Now Buds Can be Dried and Cured Perfectly in a Matter of Days

Drying Cannabis Plants.

Cannabis cultivators of all types need to control every step of the process from seed to smoke. Nurturing the life cycle of the plant is only the beginning. After putting so much care into the cultivation process, it’s critical to ensure buds are dried, cured, and stored in a clean, stable environment that preserves terpenes, potency, and quality.

Placing fresh cut Cannabis flower on hangers.

Advances in cultivation have seen the dry and cure process evolve significantly in recent years. Long gone are the days when towering stalks were simply hang-dried next to a fan, ending up in totes or jars to cure for weeks on end. We now live in a world where all buds, regardless of size or density, can be dried and cured perfectly in a matter of days and stored in a controlled environment ensuring the highest quality.

Enter Cannatrol.

Roughly trimmed cannabis flower on a Cannatrol rack. It is important not to overcrowd the machine.

For home growers, the Cannatrol Cool Cure system is unlike any post-harvest solution seen before. Deploying proprietary cutting-edge Vaportrol technology, this unique process utilizes the power of vapor pressure to achieve precise, uniform conditions—no matter how long the buds are stored. Flower reaches equilibrium in the unit and is preserved until it’s time to consume.

The sleek and stylish machine removes the need for burping and allows buds to be dried, cured, and stored all in one. The sealed Cool Cure units give cultivators the ability to accurately monitor and adjust the temperature and dew point of the environment around the buds to create optimal drying and curing conditions.

But just how did this novel system come to be? The answer may surprise you.

Meat, Cheese…and Cannabis?

David and Jane Sandelman, the founders of VT Dry & Cure Technologies (makers of the award-winning Cannatrol), discovered their game-changing solution in a roundabout way.

The pair spent a decade at the helm of a farm-to-table inn and restaurant in Vermont, developing long-lasting relationships with local cheese and meat purveyors in the process. After discovering a need for humidity control in cheese aging rooms, David put his background in electrical and mechanical engineering to work.

The serial inventor (with 17 patents and counting under his belt) quickly developed his proprietary Vaportrol Technology. The incredibly effective solution was an instant hit in the cheesemaking world and soon spread to the dry-aged and cured meats space.

Fast forward to 2017, when a chance meeting with one of Colorado’s largest cannabis producers at the American Cheese Society’s annual conference in Denver brought David’s tech to new levels. In their conversation, the grower explained he needed technical assistance with the drying and curing process.

It quickly became apparent the physics applied to systems for meat and cheese also applied to the drying and curing of cannabis buds. It was at that moment that Cannatrol drying, curing, and storage systems were born.

Fresh Cannabis Flower is ready to be dried and cured

Water Activity: The Crux of Quality

The Cannatrol mantra is, “you can't fool physics.” While the conditions required for cheese, meat, and cannabis are all unique, the baseline physics are the same. What do all three have in common? Controlled water loss and proper final water content (water activity) are both critical to finishing the product properly. All three require controlled water removal and ultimately, they are all sold by weight. Over-drying any of these products results in inferior, inconsistent product quality and the worst part: lost profits.

Reducing the moisture content of a freshly cut cannabis bud is comparable to curing salami. If the meat dries too quickly, water can get trapped inside the casing causing the meat to become rancid. If the meat dries too slowly, production time increases, and profits decrease. 

The same principles apply when drying and curing cannabis. Once a harvest is cut, the moisture content of the buds must be lowered at a controlled level. Traditionally, this has been accomplished by regulating temperature and humidity—along with a bit of hope and luck. But with Cannatrol, this feat becomes simple. You can set it and forget it!

Here you can see how well the curing and drying works.

So, Why Use a Cool Cure?

The goal in post-harvest is to produce material that has a low enough water activity to prevent mold growth and prolong shelf life. If there is too much moisture left in the buds, mold can grow. Mold is potentially unsafe, especially for medical cannabis patients with compromised immune systems.

