Properly curing is important not only to ensure long term storage without spoilage, but also to preserve the flavors and aromas of your Herb. I've heard people describe this process as being an important step to ensure the degradation of chlorophyll. This form of thinking is over simplified, and in most cases Regurgitated second hand information.
I personally don't believe this to be 100% true !
Before I get into the meat of it, we should talk about what chlorophyll is.
Chlorophyll is a green pigment, present in all green plants. It is responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. It’s also responsible for the smell when you cut the grass, and the horrible aroma of dried hay. Both odors that we avoid as growers and smokers.
In order to avoid getting these odors in your herb, it is important to allow the flower enough time so that the chlorophyll degrades. This is why drying your herb slowly is so important. Fast dried weed almost always smells like hay. How do you dry slowly you ask? That's a conversation for another day but SLOW & LOW is the phrase to remember.
I personally believe the flowers should be at least 85% dry before you even think about curing. Why? Moisture promotes microbial activity and microbes have one job, to break down organic matter (DECOMPOSE). Decomposition of organic matter doesn't smell good in most cases.
I'm sure you're getting the picture now right?.... Moist Flowers in airtight containers will cause decomposition and the bad odors as a result.
If you allow the chlorophyll to decompose in the jars, you probably dried too quickly and the flower moisture levels are most likely too high.
So what is the reason for curing? Glad you asked!
Small containers allow you to create a micro environment. The micro environment is usually kept at about 60% humidity, which is not much different than your dry room. The difference is the most moisture is in a smaller space.
But where does the moisture come from? The moisture is drawn from that 10%-15% , deep within the flowers. This is why proper drying and moisture level before curing is so important. Too much moisture, too humid. Too dry, not enough humidity. Side note, I'll take an overly dry flower over an awful, stinky wet flower any day.
This micro environment allows the small amount of moisture in the flowers to be redistributed through itself and other flowers in the container and makes them all very close to even in moisture content.
You can cure anything that seals tight and holds an environment. Although allot of people prefer not to use plastics. They say plastic attaches its smell to the herb. I’ve personally never noticed.
I personally don't believe this to be 100% true !
Before I get into the meat of it, we should talk about what chlorophyll is.
Chlorophyll is a green pigment, present in all green plants. It is responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. It’s also responsible for the smell when you cut the grass, and the horrible aroma of dried hay. Both odors that we avoid as growers and smokers.
In order to avoid getting these odors in your herb, it is important to allow the flower enough time so that the chlorophyll degrades. This is why drying your herb slowly is so important. Fast dried weed almost always smells like hay. How do you dry slowly you ask? That's a conversation for another day but SLOW & LOW is the phrase to remember.
I personally believe the flowers should be at least 85% dry before you even think about curing. Why? Moisture promotes microbial activity and microbes have one job, to break down organic matter (DECOMPOSE). Decomposition of organic matter doesn't smell good in most cases.
I'm sure you're getting the picture now right?.... Moist Flowers in airtight containers will cause decomposition and the bad odors as a result.
If you allow the chlorophyll to decompose in the jars, you probably dried too quickly and the flower moisture levels are most likely too high.
So what is the reason for curing? Glad you asked!
Small containers allow you to create a micro environment. The micro environment is usually kept at about 60% humidity, which is not much different than your dry room. The difference is the most moisture is in a smaller space.
But where does the moisture come from? The moisture is drawn from that 10%-15% , deep within the flowers. This is why proper drying and moisture level before curing is so important. Too much moisture, too humid. Too dry, not enough humidity. Side note, I'll take an overly dry flower over an awful, stinky wet flower any day.
This micro environment allows the small amount of moisture in the flowers to be redistributed through itself and other flowers in the container and makes them all very close to even in moisture content.
You can cure anything that seals tight and holds an environment. Although allot of people prefer not to use plastics. They say plastic attaches its smell to the herb. I’ve personally never noticed.
I'm currently using The Cvalts to cure and store my herb. The main benefit here is its durability, ease of cleaning, huge lid that gives excellent access to your herb, and airtight seal. Down side could be the up front investment.
I’ve also used Buddy Bags turkey Bags. When using these, you have to be a lot more careful when handling it because there is no protection for your herb. Also must be kept in a dark place to avoid terpene degradation.
Ball Glass Mason Jars are old school for sure! They rock! only Downside is the jar mouths are small and they have to be kept in a dark place.
I also recently saw a product called Grove Bags TERPLOC. This company claims that the bags adjust themselves atmospherically so that the humidity level is always perfect. Haven't used them myself but they definitely got my attention.