Can you over cure?

Featherfoot · May 16, 2015

Just wondering if you can overcure?
Does the curing process stop by itself?

I have some buds that have been in the jar for for about 6 weeks and some of them are turning golden.
I am actually not trying to cure them at the moment, and they are quite dry for the curing process to happen, but they still seem to be curing.

In the past I have not had to cure much as it all went out the door soon after being grown and dried, but now due to curcumstances I am having to sit on the stuff for a while.

JamieShoes · May 16, 2015

I think it's personal but also strain dependant.. I have some that are best after 3months and others that gain nothing from a long cure and are peaking at 2 weeks after harvest...just my own thoughts..

JointOperation · May 16, 2015

have you ever cured for a year?

I have and theres a diff.. some strains do well. some don't... also dependso n the environment and how your curing..

bigAl25 · May 16, 2015

I think Joint is on to something. I have some of my 2014 crop still in mason jars after one year and I do notice some degradation in the buds. Not as good as they were 6 months ago. It might be wise to take out of jars at 6 months or so and freeze the remaining buds to keep them in top shape. I believe I will start that process with my 2015 crop. Thanks for the question and input. Good advice.

Featherfoot · May 16, 2015

I think Joint is on to something. I have some of my 2014 crop still in mason jars after one year and I do notice some degradation in the buds. Not as good as they were 6 months ago.

So what colour are they after a year of curing? Golden, Brown, Pale green?
Are they falling to pieces?

KONY · May 16, 2015

overdry..... sure, I dunno about overcure as long as the moisture is still there.

GanjaBredMan · May 16, 2015

Some dude left his bud curing for three years and it wasn't a problem.

al70 · May 16, 2015

This is a problem that I wish I had, my jar's are cryin out for a cure, goodluck ✌

Dropped Cat · May 17, 2015

Here's a Thai Haze x skunk 1 bud:

At he time this pic was taken, these buds were at 10 months.

It's very good.

Kaskadian · May 17, 2015

I've forgotten about buds in a jar for over a year before; the smoke was great. Normally my bud gets a month+ cure and doesn't survive long enough for me to attempt ultra long cures.

JamieShoes · May 17, 2015

I've got some 12 month old Amnesia Haze here... it was a brazillion times better at 2 weeks to a month...its smooth now, but I prefer it screamin loud and with that paint stripper/chem /fuel quality..

like I said... not all strains benefit from a long cure (imvho)

it used to be uber super bright lime green... now it's brown and cured looking...

Mustafunk · May 17, 2015

From my experience buds that have been curing for a long time (1 year or longer) tend to loose a bit of potency and "kick". Unless you vacuum-seal them or freeze them, with the time the cannabinoids keep changing and there is a THC loss. When the jars start to get empty there is more air inside with the buds and the storaging conditions become worse with the time.

There is a loss in the terpenes too but this happens even earlier... within the first 2 weeks of drying the buds, most of the highly volatile monoterpenes (limonene, mircene...) are lost, leaving the remaining majority of sesquiterpenes in the buds (cariophilene) and a different smell too, when compared to fresh weed.

I think the key for the best connoisseur curing should be to focus in avoiding the loss of this monoterpenes during the drying and first weeks of curing. More experimentation is needed to find reliable methods to retain the highest amount of terpenes in the buds after the plant is harvested.

So in my opinion while a cure is needed to get the cannabinoids decarboxilated (THC and potency will rise in consequence) and the buds get mroe appealing with that golden color and smoother when smoked (because of the chlorophyll degradation that happens too), when too much time passes and the storage is not ideal, there is a substantial loss of potency and quality of high. I used to save a few buds to smoke them after 1-2 years of curing as connoisseur stash but I just found out they get too weak and loose the flavour when left that long. So now I prefer to smoke the stash during the year after the season when they have been grown/harvested.

Of course the buds will continue to get you stoned but because of the loss of THC and excessive conversion of THC>CBN, the weed becomes much more relaxing than it used to be. This together with the loss of fresh terpenes make me prefer the 6month cured weed or so, when the higher potency and terpenes make the effect a bit sharper and stronger.

Vibes.

GanjaBredMan · May 17, 2015

Mustafunk said:
From my experience buds that have been curing for a long time (1 year or longer) tend to loose a bit of potency and "kick". Unless you vacuum-seal them or freeze them, with the time the cannabinoids keep changing and there is a THC loss. When the jars start to get empty there is more air inside with the buds and the storaging conditions become worse with the time.

