None of it dries equally, none of it should get crisp.
Reading himidity is how you tell the moisture content of the buds. You do have to sort of learn to feel the herb.
here i posted this yesterday maybe you will get some use
And neither are what you should do.
Stems shouldnt snap.
To cure properly you have to understand how the cure works.
A percent of moisture is required to keep stomatas open and maintain gas exchange. Think of it like a cutting, its still alive. 40% is about the lower limit. During this process respiration and hydrolysis break down the plant...
This is an aerobic process obviously, you dont want to just jar at the right rh.
Mold of any type wont typically grow under 60%. You want as much moisture as possible without it molding and good airflow, along with low temps- low 70's. Higher temps volatize terps and speed the bacterial break down of the plant, thats what makes brick weed yellow then turn brown and can give a foul odor, you want the plant to break it down.
The hay smell is of a similar process. But from a lack of oxygen, doesnt matter when you chop or what strain. It should never smell like that. Ever. My plants smell like dank all the way through. the "hay" smell is from nitrogen sugars cellulose, starch, etc breaking down anaerobically with the high moisture content. It begins to ferment. This releases ammonia and acids giving the foul odor.
Up rh (instead of jarring and burping) lower temps, and increase airflow is the general prescription. You dont want the outside to become dry and then attempt to rehydrate. In practice try to slowly bring the buds to a moisture you like. Some like high 50's. Everyone has a prefrence to the "texture" of their herb
