Hi,
I wanted to explain an apparently not well known method of curing, the vacuum cure.
Technically it is not a real vacuum as this would crush the buds.
SO what you do is: you dry the cannabis untill all stems snap. Maybe the bigger colas can still be a bit bendy but as long as the buds are greasy the stems can snap. SO this means drying for about 10-14 days with 60% rh and 18 degrees (this depends on a lot of factors, use common sense).
You should experiment yourself at which point you put them in the bags, all stems snapping, or the majority , use your nose to decide!! If the outside of the bud is dry but the stem bends, it means it will snap once it comes out of the cure due to moisture redistribution. Some people want their cannabi a bit drier some greasier. I prefer greasier cannabis cuz I vape. The first time you do this you should make different batches that were put in the mylar bags at different moisture levels to help you decide what you prefer.
Oh yeah forgot to mention you need to dry them untrimmed!!!
Then once dry enough you remove the buds from the stem and you put the UNTRIMMED buds in vacuum seal mylar bags (no plastic food grade shit).
The you pull as much air out as you can using a vacuum sealing machine like the princess for example. Don't crush the buds.
Then you seal the mylar bags with the princess and afterwards some more with an iron to be sure it is 100% closed of.
Then you let it rest for 2-4 weeks.
Then you open it and trim the buds. Normally smells should be really strong but in the event that the cannabis was a bit too moist, just let it air out a bit untill you notice the smells are coming back. SO we are not talking about drying the buds some more, but letting the buds breathe a bit like a good wine or cheese, untill smells come out, shouldn't take too long.
Usually putting the buds in a glass jar for a few hours should do the trick. You air them in the jar. (with or without lid, depends on conditions outside of jar. If your climate is not too dry you can air them outside of a jar. (I don't cuz my central heating will fuck up terps).
Then once trimmed you vac seal the buds again in smaller portions (so that each pack lasts about a week).
After minimum 2 weeks of additional resting, the cannabis is ready to be consumed and stored in or out of the freezer.
Out of the freezer the cannabis will continue to cure, Inside of the freezer it will stay the same. If you like fresh loud smelling cannabis, don't let it cure for too long before freezing (max 2 weeks). If you like aged weed you can let it rest. It depends on personal preferences and also the strain. Many strains don't age well while other get better.
I recommend storing it in the fridge or a cool place, don't worry about moisture, the mylar bag is sealed 100%.
IMO this method gives faster better results and more stable than jar curing. The cannabis will also be a bit drier compared to jar cured cannabis while still being smooth, tasty and strong smelling. This method also preserves the original terpene profile much better than glass jar cured cannabis.
What is also nice is that because you have week portions, your quality is consistent and always fresh.
You can also combine this method with boveda packs if you want to standardize the moisture level of each batch. I personally prefer without boveda cuz it steals a bit of smell and taste.
Try it!
I wanted to explain an apparently not well known method of curing, the vacuum cure.
Technically it is not a real vacuum as this would crush the buds.
SO what you do is: you dry the cannabis untill all stems snap. Maybe the bigger colas can still be a bit bendy but as long as the buds are greasy the stems can snap. SO this means drying for about 10-14 days with 60% rh and 18 degrees (this depends on a lot of factors, use common sense).
You should experiment yourself at which point you put them in the bags, all stems snapping, or the majority , use your nose to decide!! If the outside of the bud is dry but the stem bends, it means it will snap once it comes out of the cure due to moisture redistribution. Some people want their cannabi a bit drier some greasier. I prefer greasier cannabis cuz I vape. The first time you do this you should make different batches that were put in the mylar bags at different moisture levels to help you decide what you prefer.
Oh yeah forgot to mention you need to dry them untrimmed!!!
Then once dry enough you remove the buds from the stem and you put the UNTRIMMED buds in vacuum seal mylar bags (no plastic food grade shit).
The you pull as much air out as you can using a vacuum sealing machine like the princess for example. Don't crush the buds.
Then you seal the mylar bags with the princess and afterwards some more with an iron to be sure it is 100% closed of.
Then you let it rest for 2-4 weeks.
Then you open it and trim the buds. Normally smells should be really strong but in the event that the cannabis was a bit too moist, just let it air out a bit untill you notice the smells are coming back. SO we are not talking about drying the buds some more, but letting the buds breathe a bit like a good wine or cheese, untill smells come out, shouldn't take too long.
Usually putting the buds in a glass jar for a few hours should do the trick. You air them in the jar. (with or without lid, depends on conditions outside of jar. If your climate is not too dry you can air them outside of a jar. (I don't cuz my central heating will fuck up terps).
Then once trimmed you vac seal the buds again in smaller portions (so that each pack lasts about a week).
After minimum 2 weeks of additional resting, the cannabis is ready to be consumed and stored in or out of the freezer.
Out of the freezer the cannabis will continue to cure, Inside of the freezer it will stay the same. If you like fresh loud smelling cannabis, don't let it cure for too long before freezing (max 2 weeks). If you like aged weed you can let it rest. It depends on personal preferences and also the strain. Many strains don't age well while other get better.
I recommend storing it in the fridge or a cool place, don't worry about moisture, the mylar bag is sealed 100%.
IMO this method gives faster better results and more stable than jar curing. The cannabis will also be a bit drier compared to jar cured cannabis while still being smooth, tasty and strong smelling. This method also preserves the original terpene profile much better than glass jar cured cannabis.
What is also nice is that because you have week portions, your quality is consistent and always fresh.
You can also combine this method with boveda packs if you want to standardize the moisture level of each batch. I personally prefer without boveda cuz it steals a bit of smell and taste.
Try it!