Is curing necessary?

Old Toker · Feb 8, 2021

If you want to decarb and make edibles (coco butter)as soon as possible after harvest....is it necessary to cure? Dry to a certain percent? I would imagine that getting rid of chlorophyll would be needed for taste...but are there any benefits to the final product of curing, or are all those benefits lost during decarb and coco butter production?

Switcher56 · Feb 9, 2021

IMHO, curing is always better :tiphat:

Dropped Cat · Feb 9, 2021

At least a few weeks in the jar, otherwise what's the point.

Brother Nature · Feb 9, 2021

You're going to find people who will support both sides of the argument here, the best thing is to figure out what works best for your situation. My view is as above, a few weeks in the jar is good, but I've never really got the 'longer cure is better' guys.

Old Toker · Feb 9, 2021

Thanks everyone for the opinions. During my limited growing experience (2 grows) I've always done the jar cure. But... then I was planning on smoking, and eventually also vaped my crop. Since (Covid-19) I went to straight edibles (coco butter cookies).

Anyone know what the commercial edible makers do? Cure first or straight into the mix?

Old Toker · Feb 9, 2021

Dropped Cat said:
At least a few weeks in the jar, otherwise what's the point.

Trying to preserve my old joint smoking lungs.

There is no way I would be able to resist at least vaping some well grown and cured weed.

tobedetermined · Feb 9, 2021

Switcher56 said:
IMHO, curing is always better

I agree. I tried a quick freeze on some fresh bud one grow & did some rosin pressing. Everyone that tried it agreed that it tasted 'green'. I cure for 3 months. It might be just in my mind, but in smoke trials, I still taste & smell 'green' until about 2 months. I give it another month just because I can.

Guest · Feb 9, 2021

Necessary? It isn't death or taxes, so, no.

Desirable? Preferred? Sometimes to the benefit of both taste AND high? Absolutely.

You can smoke/vape ganja as green and freshly harvested, and/or quick-dried as you choose, but it's a little like feeding your good food to others, and giving yourself a chunk of coal with some mustard on it..

Switcher56 · Feb 10, 2021

^^ what he said ^^

I always pull 2-3g from my harvest after drying only, well maybe a week old, to see how I made out (potency). Vaped or smoked it is harsh. Since most of my consumption is through pills, a moot point. But, I also vape and yes there is a definite difference. The thing folks need to do is plan ahead, so you don't have to smoke shit.

Old Toker · Feb 10, 2021

Without a doubt.....if I was going to smoke or vape my harvest....I would definitely cure. But decarbing and heating with coco butter? I'm thinking dry down to about 62% to get the green (chlorophyll ?) taste out....and then decarb.

Anyone know what the commercial edible makers do? Seems as though they would have researched this already.

Switcher56 · Feb 10, 2021

Old Toker said:
Without a doubt.....if I was going to smoke or vape my harvest....I would definitely cure. But decarbing and heating with coco butter? I'm thinking dry down to about 62% to get the green (chlorophyll ?) taste out....and then decarb.

Anyone know what the commercial edible makers do? Seems as though they would have researched this already.

Dunno! I don't know what they are doing with their edibles... but I do know that available legal weed is nothing to write home about, as most of it has been tumbled.

It seems that commercial growers, extract everything they possibly can from a given plant, whereas, home growers target what they want from that plant...

Focus on the pros and cons of decarbing vice the narrow window of should I decarb for making edibles?

I'm what I would call, an amateur wine connoisseur, I can taste the immaturity of a wine by how thin the wine tastes (metaphor), it lacks body and maturity, especially the kind that only see a SS casket.

If it wasn't beneficial, folks would skip that step! :tiphat:

DiverDave · Feb 10, 2021

moose eater said:
Necessary? It isn't death or taxes, so, no.

Desirable? Preferred? Sometimes to the benefit of both taste AND high? Absolutely.

You can smoke/vape ganja as green and freshly harvested, and/or quick-dried as you choose, but it's a little like feeding your good food to others, and giving yourself a chunk of coal with some mustard on it..

