If you pick your stash tonight, smoke some of it this weekend and keep some for the next weekend, will it still be fresh? What if you find some nuggets tucked in your winter jacket from a last year’s snowboarding trip? – Will it still be good? When stored improperly, cannabis dries out, and within days, it loses its potency and becomes harsh. When stored without proper protection during damp and humid climates, marijuana gets molds. Undoubtedly, no one likes to smoke some old, brittle herb – Let alone a moldy one.
Maintaining the freshness of your stash mainly depends on how you store it. The taste and aroma of the bud are also dependent on curing and storage. So, how do you keep your stash fresh?
Like a whiskey barrel or a wine cellar, your stash is best when aged in a cool, dark place. While the expiration date for cannabis is not steadfast, the dried herb can last for at least six months, and with some simple long-term storage methods, it can stay over a year, if not longer.
Buy it fresh
The initial quality of the product matters. If you buy cannabis that has already lost some of its freshness, then you obviously don’t expect it to last long. Here is how to avoid buying nugs that have already been exposed to trauma.
- Go for stores that use chopsticks (or any other tool) to pick up your bud.
- If it’s not pre-packaged, find out how long the herb has been sitting out.
- Observe how much light exposure it has endured; avoid herbs that are too exposed.
- Say no to stores that sell you cannabis in plastic bags.
Keep away from humidity
Although cannabis can handle relative humidity, the ideal humidity for the herb is 65%. This is substantially lower than ideal humidity levels for cigars and other tobacco products. When exposed to too much moisture, mold contaminates growth on your stash. You definitely wouldn’t want this, right?
Keep your stash away from moisture
A great way to keep your bud from moisture is to store it in glass jars. So long as your glass jar is tight, your stash will stay just as good as the day you put it in. This is because glass is impermeable which makes it smell-proof. Even when temperatures fluctuate, glass doesn’t secrete any flavor-changing compounds. Also, when properly sealed, glass doesn’t allow any moisture in, so your stash remains dry.
The darker the storage, the better
Since light degrades cannabis trichomes, store your stash away from direct light. If you choose to store your buds in glass jars, opt for dark colored ones.
The cooler, the better
Dried herb is also sensitive to temperature. When you store cannabis in a hot place, two things are likely to happen; it either begins to sweat, or it starts to dry out- making it uncomfortable to smoke. Not fun for anyone!
As mentioned earlier, cannabis also hates frigid environments. Extremely cold environments suck off moisture from the herb causing it to dry up. Ideally, keep your stash below room temperature. The refrigerator is, therefore, not an option.
Careful buying, dark glass jars, cool, dry storage places, and you won’t be disappointed when you smoke it even if its weeks down the line.