Hello my friend
I recently answered this question and I will try to give you the most complete answer possible. Drying and curing are crucial steps to achieve better flavor, smell, texture, and effect. Drying involves removing the excess moisture contained in the buds without drying them too much to maintain the ideal moisture level, thus allowing them to last longer.
A bud that is too dry will crumble into powder when you break it apart. In contrast, a well-dried and cured bud will have a softer texture.
During the drying phase, chlorophyll will break down and turn into sugar, while THC will transform into CBN and CBD when exposed to air. The herb will take on an increasingly brown hue and lose its original green color. To know if your herb is ready for the final step, you should take a branch and bend it; if it breaks with a distinct crack, it will be time to move on to curing. If the branch bends, it means the herb is likely too moist. During the drying process, the moisture content of the buds will drop from 75% to about 10-15%. From 500 grams of fresh buds, you will be left with about 125 grams of buds to smoke.
Curing, or "affinage" in French, involves slowing down the drying process and allows the aromas and potency to develop. It will last from 15 days to three weeks but can also be done over several months. The almost dry buds will be placed in airtight jars, filling them two-thirds full, and stored in the dark. Once a day, the jars will be opened for a quarter of an hour to remove excess moisture. Curing will also help eliminate chlorophyll through naturally occurring aerobic bacteria in the atmosphere. Chlorophyll contains magnesium, and if it is not properly removed from the herb, it will give it an unpleasant and bitter taste.
The duration of curing will not depend on a set time but on the state of the herb.
You will see that after a few days, the buds are more humid than when you stored them: this is completely normal, as it is the moisture at the core of the buds moving outward.
When opening the jar, if the first smell that escapes smells like ammonia or wet hay, then there is too much moisture in the jar, and the bacteria are dead: the curing has failed and should be abandoned. Generally speaking, curing is finished when the smell that comes from the jars upon opening no longer has a green smell but a good cannabis aroma.
If you manage to get through the first two weeks without that ammonia smell, then the curing attempt has a good chance of success. You can then open the jars less often, but regularly check the buds to ensure they are not rotting. Conversely, if your herb becomes too dry, you can add fresh cannabis to the jar to rehydrate the remaining buds by adding a little more moisture to restore the aroma and taste.
The curing process will take between 2 weeks and 2 months, and once the process is complete, your buds will be ready to be consumed and should be stored in the same jars that you no longer need to open regularly, keeping them cool and away from light. It is commonly accepted that the peak quality of herb occurs about 6 months after curing, but it must last that long, especially if itâs good!!!
May the force be with you đȘ