There is a loss in the terpenes too but this happens even earlier... within the first 2 weeks of drying the buds, most of the highly volatile monoterpenes (limonene, mircene...) are lost, leaving the remaining majority of sesquiterpenes in the buds (cariophilene) and a different smell too, when compared to fresh weed.

I think the key for the best connoisseur curing should be to focus in avoiding the loss of this monoterpenes during the drying and first weeks of curing. More experimentation is needed to find reliable methods to retain the highest amount of terpenes in the buds after the plant is harvested.

So in my opinion while a cure is needed to get the cannabinoids decarboxilated (THC and potency will rise in consequence) and the buds get mroe appealing with that golden color and smoother when smoked (because of the chlorophyll degradation that happens too), when too much time passes and the storage is not ideal, there is a substantial loss of potency and quality of high. I used to save a few buds to smoke them after 1-2 years of curing as connoisseur stash but I just found out they get too weak and loose the flavour when left that long. So now I prefer to smoke the stash during the year after the season when they have been grown/harvested.

Of course the buds will continue to get you stoned but because of the loss of THC and excessive conversion of THC>CBN, the weed becomes much more relaxing than it used to be. This together with the loss of fresh terpenes make me prefer the 6month cured weed or so, when the higher potency and terpenes make the effect a bit sharper and stronger.

Vibes.

Great post.

Featherfoot · May 17, 2015

Of course the buds will continue to get you stoned but because of the loss of THC and excessive conversion of THC>CBN, the weed becomes much more relaxing than it used to be.

I think the THC converts to CBD not CBN, is that right?

But anyway if the weed becomes more relaxing after a long cure then that's what I want.
That's why I smoke it.

Jhhnn · May 18, 2015

I use simon's method, boveda packs, & wire bale jars in a cool dark crawlspace. I've been doing it that way from my first modern harvest in early 2013.

It seems to me that the curing process tapers off drastically after a few months, that it actually stabilizes the desirable qualities. Long held bud seems to smoke a little smoother & the aroma isn't quite as loud, but that's all. Yeh, sure, it changes in the process, which is what I want in the first place. The initial month or few brings out the best that the bud has to offer & more time is just gravy, like with whiskey.

Writing this prompted me to drag out a bit of Yumbolt harvested over a year ago, something I try to do once in awhile with the different stuff in the wayback stash. Yumbolt has very distinctive aroma, taste & effect, none of which seems to have changed since it was first cured. Still moist & springy, too. Still hits like a hammer.

Dunno that it's the best way, but it's a damned good way & I intend to keep it that way, ya know?

Dready_jake · May 18, 2015

I feel that if we all had hygrometers in our lids this wouldn't be as debated(wish I had one saw them at the cup). The guys saying they degrade after a certain time aren't drying for the month cure or over drying. The long cures require prep by not over drying but hitting that sweetspot before stems snap. If not over dried the longer the cure the STRONGER the aroma time. But moisture content is key if doing a one month cure you might dry til stem snap, if a longer cure is expected you wanna catch it right before stem snaps. I believe I like to dry til just before snap but that can he a tough window to hit sometimes in dry old colorado lol.

Just my experiences

Edit: this higher moisture content/slower cure, REQUIRES daily burping. Up to 8 hours of burping the first day and maybe even up to the 3rd and slowly tapering off as moisture is reduced.

amannamedtruth · May 18, 2015

I feel that if your conditions are pretty good and consistent, then 1-1.5 years is the max...I've had some Sour D that was 18 months old or something, and delicious. Lost most of its color, but the buds were still greasy and smelly, super smooth flavor. This stuff was also never stored in any environment with an RH of lower than 62% or temp higher than 75 F.

panick503 · May 18, 2015

I was under the impression that buds start to decarboxalize (sp.?) after being stored for a while, and that's why the color starts to eventually turn a more golden color. I was also under the impression that pumping out the oxygen and replacing it with nitrogen before sealing would prevent that from happening. Never tried it myself...

DemonTrich · May 18, 2015

I vacuum seal all long term storage in wide mouth mason jars. I have some KKSC in a mason jar for about 8 months now. I cracked the jar open to grab a nug for my b-day (then resealed). still as good as the day I sealed the jar up. I also follow Simons cure tek, and have been for 4 years and always perfect results.

amannamedtruth · May 18, 2015

panick503 said:
I was under the impression that buds start to decarboxalize (sp.?) after being stored for a while, and that's why the color starts to eventually turn a more golden color. I was also under the impression that pumping out the oxygen and replacing it with nitrogen before sealing would prevent that from happening. Never tried it myself...

The only thing that decarbs is the active constituents...The buds turn color because the chlorophyll is slowly degrading and being consumed by microbes.

Can you over cure?

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