How to Cure Cannabis the TerpLoc® Way.

 

Wherever cannabis is grown, growers across the cannabis markets both old & new have come to find that a quality pull down can be destroyed if the post-harvest process is rushed; especially the curing portion of the process.

Quality genetics deserve a proper dry & cure process that develops the full terpene profile of the strain and ensures a grower’s hard work is translated to the end consumer to enjoy.  A key way to do just that is by taking the correct steps to ensure you rock a consistent & quality cure EVERY time. 

First things first, the DRY!

Most seasoned cultivators recommend a 10-14 day dry (10 days for looser buds and 14 for larger/dense buds) The dry room should be 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 60% relative humidity with even air circulation WITHOUT having direct airflow on drying buds or towards a wall. With a slower dry, the cannabis flower will retain a larger & wider terpene profile, preserving the strain-specific aromas & medicinal benefits of the cannabis that’d be lost in a rushed dry. 

After the hang or tray dry, buck the buds to get them ready for CURE. 

photo of grove bag with text that reads grove bags use terploc technology to keep the flower inside at ideal humidity levels of fifty eight to sixty two percent
“The trimmers will trim it, the second they are done, they will be put into one pound allotments inside the Grove Bags and immediztely enter cure in our vault.” -Matt Blum, Grow Sciences

BEFORE We Get To Curing Cannabis; WHY Is Curing Important?

Across the cultivation spectrum, the cure is one of the most overlooked aspects of growing quality cannabis. Curing is the chemical process that breaks down chlorophyll and magnesium in cannabis buds which directly develops the flower’s smoke quality, flavor, and potency.  

The taste of uncured buds has been described as “fresh-cut grass” whereas properly cured cannabis will contain specific flavors and medicinal benefits associated with the strain’s terpene profile. Curing your flower properly is hands down the BEST way to create a medicinal-grade cannabis product.

 

Curing Cannabis BURP FREE with TerpLoc® 

TRADITIONALLY, curing had involved placing buds in bulky glass mason jars or trichome leeching turkey bags and physically burping (ie. opening the jars & turkey bags) to release the excess moisture inside. This manual process is typically done 2 to 4 times per day during the 2 week curing process to lower the risk of the colas developing mold or other microbes during cure.

A  MUCH more modern & efficient method of achieving an optimal cannabis cure with minimal labor is to leverage packaging solutions that remove the hands-on part of the process to streamline the cure.

“Grove Bags launched their 2lb curing bag which has changed the game for us over the past few months and we will not cure anything without them.” -Matt Blum, Grow Sciences

TerpLoc® packaging like the TerpLoc® Wickets & TerpLoc® pouches target specific gas and water vapor permeability properties, outgassing all excess oxygen to reduce oxidation while curing & also removing the need to burp product by hand saving you time & saving your buds from a lot of friction.

“As soon as we start shucking, we shuck straight into the 3lb Burp-Free Grove Bags, it starts curing in there, gets a great nose off the flower, great all the way to the end going out to the customer.” -Alex Hodder, Item 9 Labs General Manager

How long does it take to cure cannabis in TerpLoc®?

There is a wide range of understanding for the definition of “cured” cannabis. Curing in TerpLoc® can be as quick as a couple of weeks or as long as half a year, this will depend on your preference. The minimum duration we’ve seen to be viable is about 3 weeks, but if you are able to cure for 6 weeks, the amount of flavor and terpenoids will most likely increase dramatically. 

We prefer long extended cures, as research has shown there is a “terpene polymerization” process that occurs during these long cures similar to that of “wine aging”. These are distinct and rare flavors that separate the average potent flower from the extraordinary, the memorable ones, creating intense terpene entourage effects that one can only be described by interjections and not adjectives. Wow. Whoa. Ooh!!

“Its one of those mysteries, the seven wonders of the world of how a Grove Bag can cure cannabis better than a plastic bag; the TerpLoc technology they have come across with is great especially in terms of locking in those terpenes” -Alex Hodder, Item 9 Labs General Manager

Curing with TerpLoc® MAJOR KEYS

  1. Invest in a Moisture Meter:  For an accurate moisture read during the dry process, stick the stainless steel pins into the flower stem. 
  2. Keep an eye on Water Activity Levels: For an optimal TerpLoc® cure, cannabis should be dried to at least a .45 water activity level. 
  3. Patience is a virtue: Akin to good wine, the taste of weed improves with age. The longer you cure your buds, the better.

Why Burp-Free TerpLoc® is BETTER

One of the questions that we often receive is how the terpene content consistently remains higher for flower stored in TerpLoc® products. This is due to the fact that the TerpLoc® film has been fine-tuned to create the perfect microclimate for cannabis preservation. Terpene molecules will degrade with either too much or too little moisture, so the perfect preservation climate requires a relative humidity level between 58-62%. Traditionally this was achieved by manually burping each package at the beginning of the curing phase until ideal moisture levels were met. Burping flushes out the headspace to get rid of excess water vapor and anything out-gassing from the plant. With TerpLoc® products, all unwanted water vapor and gasses are diffused through the layers of the package removing the need to burp. This will drastically cut down on labor costs and provide more consistency throughout the product by eliminating human error.