Why cure so long?

krok said:

You see, even UB only has opinions sometimes. And that's OK.
And guess what, curing gives a *HUGE* differenece. So big, in fact, that I am CERTAIN that UB never has smoked any. If he had, he would have agreed that curing is essential.

However, slowly dried weed is... curing.
So I guess UB dries his bud great, and the difference is therefore less.
But I still believe he IS missing out if he doesn't cure. That is my opinion

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This is actually true. If you do a really slow dry, like two weeks+, curing does take place. But there are still more subtle differences to be gained by further curing, but if the bud is dried to the point where it can't take place, then the product won't improve during storage, so you won't see a difference.

The buds that I examine with my scope at the time I begin storage still retain the trichome colors from harvest time with maybe a few more amber ones. Those same buds examined after a three month cure will have many more amber trich's than it started with. The flavor always changes with time, as does the high. I think that qualifies as a verifiable affect myself.

Good thread. I agree that hygrometers are the way to go. I, at least, need some sort of indicator of what's going on inside the jar. I've tried pinching, poking, proding, and peeling; but looking at a number works best. Buds are so different as far as their moisture holding properties that any sort of time line is useless.

One consideration not mentioned: while most seem to agree that longer is better, when running a med or commercial op, the product cannot be sitting in jars for months on end. We've been trying to identify when we start seeing diminishing returns. 3 weeks is currently how long we dry/cure. What experiences have others had when they need to get the product out.

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/407048-20-000-watt-medical-grow.html

I rely mainly on my nose...............it just knows when it's ready.
I would say are you commercial or medical.
Commercial,who gives a shit trim it dry it bag it and get it out the fucking door.
Medical...................well my personal opinion on med growers is that most are just commercial in disguise.
I myself do 3 months before anyone smokes it.

First off, curing is not the same as drying very slowly. Not in practice anyways. When you dry you leave the buds in a dark, dry, well ventilated environment. The curing were talking about happens in air tight containers. But i shouldn't have to explain the difference here..

See even uncle ben and other respected growers say that two weeks is acceptable. I guess curing for much longer is mostly for the connoisseur growers/smokers.

taint said:

I rely mainly on my nose...............it just knows when it's ready.
I would say are you commercial or medical.
Commercial,who gives a shit trim it dry it bag it and get it out the fucking door.
Medical...................well my personal opinion on med growers is that most are just commercial in disguise.
I myself do 3 months before anyone smokes it.

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Taint, we're a med grow. I would love nothing more than to cure for a couple months. Unfortunately, that would entail having like 30lbs in jars all the time. That scares the shit out of me. Also, we'd need an additional 3 months of capitol. If we had the $$$ and a walk in safe, I would recommend to our members that we extend the cure time. For now, 3 weeks is going to have to due.

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/407048-20-000-watt-medical-grow.html

Beansly said:

I guess curing for much longer is mostly for the connoisseur growers/smokers.

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I think it's another cannabis paradigm started by the likes of DJ Short and MJ nerds years ago........ immersed in cannabis mystique, romanticism, wishful thinking, etc. Just because I sear and fast cook a Prime cut of ribeye over apple wood doesn't make me a connoisseur of beef. If you feel that the smoke is smoother if "cured" over a long period of time, then do it. Would be interesting to refer back to Mel Franks, a cannabis author I highly respect.

The need to appear "elite" for those that say their pot which has "cured" for 3 months is somehow better than the next guy's pot is lame.

UB

there is always a method to the madness, only time will tell such things..

Agree that there is a huge difference on properly dried & cured bud.
Also feel it's wasted effort on many smokers that simply don't apperciate things like fine wine, aged meats and real cheese.

Have a buddy(?) that claims the more you choke and gag on a hit, the better it is. He don't get many taste of mine.

I normally cure for as long as I feel is needed. This is usually 2-4 weeks, and depends on the color, smell, texture, smoothness of smoke and dryness. After that, the bud is either smoked or stored...

Longtime grower/user, new to RIU. Ive dried and cured alot of bud, most of it i assisted with and didnt grow myself. there is definately a difference, although the "months on end" timeframe only creates subtle differences, much like wine. The differences are very subtle, connoiseeurs that have developed a cannabis-palate really can only tell the difference. it is similar to aged wine,a nd commerical wine. Both are very similar, however a true connoisseur will notice a deeper and richer palate of undertones in a longer aged/cured wine. also, my belief is in organics only for the sweetest and richest flavors, thus making curing well worth it.

My personal method is similar to UB....I dry for 1 week with plenty of ventialation, but I try to keep thet emp at 60F. This creates a very slow drying period. I then jar it up, burp 2--3 times a day, and spread everything out in a dry box/screen for a period of 12 hours about 2 days after I have jarred. Then, place em back in, burp 2-3 times over the next week, and VOILA, nice tasty bud, cured perfectly for me.

HOWEVER, i do take a few primo strains and cure them for well over a month. I do the same as above, but burp for alot longer period. This truly creates an enriching palate of cannabis undertones, with hints of different tastes that were not prevalent prior to curing.