But if the buds are overdried, growers will lose those delicious volatile terpenes that were so carefully cultivated. Dry cannabis is harsh to smoke, less potent, and generally unpleasant.

In any traditional drying system, whether using a tent or a room, water is constantly being removed from the flower.  Unless at some point the flower is removed from that space (let the burping begin!), it’s going to get overdried. It’s a delicate balance.

The challenge is, if the flower is pulled too soon it will still be wet and when you put it in that container to cure, the excess moisture can cause it to go moldy. Proper burping lets that moist air out. The environment also plays a big role. Are you in Florida in August, or are you in Vermont in December? The air is completely different.

With the Cannatrol System, it’s a continuum. Moisture is pulled out of the flower until it reaches equilibrium with the space. Once there, the flower maintains that level until it’s time to smoke. Buds can be stored for months and months, without fear of oxidation, terpene loss, or mold development.

Every grower has their own style. Whether you prefer to buck and wet trim or simply remove fan leaves prior to cure, the Cannatrol system will work equally well. The end result will always be incredible buds that offer a rich and robust smoking experience.

An additional feature is the fact that the unit holds your flower in the perfect environment. Think giant humidor cabinet for all your favorite strains.

Cannatrol by the Numbers

Specifically designed for the home grower, the Cool Cure is a fully programmable system that holds up to 2.2 pounds of wet buds per cycle and can store up to 4 pounds of finished flower in ideal conditions.

Each unit is pre-programmed with default settings; however, the settings can be changed to program the temperature, dew point conditions, and cycle duration according to personal preference.

The process starts with gentle controlled water removal. A dry cycle might last anywhere from 4-7 days depending on the cultivar and personal preferences. When the dry cycle is completed the flower will be at a stable water activity level. Then, the unit cures each harvest in a perfectly controlled environment— no burping or maintenance required.

When satisfied with the cure results, the buds can be stored right in the unit. Like a wine cellar, the Cool Cure holds your carefully cultivated cannabis until it’s ready to be consumed. The Cool Cure will hold about 4 pounds of dried buds in perfect condition for months to come. Some Cool Cure owners use uncoated paper bags labeled with the strain and date of harvest but the type of storage container you choose is completely up to you.

Recently, VT Dry & Cure Technologies ran a side-by-side experiment with a local grower and certified Ganjier in Vermont to analyze the effect that Cannatrol’s post-harvest approach might have on finished flower.  In comparing bud that had been dried using a Cannatrol system compared to bud dried via a traditional hang dry method followed by curing in mason jars, the Cannatrol product was found to have significantly higher terpene levels and higher potency.

In addition, taste tests from dispensary panels have shown that consumers prefer flower dried in a Cannatrol product at a rate of 2-to-1 over traditionally dried flower. If you are curious about the company check them out here: Cannatrol

Drying and curing in the Cannatrol is easy and effective, but the muted aroma of the flower when it emerges from the unit may surprise you. While the terpene profile is far less robust initially, once you grind the bud to smoke, you will be met with the rich aroma you expect. This change comes from Cannatrol's unique technology, which essentially locks in terpenes to prevent them from evaporating.

Final Thought

VT Dry & Cure sells both large-scale commercial systems and home grow solutions worldwide.  Cannatrol first began selling home grower-size units in 2019. The company offers cultivators of all sizes the opportunity to have an incredible level of control over the entire post-harvest process, from drying and curing to long-term storage.

Scaled up is the line of DC Quick Start Systems, ready-to-go commercial systems capable of handling up to 720 pounds of wet flower. Designed for cultivators lacking infrastructure, the plug-and-play system arrives on two pallets and can be set up within a day.

For the large cultivators, Cannatrol offers custom solutions that can be installed during build-out or retrofitted into existing rooms.

Home growers, caregivers, and connoisseurs alike will love the Cool Cure unit. Not only does it produce amazing, terpene-rich buds post-harvest, but it also is a sleek, stylish, and smart way to store your entire stash. 

If you want to learn more consider taking a look at the two books above. You can find them in my store.