How to store your weed to keep it fresh

Everyone knows that buying in bulk saves money. Weed is no different, which is why there has always been price breaks for larger quantities. As a result, the savvy toker will look to get bigger quantities up front to save some cash. This strategy is excellent, assuming one thing - that you can store your score and keep it as fresh as the day it was harvested.

As weed becomes more publicly available, the storage conversation becomes more important. With more popular strains selling out, it is important that you know what you should, and should not, do to stash your stash. After all, why have championship grade stuff if you’re going to let it dry to dust?

The Do’s and Don’t Do It's

DO: Use an airtight container. They will protect your pot from many harmful factors. First, airflow can cause weed to dry out past the point of cured and all the way to crumbled. Too much exposure to air can grow bacteria, mold, mildew, and other nasties. These can cause your bud to break down and lose many of its desirable qualities. One of the first things to go are terpenes. Terpenes are oils produced by marijuana and other plants that give each strain its own scent, flavor, and quality. When these start to break down from air exposure your bud is about to go from purple and stinky to brown and flat.

DON’T: Use baggies, foil, pieces of plastic wrap, or any other containers that aren't airtight. Not only will your pot go bad, but the whole area around you is likely to reek of weed, bringing unwanted attention and moochers.

DO: Put your pot in a dark place. Many don’t realize it, but UV radiation is actually one of the primary drivers of marijuana deterioration. UV radiation generally destroys the bonds that hold different types of molecules together. When those molecules are your DNA, UV light can cause damage in the form of sun burns and skin cancer. When those molecules are the THC, cannabinoids, and terpenes that make up your weed, those molecules are also going to start to break down. Unlike your skin though, it isn't advised to put sunblock on your weed.

DON’T: Leave your weed exposed to the open lights. Intense lights may originally help pot grow big and strong, but once it's no longer able to repair and defend itself, light will cause pot to fall apart. This includes weed that is out in the sun. Keeping your weed in the dark is the best way to keep it dank.

DO: Control temperature. Just as UV light can affect the bonds that form molecules, different temperatures also play a role in how stable the various chemicals in your herb will be. Higher temperatures will cause you to lose potency of THC, cannabinoids, and terpenes faster than lower temperatures. As temperature rises, molecules evaporate at a faster rate. So keep your weed in a cool place to help preserve flavor and potency.

DON’T: Let your pot be in an uncontrolled or hot environment. More heat makes the chemicals you are after dissipate. Being in an environment that has inconsistent temperature is also bad for your weed. The variations create stress on the plant structure. This causes it to lose potency and fall apart into a brown dust. Or as the older smokers among us like to call it, dirt weed.

DO: Control the moisture around your pot. Too much moisture and pot becomes an attractive home to all kinds of nasty, not good,very bad things. Mildew, mold, bacteria, and more will all seek to make your weed their world. However, if you have no humidity, the plant material will lose its remaining moisture to the air and start to crumble into a fine powder. This is a sad situation for everyone involved, and should be avoided at all costs.

DON’T: Let your weed get too dry or too damp. There’s a reason that experienced marijuana connoisseurs will often comment on the quality of curing on a sample. Proper moisture levels will enhance flavor and odor, as well as the amount and quality of the THC, cannabinoids, and terpenes that make pot unique. Based on studies we’ve conducted, 50% Relative Humidity (RH) is the ideal level to ensure your weed maintains its optimal flavor and potency. A great way to ensure this is to use a high-quality humidor like the Cannaseur® One. These humidors were designed specifically for marijuana and its unique requirements.

And So….

What you are looking for is a container that will help keep your pot air tight. It also needs to protect it from dangerous UV radiation and extreme temperatures. Common preferences include refrigerators, closets, humidors, wine coolers, airtight or fire-proof safes. Essentially, a protected, stable, out of the way place.

There are many great options for controlling each of these factors. Which factor is going to be most important for you depends on where you live. Different climates present different needs.