jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
Dope might be good right after it's dry, but cured dope is smoother, more flavorful, and overall more enjoyable. The reason I wanted to post this is because I got out of the habit of doing a proper cure on my last 2 harvests. There was so much trimming to do I poorly kept up with clearing the drying nets of dry buds to begin the curing process. Many were over dried and dried too quickly. Before curing the blue dream was so harsh 1 hit off the bowl would scorch your lungs. I thought I was gonna have to hash all 2# of it. I was heart broken. I felt like my doctor just told me I was going to lose a testacle. I put all of the buds in air tight containers and I didn't open 'em for 2 weeks. Mostly because it was so harsh I didn't want to depress myself again by reliving the prior experience of lung scorching awfulness. I finally pulled one out to determine if there was any improvement at all. It was flavorful, it was incredibly smooth, and wound up being the best strain out of the entire garden. That was an eye opening experience for me.
This harvest I was determined to do a proper dry and cure. I tried to smoke 2 of the strains before they were cured at all. Very harsh like chlorophyll. When the buds were just dry enough I packed them into air tight containers and I didn't open them for a week. The girl scout cookies and god bud that looked amazing but smoked harshly a week ago now smoke smooth as silk with a stronger more intense aroma as well as a smoother more even burn in the bowl. Not to mention the flavor is excellent. Moving forward I'll never skip the cure again. I'm looking forward to seeing how both strains taste after another couple weeks. So far so good. I considered buying those mini hygrometers on amazon but they're so wildly inaccurate each one could be off by 5-7%. That renders them useless. Learning how the bud feels when it's ready for curing isn't hard. Just crispy on the outside where the tiniest stems snap but the large stems still bend. If the big stems snap you've already screwed the pooch. Jar em up and check in 24 hours. If they're not squishy again keep 'em sealed without concern for as long as you'd like. If they're squish leave the cap off and let 'em air out for 6-12 hours. Seal again. Check the following day. No squish? Seal and start the cure. No hygrometer required. Only fingertips.
This harvest I was determined to do a proper dry and cure. I tried to smoke 2 of the strains before they were cured at all. Very harsh like chlorophyll. When the buds were just dry enough I packed them into air tight containers and I didn't open them for a week. The girl scout cookies and god bud that looked amazing but smoked harshly a week ago now smoke smooth as silk with a stronger more intense aroma as well as a smoother more even burn in the bowl. Not to mention the flavor is excellent. Moving forward I'll never skip the cure again. I'm looking forward to seeing how both strains taste after another couple weeks. So far so good. I considered buying those mini hygrometers on amazon but they're so wildly inaccurate each one could be off by 5-7%. That renders them useless. Learning how the bud feels when it's ready for curing isn't hard. Just crispy on the outside where the tiniest stems snap but the large stems still bend. If the big stems snap you've already screwed the pooch. Jar em up and check in 24 hours. If they're not squishy again keep 'em sealed without concern for as long as you'd like. If they're squish leave the cap off and let 'em air out for 6-12 hours. Seal again. Check the following day. No squish? Seal and start the cure. No hygrometer required. Only fingertips.
