curing remain the same.
Cannabis that's below 45% RH becomes brittle and seems to become very harsh when smoked while buds kept at 70% RH are simply to wet to smoke in anything but a vape and seems to have little to no smell. Even though you can vape it, grinding is more difficult, so it's not really practical, nor is it safe for long term storage. I believe -- and this is where I have a different opinion then Simon D -- that curing still takes place at this range.
I do agree with Simon D when he suggested a range of 55% to 60% RH as being ideal. This seems to be about perfect for bongs, which is pretty close to that of tobacco pipe smokers. However, I'd go even further and say you should adjust your RH to the way you smoke. It may prove to be more enjoyable to keep RH higher or lower. I disagree with the claim that curing cannot occur at higher humidity levels. Instead I feel that curing occurs faster, but the risk of mold increases, so one must be extra careful and take that into consideration
What are your thoughts?
As the title points out. This is about RIU forum member Simon D and his curing methods. In his post titled The Perfect Cure, Simon mentioned that curing occurs when relative humidity is between 60% to 65% RH. He goes on to argue that at lower and higher humidity levels curing does not take place.
I found it nearly impossible to fact check this claim, so I began researching tobacco curing. What I eventually found was many references to curing at 70% RH and even some instances where people cured at 80% RH. I'm also relying on personal experience with curing at different humidity ranges, which is what initially led me to question the claim that no curing occurs above 65% RH.
From what I understand about curing, the higher the humidity the faster the cure takes place, but higher humidity comes with a huge risk. High humidity (generally anything above 73% RH) can very easily lead to mold problems. As a precaution, most tobacco growers stay at or just under 70%RH for short term air curing. For longer term storage, humidity is dropped to even safer levels (around 60% RH) to account for fluctuations in ambient temperature, which can also influence the rate at which mold grows.
After the initial cure is set, many tobacco growers will adjust the humidity even further to produce a more pleasurable and smoother hitting smoke. Cigar smokers seem to prefer to stay at 65% to 70% RH indefinitely, while pipe smokers prefer a dryer smoke at 50% to 55% RH. Cigarettes, joints and chewing tobacco users seem to like an even lower RH at around 45% to 50%. Below that and the tobacco gets very brittle and harsh to smoke.
In my experience I've found the rules for air curing tobacco is the same for curing cannabis. It's important to also mention there are several ways to cure tobacco, some involving ovens or light bulbs that don't apply to cannabis users, but the basic principles behind curing remain the same.
Cannabis that's below 45% RH becomes brittle and seems to become very harsh when smoked while buds kept at 70% RH are simply to wet to smoke in anything but a vape and seems to have little to no smell. Even though you can vape it, grinding is more difficult, so it's not really practical, nor is it safe for long term storage. I believe -- and this is where I have a different opinion then Simon D -- that curing still takes place at this range.
I do agree with Simon D when he suggested a range of 55% to 60% RH as being ideal. This seems to be about perfect for bongs, which is pretty close to that of tobacco pipe smokers. However, I'd go even further and say you should adjust your RH to the way you smoke. It may prove to be more enjoyable to keep RH higher or lower. I disagree with the claim that curing cannot occur at higher humidity levels. Instead I feel that curing occurs faster, but the risk of mold increases, so one must be extra careful and take that into consideration
What are your thoughts?
