I am in the middle of a document on curing and part of it reads as follows (it refers to what should be just a couple of days into the drying): "As soon as you notice a little bit of stiffness to the stems they have lost probably 50% of their moisture. When the leaves start to get a little bit crisp you have lost most of the excess moisture and you must restrict ventilation some more. Using a whole room at this point you turn off the fan blowing air in but you leave the door open a little. You never cut off ventilation completely because mold is a threat right up until the end. The leaves should start to get a little crisp after a week or two. If it happens sooner you may be using too much ventilation and should cut back." Now, I am confused by this and hopefully someone can help clarify: on the one hand it says when the leaves start to get crisp that one can restrict air flow (unincluded text indicates that the beginning of air flow restriction begins in a couple of days) a bit and at the end it says they should not get crisp for a week or two. Am I missing something or did the author completely contradict himself? I have attached the document, though I do not verify its accuracy.
i think he means that the slower the drying the better. you need ventilation, but at a minimal amount. some people make this drying shit waaaaaay more difficult then it should be.
He he... your name implies you may be able to help me. I am hearing that the best tasting buds take up to eight weeks to cure. I am curious if an eight week bud really tastes twice as good as a four week bud or if only a little. How long a cure, for instance, to reach ninety percent of taste? Seventy-five? My apologies if this is an over-generalized question.
I think it could just be a typo. He may have meant to say "The 'buds' should start to get a little crisp after a week or two" not the leaves. In my experience there is a definite qualitative distinction between properly and improperly cured herb. Overall I'd describe the difference as "smoother", from the texture & consistency to the aroma & flavors; it even burns nicer.
i think there is no typo. I think it just is using 2 items for points of reference on how dry far along in the drying process the buds are. When the stems can be bent still, but not as green and bendy as a fresh plant. and when the outer leaves start to get crispy, like brittle and they crack and break off easily, instead of how they are bendy and stretchy when its freshly cut. So he is saying that you want alot of air circulation and certain conditions for the first half of the dry, to get the majority of moisture out. then after that, dry it slower so the inside of the buds can dry out. rumpleforeskin has a good method in his sticky. its to hang them for the first couple days with air circulation. then, put them in brown paper bags to slowly soak up the moisture from the buds, the brown paper soaks water like a sponge. i tihnk that is kind of what your speaking of. then of course after a day or two of that comes the cure
Well you won't get an exact answer to that. It often depends on the specific strain and the growth method, water content and chemical makeup. But I've found the best tastes to appear after 4 weeks, and get stronger towards 8 weeks. It really is an over complexification of a simple progress. The key is to remove most of the moisture quickly to prevent rot, then to allow the last bit of moisture to slowly evaporate during the longer, slow decarboxylation process which increases potency and flavor. As long as you burp your jars, and don't put them in sopping wet, you'll be good. At that point, it's a matter of opinion and patience.