Keep That Dank Smell Intact: Must-Know Tricks to Preserve Your Weed

of cannabis enthusiasts and cultivators alike, listen up! If you want to keep your buds smelling and tasting fire, you gotta save them trichomes. And by “save them trichomes,” we mean preserve them terpenes. Terpenes are what give that dank herb its distinctive aroma, and there’s a whole bunch of things out there that can destroy them, leaving your stash smelling dull and tasting like trash.

But fear not, we got you covered with some essential tips for preserving them terps at all stages of the grow process—pre or post-harvest, and even beyond that. Follow these tips and tricks, and you’ll be lighting up some potent, flavor-packed buds in no time.

First things first, if you constantly touch your plant’s sugar leaves and buds while it’s growing, you’re already losing a ton of trichomes during the process. Your fingers may smell like the bomb herbs, but that’s just because you’re destroying the trichomes that protect the terpenes. So hands off, homie!

When trimming your buds, don’t shake them or handle them too much either. Be gentle with those precious nugs! The same thing goes for the drying and curing process. Don’t go touching your buds all the time either, as this will only make the trichomes fall off, leaving you with a weak-ass end product.

Before harvest time comes around, make sure to flush your cannabis properly to remove any excess nutrients that have built up during the growing process. This will result in a smoother smoke that burns evenly and tastes better because the aroma and flavor can cut through more. A good flush is indicated by light grey or white ash when smoking. Black ash? Um, no bueno my friend.

When it comes to trimming after harvesting, you can choose between wet or dry trimming. Wet trimming means you trim your cannabis plant stalk by stalk directly after harvest and hang them upside down for the drying process. Dry trimming involves hanging the whole plant in the drying room after harvest, then trimming it when it’s dry. If you want to preserve as many terpenes as possible, go for the wet trimming method. This way, you’ll save most of them trichomes. When you dry trim, chances are you’ll lose a lot of trichomes because they tend to fall off a lot easier.

Drying is crucial for getting supreme buds at the end of the process. Light and moisture are the two main enemies here, so dry your cannabis in a cool and dark place that has a temperature of 59–72°F and a humidity level of around 50%. If the temperature is too high (above 79°F), your terpenes will begin to evaporate quicker than a puff puff pass in a crowded room.

After drying comes the curing process. Some growers believe their product is already finished at this stage, but for maximum aroma and potency, you should definitely go through with curing your cannabis properly. To cure your cannabis, loosely add your buds to wide-mouth mason jars with an airtight seal. If you grow different strains, don’t just put them all together in one jar; separate them to get the most out of each cultivar. Avoid using plastic bags for the curing process since they increase the risk of mould and mildew.

The temperature in your jars should be approximately 70°F, with humidity around 60%. For the first two weeks, open or “burp” the jars once or twice daily to exchange air and inspect your buds. You should notice how the smell of your buds enhances over time. After two weeks, your buds should be dry enough to leave in jars without opening them all the time. But keep in mind that some growers cure for several months!

When preparing and using your buds for smoking purposes, always use a grinder instead of breaking them apart with your fingers like an amateur. This way will unlock even more aroma from those tight nuggets.

Finally, make sure to use clean smoking accessories like glass pipes or bongs that give off no weird taste or odor that could ruin all those hard-earned flavors from your bud.

So there you have it guys! Properly preserving those terps isn’t rocket science but requires patience and attention to detail throughout every step of the growing process from seedling to smoking bowl. Your lungs—and taste buds—will thank you for it!