Curing, Storing, and Aging Cannabis with Grove Bags
Hello my friends,
As someone privileged to explore an array of new products within the cannabis field, I've come across innovations that truly disrupt the status quo every so often.
One aspect that has long begged for evolution is the curing process. Though effective to an extent, the traditional 'burping' approach leaves much to be desired in terms of efficiency, safety, and ease of use.
Enter TerpLoc, a paradigm-shifting solution that transcends the limitations of conventional curing. This innovative product has caught my attention for its elegant and incredibly effective approach to preserving the essence of cannabis. Not only is TerpLoc easy to use, but it is also remarkably affordable for the benefits it offers. Gone are the days of laborious curing processes; TerpLoc streamlines and enhances the path to a superior cannabis product. Want to check out how TerpLoc® bags work for you? Order anything in my store and I will give you two custom-made Bags (Cannabis Growers Handbook) for free!
But let's delve deeper into the TerpLoc phenomenon, exploring its mechanisms and benefits.
It’s perhaps one of the most misunderstood or overlooked steps, but it truly can make the difference between ‘decent’ and ‘decadent’; the curing process brings your cannabis over the finish line, redistributing moisture from within the bud and allowing your terpenes to sing.
Until the last few years, and for some still today, curing was synonymous with a hands-on process of agitating jars and burping the lids to allow for gas and moisture exchange. While it may work for some, this process ultimately introduces more opportunities for things to go wrong; microbes can make their way in while terpenes make their way out, trichomes break and stick to containers, and maintaining an ideal gas ratio this way is largely guesswork without adding sensors.
“Curing in glass jars is tedious and risky. With the slightest sign of sweating you have to open the jar to remove the humidity - sometimes several times a day in order to prevent molds and bacteria from ruining the buds. Why risk all your hard work when there are easier ways to cure? ”
Cannabis once dried down properly, thrives and matures best in a stable, clean, high CO2 environment, not one that is regularly being thrown off balance and forced to reacclimate. This is where Grove Bags come in.
Grove bags are an ingenious way to cure and age your cannabis crop.
Grove Bags are composed of a blend of several high-barrier films with key permeability properties specific to cannabis. All unwanted gasses & water vapor are actively diffused through the film elements, forming the ideal mold-free environment to maintain weight, consistency, and potency. TerpLoc®, the material the bags are made from, completely eliminates the need for “burping” during the curing process without the use of active modifiers or complicated mechanisms.
Once the flower is dried down to approximately 10-12% moisture, it’s ready to transfer into Grove Bags, where it will gradually produce and maintain an internal microclimate within the bag with a 58-62% relative humidity level. You won’t be burping your bags, so you also won’t be agitating trichomes off your buds - plus, the anti-static property of the bags helps make sure they stay put. Be sure to leave around 25% of the bag empty as “headspace” - this helps build and maintain the environment in the bag.
Make sure you follow the instructions! TerpLoc® Best Practices
TerpLoc® protects from UV rays, but it’s still a good idea to store your bag for curing in a cool, dark, controlled environment, around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 60% humidity. For curing, it’s also recommended to heat seal the pouch. After 2 weeks, you’ll have an early-stage cure that’s ready for use. At this level, you could consider the flower “finished”, but patience will be robustly rewarded if you extend the total cure time.
TerpLoc® bags come in various sizes and are well-suited for small-time growers as well as commercial operators.
At the 8-week mark is where oxygen levels reach their lowest point as the amount of CO2 in the bag increases, creating an environment in which moisture levels are maintained, excess chlorophyll can be broken down, and terpenes can reach their peak expression.
Oxygen chemically degrades cannabis over time. SO the less you have in your storage container the better.
The Role of CO2 in Cannabis Development
Beyond 8 weeks ventures into “aging” territory, which, just like wine, can dramatically change the profile of your flower. You can experiment with this using Grove Bags, especially since the environment within the bag will prevent mold growth. If you don’t have the patience for that, you can also transfer your finished flower into a separate stash bag for personal use, and reuse your curing bag for another harvest.
Burping jars was never an ideal solution for curing cannabis, but we never had a tool with all of the very specific properties needed by the plant - until now, that is. Best of all, any grower can benefit from using Grove Bags, no matter if you’re reaping acres of outdoor or two plants from a tent. They’re an elegant solution to a complex task - a hallmark of welcome innovation.