I agree, is it necessary, no but it does help.
I took some early 2 times now for 'test' for taste, burn, & ash.
Before final chop & hang.
My tests show 4 days and ready to jar.
I got new RH bags in 58%
I get better results to pull smell taste out.
I will try using dry sift screens and plan to collect each level and press for the best on my 6 ton press.
I learned something I did not do, make a parchment sleeve
to press thru, better results

'Yes' cure & keep some for each holiday by vacuum packing in jars.
I use a 3 gallon chamber, and a 3cfm single stage vacuum pump.

Sure it cost a bit, but 3 grows a year is 3 flavors to enjoy on every occasion

DD

sire · Feb 15, 2021

tobedetermined said:
I agree. I tried a quick freeze on some fresh bud one grow & did some rosin pressing. Everyone that tried it agreed that it tasted 'green'. I cure for 3 months. It might be just in my mind, but in smoke trials, I still taste & smell 'green' until about 2 months. I give it another month just because I can.

Are you saying once u leave it in the jar uninterrupted or while burping until leaving flowers in jar interrupted before u notice the "green" smell and taste is gone?

Hammerhead · Feb 15, 2021

This is an old debate. Weather you think doing it makes weed better the fact is the longer cannabis is cured/stored/around the more it will degrade. There is no escaping this.

sire · Feb 15, 2021

Hammerhead said:
This is an old debate. Weather you think doing it makes weed better the fact is the longer cannabis is cured/stored/around the more it will degrade. There is no escaping this.

This is true but the mere fact that it degrades means comes from one point of non degradation to degrading so I would think somewhere in between there you would have too early which is immature 2 a nice sweet spot which would be at its peak and all the way to degrading which would constitute at some point it was at is best

Hammerhead · Feb 15, 2021

sire said:
This is true but the mere fact that it degrades means comes from one point of non degradation to degrading so I would think somewhere in between there you would have too early which is immature 2 a nice sweet spot which would be at its peak and all the way to degrading which would constitute at some point it was at is best

It's a personal preference more than anything..Curing smooths out any harshness from the degradation process. Poorer quality weed benefits from curing the most IMO. Potency will not increase and terpenes burn off the longer it's cured. Can you perceive the high better after cure sure from THC degrading into CBN and other compounds. Keeping your weed away from light and heat will prolong its shelf life.

sire · Feb 15, 2021

Hammerhead said:
It's a personal preference more than anything..Curing smooths out any harshness from the degradation process. Poorer quality weed benefits from curing the most IMO. Potency will not increase and terpenes burn off the longer it's cured. Can you perceive the high better after cure sure from THC degrading into CBN and other compounds. Keeping your weed away from light and heat will prolong its shelf life.

I don't know if I would say it makes the flowers stronger or more potent what I would say is the curing process allows The Taste the smell the affects of the terpentines and cannabinoids to be more palatable along with the concert effects of these compounds appearing to be more efficient thus more potent

tobedetermined · Feb 15, 2021

sire said:
Are you saying once u leave it in the jar uninterrupted or while burping until leaving flowers in jar interrupted before u notice the "green" smell and taste is gone?

I burb well daily for a week. Then I taper off for a week.

I grow far more than I can smoke so I can be fussy. And my first love is hash so I bubble a lot & it requires aged leaf/bud for the best taste imho.

sire · Feb 15, 2021

tobedetermined said:
I burb well daily for a week. Then I taper off for a week.

I grow far more than I can smoke so I can be fussy. And my first love is hash so I bubble a lot & it requires aged leaf/bud for the best taste imho.

That's what I was asking do you burp first daily like you said and then taper off until you don't burp anymore and that is when you're saying it takes 2 months from that point for all the chlorophyll and starch an residual nutrients to be removed? Or are you saying from the point of hanging cut down and put into jars from that point on 2 months?

Switcher56 · Feb 15, 2021

... my jars are steady now (59-60%, havent burped in over a week). Harvest was 20 jan, jarred 27 jan. I tried some around 30 jan, it was smoother than what it is now. Burns clean but it is a little harsh. 2 months from jarring to answer your Q (27 mar, in my case). Doesn't mean you can see how she's making out

BTW, this is the 1st time I have cheated, normally I have the strain on hand, so no need to cheat.

Is curing necessary?

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