Max Trichomes
New member
Once in a great while I smoke some meds that has an amazing flavor. Not only is the smoke smooth and flavor intense, but it has a complicated flavor profile. I've yet to achieve this with the meds I've grown.
Now I'm not saying my bud is not super awesome, cause it is . It's very potent and frosty, but the flavor is just not what it's suppose to be. I know a lot of it is genetics, but a couple of my strains have the genetics to taste amazing. I can tell my girls want to taste good.
What seems to happen is the sooner it is smoked after being cut, the more you can taste what ever unique flavor the strain has (lemon, piney, etc.). But since it's wet it's very harsh, after the first hit or two the only flavor that can be tasted is hurting. The longer it cures the smoother it gets but the more it seems to lose it's unique flavor. It doesn't taste bad, but it just taste like weed, as opposed to say Chocolope. I thought the longer you cured it the better the taste got, but for me it really gets smoother while tasting more generic. I am attributing this to loss of terpenes during the cure. I've used hydro, organic soil, organic soiless, the medium is not the culprit. I've also noticed this kinda happens to a couple other growers I know.
I cure at 68 F with a RH of 60%. Hang on the line for 4-5 days depending on the feel, then put into mason jars. The jars are open and closed for 3-4 weeks. After that they only get cracked for 5 min once a week or so. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions on how to minimize terpenes loss?
What I really want to try is the freeze dry method for curing. Ed Rosenthal kind of talks it up in his book. But commercial freeze dryers are pretty expensive, well very expensive. Dry Ice method wouldn't be feasible. Has anyone tried curing through sublimation? Does it lock in the chlorophyll taste as well as the terpenes?
Any hints, tips, or tricks out there to increase terpene production during the flower cycle? Something like jasmonic acid does for trichomes, but with terpenes instead.
Anyone who took time to read this and put input into the discussion I thank you in advance. Hopefully this will make a good discussion and turn into a resource for everyone to really make that connoisseur quality bud. Potency may be the most important thing, but it's not connoisseur quality without a great taste to accompany a great buzz.
Now I'm not saying my bud is not super awesome, cause it is . It's very potent and frosty, but the flavor is just not what it's suppose to be. I know a lot of it is genetics, but a couple of my strains have the genetics to taste amazing. I can tell my girls want to taste good.
What seems to happen is the sooner it is smoked after being cut, the more you can taste what ever unique flavor the strain has (lemon, piney, etc.). But since it's wet it's very harsh, after the first hit or two the only flavor that can be tasted is hurting. The longer it cures the smoother it gets but the more it seems to lose it's unique flavor. It doesn't taste bad, but it just taste like weed, as opposed to say Chocolope. I thought the longer you cured it the better the taste got, but for me it really gets smoother while tasting more generic. I am attributing this to loss of terpenes during the cure. I've used hydro, organic soil, organic soiless, the medium is not the culprit. I've also noticed this kinda happens to a couple other growers I know.
I cure at 68 F with a RH of 60%. Hang on the line for 4-5 days depending on the feel, then put into mason jars. The jars are open and closed for 3-4 weeks. After that they only get cracked for 5 min once a week or so. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions on how to minimize terpenes loss?
What I really want to try is the freeze dry method for curing. Ed Rosenthal kind of talks it up in his book. But commercial freeze dryers are pretty expensive, well very expensive. Dry Ice method wouldn't be feasible. Has anyone tried curing through sublimation? Does it lock in the chlorophyll taste as well as the terpenes?
Any hints, tips, or tricks out there to increase terpene production during the flower cycle? Something like jasmonic acid does for trichomes, but with terpenes instead.
Anyone who took time to read this and put input into the discussion I thank you in advance. Hopefully this will make a good discussion and turn into a resource for everyone to really make that connoisseur quality bud. Potency may be the most important thing, but it's not connoisseur quality without a great taste to accompany a great buzz.