I own a volcano vaporizer and I was curious about this. I guess my question that I'm really asking is, after harvest, does thc/high get better if you dry and cure? Because I just did a small experiment on the volcano where I snipped some small leaves around the buds that are covered in trichomes and got high off of it; and afterwards I checked the leafs I smoked and they were still green but completely dry after using the vaporizer. I normally wouldn't ask this, but I just ran out and I'm about to start the 48 hour dark cycle before harvest. Thanks, and sorry about the unusual question. Shag-
Well its for both taste and quality. If you don't cure it right its gonna smell and probably smoke like shit. On top of that making it too dry can decrease thc content
Making it "too dry" does not decrease the potency. Its simple physics. When heated water makes steam which dilutes the smoke and makes it less potent no matter how you look at it you're smoking water vapor. The thc molecules need to be completely dry before they're fully realized. Drying the buds to fast will cause a less percentage of thc to be realized and it can lock in a nasty taste. A slow and even dry is the best way to preserve potency and flavor. So yes drying is for potency and taste. Wet bud is less potent and has less flavor.
I smoke nugs right off the tree with my arizer and it fills up a bag with some nice smoke that tastes amazing, is very smooth and gets me feeling very nice, I find that it vapes the fresh trichomes on the bud very nicely