Proprs to Mel Franks as well, great author....love the old school techniques. I always find it interesting reading a mel franks book and then comparing jorge cervantes' books and techniques. However, i mainly go from my own personal intuition/green thumb by just watching my plants.... and use everyone else's suggestions/knowledge as part of an encyclopedic reference.

Uncle Ben said:

I think it's another cannabis paradigm started by the likes of DJ Short and MJ nerds years ago........ immersed in cannabis mystique, romanticism, wishful thinking, etc. Just because I sear and fast cook a Prime cut of ribeye over apple wood doesn't make me a connoisseur of beef. If you feel that the smoke is smoother if "cured" over a long period of time, then do it. Would be interesting to refer back to Mel Franks, a cannabis author I highly respect.

The need to appear "elite" for those that say their pot which has "cured" for 3 months is somehow better than the next guy's pot is lame.

UB

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Yeah, I meant that with a snide tone. I cure for two weeks to a month at the most because im not smart enough or refined enough to grow weed correctly.
But im sure if these ppl were outta weed they'd smoke my two week cured bud quick.

I used to not like UB either because he was right most of the time, and he had a lot of people like me sticking up for him. But over time I realized that he knew his shit. I mean, how many of you are credited in jorge cervantes' grower's bible?

monkeybones said:

I feel I need to add: don't "cure" damp bud. Pot should be bone dry period. Moisture = the potential for life and life in your bud after harvest = bad.

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That's some pretty bad advice to be giving people.

Curing is the final stage of a long slow drying process where THC that is still in a non-psychoactive form transforms into a psychoactive form and carbohydrates and other elements break down into other forms that create a more potent more tasteful smoother smoking product. A small percentage of moisture is required for all of those things to occur and to occur to the greatest degree possible. Curing gradually breaks down sugars and chlorophyll stored in the plant, improving flavor and combustibility. If the drying process happens too quickly or completely before curing, these processes cannot take place and you’re left with harsh-tasting, poorly burning herb.

Of course a person does want to make sure they do not jar their crop too early and they will need to burp their jars to allow the small amount of remaining moisture to be released from the jars so their buds do not mold, but they do not want to dry until; "bone dry" before they cure unless they want to assure that their final results are not as good and as high quality as they otherwise could be.

If the topic were long term storage in jars then I would have said what you said was correct. But since the topic is instead the curing of a crop I have to point out that your advice was in fact incorrect.

When it comes to length of curing time few strains will gain much, if anything, more curing beyond 8 weeks. Many strains will do well curing for 2 to 3 weeks but 4 to 8 weeks is better and is in most cases long enough to bring out the best in a crop. Like some other things about growing it can be somewhat strain dependent and there are strains that will benefit from longer cures, but most will be all or nearly all they can be with 8-weeks max of curing and some will be more than just fine with just 2 to 3 weeks of proper curing.

++++ Listen to Brick.

In my experience it makes a huge difference, I've done the side by side MANY times, the longer you cure, the better it gets, doesn't mean its necessary

Purely a matter of opinion I reckon.
I see the mods been busy in here,funny way to pick and choose but hey it's yer show eh.

I typically hang to dry in a home made drybox for 8-10 days....jar it, check every hour....if buds dampen any, I put'em in paper bags for 12 hrs, then back in the jar to check again in a few hours....continue this until I FEEL the bud is at a state of dry I've come to know is good (for me) after 4-5 years of drying my stuff without ever having mold or mildew......I've really become a huge advocate for curing....a month of cure is really good for all variables but I do have bud right now that is 4-6 months in cure....makes for some smooth and tasty..........As I ONLY vape, I do dry my nuggs a bit more than I did when I was combusting......when using my magic flight vape, I actually grind and leave out overnight, grind again to almost powder-ize....My Extreme Q isn't quite as picky about "bone dry"......

Serapis said:

Just on a side note, I use hygrometers in all of my cure jars. Just like a fine tobacco shop, I want to know that my product is holding the proper amount of moisture for aging.

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I use caliber III 's...I mean we have meters for ph, ec. therm, and hygro for the grow....why guess at what may be when the curing is as, if not more, important??

Serapis that is exactly how I do it and it comes out soooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooooooood! Agreed?

Namaste'

krok said:

What is the point even mentioning the moisture content of BUDS? There is no way to measure it.

Instead, use hygrometers in jars, and measure the RH inside.
You'll find RH-numbers out there (google "perfect cure every time" site:icmag.com), they indicate that curing is done when RH = 55% (or at least done burping).

Those numbers will also help you see if you have jarred them too early, or too late.

Edit: BTW, if curing for like 6 months make sure the jar is sealed (no air). If not, be prepared for CBN-hell.

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Sorry but that statement is totally inaccurate and misinformation......

With liquid chromatography, oh the wonders of science..

Maybe you cannot or did not know how but many others, myself included do know and do do it....

Namaste'

Seems like alot of measureing going on and no yard stick.

Love the Caliber III fits in a quart mason jar perfectly: