Increasing Terpenes Production and/or Reducing Terpenes Loss During Cure

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.

Use some horticultural molasses (has some sulphur in it) early-mid flower. Switch to unsulphured molasses at mid flower.

Should help the flavor a lot.

But you still need the genetics!!

:kitty:

slow dry for 2+ weeks

I agree with BigDawg.
I don't use scissors anymore to trim.
When the buds have dried enough that I can crumble off the sugar leaves with my fingers I know they can be jarred and taste awesome.
That is usually a week hung in 70 degrees.
Then another week in a drawer.
You can lose flavor and smell by trimming/jarring too early.

BigDawg said:

slow dry for 2+ weeks

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Right on BigDawg. I cure mine slowly and for a long time as well. I remember my grandfather curing his tobacco crop and I kind of try to emulate that at least in duration, also like for the bud to stay in "dry to low case" the whole time and be in "dry to low case" when it is trimmed and jarred. Just in case you're wondering what "in dry to low case" is, it means it has enough moisture content to be handled without crumbling. A link to levels of case and curing in burley tobacco:

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr14/agr14.htm

Dry extremely slow, keep in vacuum box.

.

fabvariousk said:

I agree with BigDawg.
I don't use scissors anymore to trim.
When the buds have dried enough that I can crumble off the sugar leaves with my fingers I know they can be jarred and taste awesome.
That is usually a week hung in 70 degrees.
Then another week in a drawer.
You can lose flavor and smell by trimming/jarring too early.

Click to expand...

Sounds simple and perfect, like a method people used 3000 years ago

not only can you lose smell and flavor from jarring too early, you can also destroy otherwise great bud with mold and mildew that way.

I imagine unless it's a weak airy bud, there's no way there's not a ton of moisture in there even when the outside is crumbly and dry, then the crumbly dry outside draws the moisture out of the center of the bud when it is sealed in a jar, and it's my understanding if you do that the right way, it will smell and taste great

Max Trichomes said:

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.

Click to expand...

I kinda pay attention to my drying room... it's just as climate controlled as anywhere else... and from experience, weed can't dry at 68F with 60%RH... it just won't fully dry (MC of 9-12%)... you won't be able to get down there, the weed will always be soft & pliable, not dry & crisp. It just won't... too much moisture in the air, constantly keeping the nugs semi-moist.

When you jar that, it won't have the super crip & distinct odors... imho. It's jarred damp weed... and that's what it is. Burping damp weed isn't going to do anything.

Try 72-74F... 44-48%RH... 48+ slows it down, 44- will increase the speed of the dry.

Jar at 2 weeks, when crisp like several above have suggested. ;-)

Good post. Interesting subject.
Harsh smoke usually comes from overfertilization or bad flushed-not ripen buds, bad handled, fast dried and quickly smoked.

In my experience I would start with a pure organic growing method.
I experimented different growing media and setups, but best aromas and high complexity was achieved through organic soil.
The best I found was super soil recipe. The most important part of it, beyond quality and quantity of ingredients chosen is cooking in the sun, allowing soil to compost and break down all nutrients in a living form.
Soil isn't a simple 'growing medium'. Soil should be a cradle of living organisms in equilibrium. A plant that lives in it will be part of this equilibrium. Keeping soil life in shape will get the most from your plant. Both in aromas and effect. Nature knows well.

Second I would focus on time of harvesting. Perfect time allows good terpene production and overall dankness of final product.

Third is handling. Wrong handling can destroy all the aromas in an expertly grown bud. Try to be gentle with your harvested herb.
I trim it not completely, not so hardcore trim as buds in amsterdam or seen commercially around. I take big leaves off and save some small ones. I hang whole the plant when possible.
After cut a bud is not so different from a cut apple. It continues to live and mature even if is separated from the plant.
Again nature and its living microrganisms are crucial. They digest slowly starches, clorophyll and complex molecules in the buds structure allowing it to burn smoothly and better, and give road to the diverse terpenes to express.
All this happens with TIME in precise conditions. Microbes need moisture to do their job, but not too much, if so, fungus thrives and win the battle (this ends in mold....) So key to the process is slow drying.
I found also that it is difficult to me to tell exact conditions because all temperature chenges during a year period. I get hot humid summers and very dry cold winters with interseasons in between. So everytime is a bit different. I put all the stuff in a wardrobe and I play with humidity with a fan and opening/closing doors. I usually harvest during different weeks, so plants take 2-3 weeks to be ready for jars. In summer it takes 1 -1/half month! I prefer to jar buds when they feel dry outside but able to sweat a bit again. This moisture allows life to go on on them and continue the refining process. Open jars sometimes after thet to change air a bit.
During this time smell changes and express full array of aromas becoming better and better. And potency become more complex too, maybe stronger.
The key of everything is time, nature takes time to do things well.
Let her express at best.
Hope this helps
Dr.P

Likewise to dr. penthotal I find change in seasons influences my curing and hangtime must be adjusted between winter and summer. I find winter gives a better result as they tend to hang for 5-7 days as opposed to 3-4 before going into a jar cure. It all depends on your conditions but you want to jar them as soon as the stems get crisp and make a crackling sound when bent but don't actually snap.

I first invested in widemouth canning jars. Now I prefer the opaque clasp style with the rubber washers. If placed into a jar and maintaining a humidity between 55%-60% inside the jar for at least 10 days you will start to notice a smoother smoke with an enhanced flavor. If I could get it to last more than 3 weeks I will let you know if it improves beyond that but I hear some of the best stuff is cured in an airtight jar for at least 30 days with proper humidity. The oldest cure I've ever had the pleasure of smoking was 7 years on Jamaican Hashplant.

You may wish to read this if you have not. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=156237

My guess would be that you are overdrying before jarring them or perhaps not jarring them long enough. (10 days minimum IMO)

I think it's debatable that microorganisms have any positive contribution to curing weed.
Am I wrong...?

Max Trichomes said:

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.

Click to expand...

To realize those answers you need to ask two questions. Why does a plant produce terpenes? How does a plant produce terpenes?

The answers are out there to be found and read by the industrious and cogent, but you won't find them here...

Keep the taste longer

Keep the taste longer

Hi All !!! Cool info...did an experiment with the same strain grown the same way, except for the lighting source....HPS 1000w on
one side and natural sunlight on the other side, and Metal halide also on another side......both daylight sources, produced better smell/taste
and the HPS produced more yield, with less smell/taste, but was still good! Lighting plays a BIG part in end result......

prune said:

To realize those answers you need to ask two questions. Why does a plant produce terpenes? How does a plant produce terpenes?

The answers are out there to be found and read by the industrious and cogent, but you won't find them here...

Click to expand...

indeed... you must go to the place that no one goes, to read from the book that no one can see, to chant the words that no one can hear...

MIway said:

indeed... you must go to the place that no one goes, to read from the book that no one can see, to chant the words that no one can hear...

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Then may ye know the unknowable.

KSP said:

Then may ye know the unknowable.

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and thunk the unthunkable...stop jarring wet and that dank ye shall get....

Best bud so far was a batch I left curing for four months.

It became smoother, more potent and the smoke aroma was just sublime (sandalwood, grape juice with just a little "funk" to it).

Wine / cigar makers strongly believe in slow aging under controlled temp and humidity; Cannabis is not different.

Gonna start making "Gran Reservas" of the very best I can find in each crop.

Ojo

no help. all my weed stinks and taste great no matter what i do . i have had some bad runs with inferior smells and flavors so i dumped those strains