How to Cure Weed: Humidity, Burping and How Long It Takes

What is curing cannabis?

Curing is the slow, controlled finish that comes after drying: you seal dried buds in jars, burp them now and then, and let them sit at least 2-3 weeks so leftover moisture evens out while cannabinoids and terpenes are preserved. Freshly harvested buds are full of water and chlorophyll, and smoking a wet bud is next to impossible.

Before any plant is ready to smoke, it has to be dried and cured. The fresh plant is harvested and then dried in a controlled environment so most of the moisture in the buds evaporates. Curing comes next, leaving just enough moisture in the flower and preserving cannabinoids and terpenes while water and chlorophyll levels drop.

How do you dry and cure cannabis?

This can be tricky if your climate is too humid or too dry. You want the flowers dry, but not too dry. You want them moist, but not too moist. A proper dry and cure strikes that delicate balance, so the final product has great smell, flavor and high when you smoke it, without harsh smoke torching your throat.

To dry cannabis, you usually hang it in a room so no buds touch each other, which helps prevent mold and uneven drying. A good drying room sits at 50-60% humidity and 18-23 °C (64-73 °F), with no sunlight. Drying typically takes 10 to 14 days, and then the flower moves on to the cure.

The buds are clipped off their branches and stored in jars or any other sealable container to cure. Then they go somewhere dry and dark for at least 2-3 weeks, sometimes much longer. A good cure aims for around 45-55% humidity in the room where the jars sit, at 15-21 °C (59-70 °F), again with no sunlight. Throughout the cure, the jars get opened (growers call it "burping") to let fresh oxygen in and let curing gases out.

How long should you cure cannabis?

That's largely a matter of taste. Worth noting: there's no standard operating procedure for curing that the whole cannabis industry agrees on. Every cultivar is different and may need a different cure time. Some buds are dense, others are smaller and airier.

Cannabinoids and terpenes can hold up for as long as two years with minimal loss of potency, as long as the buds are cured and stored really well.

How do you cure buds, step by step?

Curing your weed is key to better flavor, better aroma and a smoother high. Here are the general steps for curing buds, no lemon-peel hacks involved:

1. Initial dry: After harvest, hang the buds upside down in a cool, dark, well-ventilated space so they dry slowly. Leave enough room between them for good airflow. During this stage the buds will lose most of their moisture.

2. Trim: Once the buds feel dry to the touch and the stems snap, do a final trim to remove the big leaves and anything else you don't want, leaving just the buds.

3. Store in airtight jars: Move the buds into airtight glass jars. Fill each jar to about 75% so there's room for air. Avoid excess moisture in the jars, since it can lead to mold. Open the jars daily for the first few days to let built-up moisture escape.

4. Control the humidity: During the cure, the goal is to reach and hold a relative humidity of around 60-65% inside the jar. If the buds are too moist, take them out of the jar for a short while to dry a bit before sealing them again. If they're too dry, you can add a small humidity source, like a piece of citrus peel, to bring the moisture back into balance.

5. Cure time: Curing can last several weeks or even months. During that time, the compounds in the buds keep developing and improving their flavor, aroma and smoothness. As time goes on, you'll notice the buds getting better and better on the nose and the palate.

A proper cure takes patience and care. At the end, you'll be rewarded with tastier, smoother buds. If you spot any sign of mold during the cure, pull the affected buds right away to keep it from spreading. Sticking to good curing practices is what keeps your buds both high-quality and safe.

What does curing actually do to your buds?

Curing is an essential step that improves the quality and character of freshly harvested buds. During the cure, the buds keep going through chemical and physical changes that pay off big time.

One of the most important things curing does is deal with leftover moisture. Buds can feel dry after the initial dry, but they still hold some water inside. A proper cure lets that moisture spread evenly through the bud, which helps prevent mold and fungus.

Curing also allows a slow, controlled breakdown of some compounds in the buds, like chlorophyll and residual sugars, while protecting terpenes and cannabinoids. Those changes help improve flavor, aroma and smoothness and let the terpene profile come through fully.

Curing also makes the smoke smoother, which can mean a more enjoyable session. Properly cured buds tend to burn more evenly and irritate your throat and lungs less.

How long does the curing process take?

How long a cure takes can vary, but a minimum of two weeks is the usual recommendation. That said, plenty of growers and smokers prefer to stretch the cure out over several weeks or even months to get the best flavor, aroma and smoothness.

During the first few weeks of curing, buds go through significant chemical and physical changes as compounds break down and stabilize. That helps round out the terpene profile and smooth out the smoke, making for a better experience.

As time goes on, the buds keep maturing and developing their flavor and aroma. Some growers even go for long cures of several months, because they feel it lets the buds hit their full potential in taste and smell.

Keep in mind that curing has no fixed, set-in-stone length: it depends on things like the strain, the environment and personal preference. At the end of the day, the ideal cure time comes down to the taste of whoever grew or is smoking the weed.