I've heard about curing using humipaks and want to try it. I too live in a very dry environment and have issues with curing herb. While I do not end up with herb that smells and tastes like straw, I will say that it is lacking in odor and flavor. I cut off all fan leaves, dry a bit, trim, and then jar. Because it's so dry here, I jar my herb when it still has moisture left in it (stems bend, but don't snap). I burp the jars every other day for an hour to an hour and a half. I just ordered some 65% humipaks. So when curing using these humipaks, I'm wondering a few things. How often should I burp the jars, and for how long?
Youll probably want to play with them a little bit but glad you are interested in the humidipaks. The 65% should be OK to use to slow dry and cure but youll want to step down to 62% in the end. The 65% will leave your bud a little bit too wet to be safe from mold if you arent burping and rotating frequently. I burped and rotated my bud in the 65% daily for about 20 seconds for air exchange. At 62% I did it daily for a week or so, and began leaving for a couple days before even opening again just fine. Its all about experimenting and what works best for ya!
When they are first jarred I burp probably 2-3x a day for about 15-30min each, depending on how wet they were when first jarred. This tapers off quite a bit after about 3 days and I only burp for about 2-5 min, just to let fresh air exchange. After about a week they are pretty much good to be sealed for longer periods, but would still check on them every couple of days. Definitely get the 62% ones when you get a chance, the 65% is probably a bit too high.
Thank you both. Will be ordering 62% humipaks. Where's the cheapest place to get them in bulk? Amazon had the 65% 'paks in bulk (20) but not the 62%. That's why I ordered them. I have a LOT of jars!
goto http://www.bovedainc.com/ pretty good prices im about to invest in this package http://www.bovedainc.com/store/herbal/cubes/
i just ordered the cube of 60 gram boveda at 62% humidity @[member="gillybillybean"] if you don't mind i was thinking of posting updates of my cure in this thread as well
Absolutely, have at it! I currently have some Blueberry Gum curing inside these just straight to 62 after dry. Been burping for varied amounts of time dependent on the RH of the jar. Its still higher than 62%, but im around 65% currently. I have a Caliber IV hygrometer thats inside there to monitor, its helped a lot
i have 12 ounces so far (still harvesting) split between 4 jars and 1 60gram pack in each jar its been about a week or 2 and the buds have a great smell to then and smoke really well the packs are keeping the bud just slightly more wet then i would like but im not really worried about it i still burp the jars once a day but i don't leave the lids off for longer then 5 mins no signs of mold or anything along those lines and im going straight from trim to jar only a day of drying time and the packs seem to be handling it really well worth the $43 i spent on the cube also found this link it could help save some money http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/314018-recharging-dry-stiff-boveda-pack.html
Nice man cant wait to see how they turn out for a longer cure! I only have a few zips, Blueberry Gum. I just trim and jarred one pheno i really like and it had a gum/fuel smell to it the entire dry time. Not something the other two did but it went almost 2 weeks longer than the rest. So far all my jars have the small packs (about a zip per jar) and its holding right around 63% on them. I burp daily for a couple mins and seems to be doing fine. Cant wait for a 6+ week cure on these. Even after 3-4 weeks would you say burping daily is essential?
well at that point when i didnt use boveda i would start burping ever other day or so i think it boveda because its made to keep it at the same humidity constantly its fine but i probably wouldn't let them go forever with out burping its actually been 2 days since i did it ill probably do that in a bit
Interesting post. I've been using a slightly different method using a mixture of glyercin and water to get a consistent RH when air is pumped through the solution and into a control chamber. Glycerin is cheap, odorless, tasteless, plant-derived (when desired) and completely non-toxic. It has the magic ability that when mixed with water, it can provide an exact RH output. Need more humidity? Add more water to your mixture. Need less humidity? Add more glycerin to your mixture. The volume of glycerin to water can be calculated extremely precisely using the equations provided in this scientific paper (also attached to post). This method is used for control of RH under scientific conditions in controlled chambers. In my tests, the RH could be controlled with a precision of +/- 1% in an empty chamber. Once plant material is introduced, the ratio of glycerin to water will need to be adjusted manually to get the desired level, but can easily raised or lowered (and notably: reflected in less than an hour). One interesting benefit of this method (I am mid-cure at the moment) is that the low-volume, but continual replenishing of air inside the cure container eliminates the need for burping. I'm just slowly adding more glycerin to solution to bring the RH down slowly. If I want to freeze it at level, I just need to add a small amount of water every couple days to make up for evaporation. My only concern is that the continual replenishment of air inside the (nearly-air-tight) cure container may strip some of the taste and smell over time. I do not believe, however, that being in a sealed container is required for the cure to take place.. the RH is the ultimate factor in the 'perfect' cure. Anyway, good to see others approaching this in a more scientific manner. keep it up! Cheers
Nice thread. A shame to see people put all that effort into the grow only to fuck up the cure. These things are great...along with a hygrometer they make curing easy as pie. The best part is they work both ways, keeping the rh at or above their designated %. If you allow the rh to drop below 60 or so, lactic fermentation halts and will not start back uo again. These little guys keep that from happening and ensure a proper cure, slowly fermenting away all the crap that makes your dope taste like shit. I don't bother with any other than the 62's... two or three days before chop I drown the roots in boiling water which begins the fermentation process and speeds up the initial drying process. After boiling and sitting in the dark the fans come off and they get hung. After two or three days sugar leaves get trimmed and into the jars they go along with the humidipaks. Burp until the rh drops within range and there they stay. So simple.
Hi everyone. Aside from my bud hobby, I am also a collector of fine pipe tobaccos and cigars. I am very picky regarding the storage of my cigars in particular. I store them in a good Spanish cedar-lined humidor with a Western Caliber III hygrometer and Boveda 69% packs. A good humidor is not 100% airtight, and the 69% packs keep the RH stable at 67%. I also store cigars in Lock & Lock brand airtight containers. In the L&L, the 69% packs hold steady at 60-70%; something to keep in mind. Not all hygrometers are created equal! Get a Caliber III or IV and save yourself a lot of worry (and possibly stash!). Mason jars are always best. I store my jars wrapped in brown paper. Keep the light away from your curing buds as much as possible. It would be interesting to see a thread about the fermentation process of cannabis. As tobacco cures in an airtight environment, it uses up the available oxygen in the jar as microbes act upon natural sugars "aerobically" (in the presence of oxygen). When all of the oxygen is used up, "anaerobic" (or absence of oxygen) fermentation begins. This is when flavors mellow, yet deepen, and continue to do so until the airtight seal is broken, at which point aging stops, and may or may not begin again. If aging is resumed, it will continue, but the process will be different than if the seal had been kept intact. Anyway, I will definitely use Boveda to cure all of my harvests and experimenting with long term aging to (hopefully) increasy quality of smoke.