Different Ways to Store Your Cannabis
If you have a stash of cannabis that you don’t use for a bit of time now, you can notice that the buds are getting dryer and the smoke hits harsher on the throat. Smoking those buds may not get you as high as it’s supposed to be. Cannabis flower is pretty durable, but aging may still play its part. This is why it’s important to store cannabis buds properly. As ridiculous as it may sound, you can even freeze your cannabis if you don’t plan on smoking for another year.
If you purchase weed in bulk but don’t smoke too often, it’s understandable if some of the buds that stay for too long lose their quality after a while. Just like other herbs and fruits from nature, Cannabis undergoes its own process of degradation. Buds become more brittle and dry, and they also become less THC potent along the way.
Aged weed does not get you as much high as it did when the buds were fresh, because THC degrades into another cannabinoid, that is CBN. This second cannabinoid is an oxidized form of THC that is not as psychoactive and it generates a more sleepy mood. Degradation also means loss of terpenes, thus there would be a change in taste and flavor as well. That would partly explain why if you smoke old weed that was stored with little care, it doesn’t go as smoothly.
How to Properly Store Your Weed?
Cannabis mainly degrades when it’s not kept adequately. It’s really important to store it in an air-tight container, somewhere in a dark place, in a room where it’s not too warm nor too humid. Exposure to oxygen and heat is the main reason why buds lose their THC potency. Keeping the stash in a room where it’s super humid may cause other problems, such as the appearance of mold.
Use Air-Tight Containers
It’s recommended to store cannabis flower in an air-tight glass or ceramic container. Alternatively, you can use vacuum bags, though a mason jar really is the best. Mason jars will not let in any oxygen that might spoil your stash. The glass container will keep the buds safe and fresh. Vacuum bags can also preserve the freshness of buds since they are naturally devoid of air. But the material might sometimes affect the taste and smell.
Keep it Somewhere Dark
Another factor that can spoil your weed all too early is exposure to light. While cannabis demands exposure to light during the different stages of growth, once the flowers are collected they really do need to be kept in dark. When growers cure their harvest, this process also takes place in a dark room. Therefore, the container where you store your cannabis should ideally stay someplace dark, such as a cupboard or a drawer.
Room Temperature Should Be Cool
The ideal room temperature for storing your marijuana should be somewhere around 70°F (or 21°C). If it’s too warm inside, such as above 80°F, the weed can catch mold, and that’s something that you definitely don’t want to inhale.
Use Humidity Packs or Humidor for Prolonged Storage
If you empty your jar within a few weeks or even a month, a mason jar in a cool dark place is all you need so that the buds maintain their freshness. But if you plan on sticking with the same jar for the next couple of months, you should consider placing humidity packets in your airtight storage container.
Just think of how some people condition their dried out tobacco with a slice of apple. Humidity packets work in a similar way and help the storage of cannabis buds in the longer run. Once placed in the container, the packs keep steady levels humidity of around 60%, sufficient to sustain the buds.
Another way is to use a humidor, which can be a bit more costly. A humidor is a storage container, originally designed to maintain the ambient temperature and humidity needed for cigars. You can use humidors also when you need to store cannabis for an extended period of time.
Is It a Good Idea to Freeze Cannabis?
Food can stay good in the freezer for months, but what about cannabis? You might have heard that putting your weed in the fridge is not the best idea. The problem is when you take it out and all the trichomes (where the resin is) quickly break off. For far too long we’ve all been led to believe that freezing really is the last thing you want to do with your pot.
Surprisingly enough, freezing can work. You can effectively store your cannabis and prolong its life in the freezer for 1-2 years. This rather unordinary way to store your bud must be done very carefully, however.
If you really have to do it, it’s best to use a vacuum sealer. Vacuum sealers are the best option when you want to freeze cannabis.
Then, the other most important thing is when you finally take out the weed from the freezer. It needs to be handled with extreme caution. Do not touch the buds, just let them defrost naturally. The top layers of your flower may not be as good as one year ago, but the rest of the bud should be well-preserved.
Of course, you should consider freezing your weed only when you don’t have another solution. Such as, when you have too much weed and you are going away from home for a year.
Is It Bad to Smoke Aged Buds?
Some cannabis connoisseurs believe that people should not make such a big deal of age as a factor. That some strains are best smoked months after harvest and curing. You may have noticed yourself that weed tastes, smells and feels different if you smoke it immediately after the curing is finished. Then, after a few months, it’s a different story. The high may feel more powerful, making for a better smoke. Though, that’s not necessarily always the case. And it would really depend on the strain, as well as your personal preference on how you want to experience weed. So, there’s really nothing wrong if you smoke weed that has aged a little.
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Stephen Andrews
