How to Keep Your Weed Fresh

Sometimes when you take a hit, the taste is somewhat...off. This can be a result of "stale" weed that hasn't been properly stored. Understanding the proper ways to store your herb can ensure that future smoke sessions are more enjoyable, and that you get the most out of your hard-earned herb.

How to Keep Your Weed Fresh

Fortunately, there are plenty of products, such as weed packets and weed containers, that can help you keep weed fresh for longer. Read on to learn some tips and tricks for how to (and how not to) store weed to keep your stash at its best quality for as long as possible. If properly handled, you can even improve the quality of your bud! We'll discuss more in this article about how to properly store your herb.

Storing Weed Properly at Home

Even with weed becoming available in more and more places as time goes on, it doesn't mean you want to constantly be making runs or delivery orders to get more. It can be fun visiting your local shops and speaking with your friendly local budtender, but few people have time to make visits several times a week. There are several reasons why buying larger quantities can be beneficial, and you shouldn't have to sacrifice the quality of your product just because you want to stock up more when you make your purchase.

How to Store Weed

If you've ever bought some high quality bud, and found that it quickly dropped in quality, it can be a huge bummer! So, what should you do to keep this from happening in the future? There are some simple options for storing your weed that can really maintain the quality and the taste.

Sealed Mason Jars for Weed

One of the most popular and widely available options to keep your weed smelling and smoking fresh, is a classic mason jar! Mason jars are designed to create air-tight seals to preserve foods, jams, pickled foods, and a number of other great uses as well; one of them storing weed.

Mason jars are a great option for several reasons! First, they're typically made of clear glass, so you can regularly observe your herb without having to expose it to the air. As the jars are glass, the smell and the shake don't stick to the jar! This way you can re-use the jars again and again without mixing the smells and flavors of your strains. Like I mentioned above, mason jars also provide an air-tight seal, meaning the weed will be protected from drying out or growing mold in more humid environments.

However, there are some important factors to remember if you plan on making a mason jar your main storage method. Always make sure that the lid is fully screwed to keep the seal airtight. Since the jar is made of glass, you'll want to store the jar somewhere that it won't be getting direct sunlight. Usually a cabinet or drawer that have the proper amount of space and are away from any sources of heat. When putting your weed into the jar, you'll want to make sure that there is no water already in the jar or else there is a risk that it could promote mold growth under the right circumstances. This can effectively ruin a whole jar, and is basically the opposite of what we are trying to achieve by storing the weed like this! It's important to be aware, and to take advantage of the glass exterior to check the jar(s) regularly to make sure the stash is fresh and green.

Humidity Packs

One way to prevent your herb from drying out while it's being stored for longer periods of time, is by using special humidity packs that have been designed to promote the right level of moisture in your container without the risk of mold or mildew.

A little known fact is that cannabinoid production actually continues to happen after the harvest process. This is why it can be especially beneficial to properly store and "cure" your weed. We'll look to cover more about the curing process in the future.

What's the Best Temperature For Your Weed?

You can’t talk about how to keep weed fresh without also touching on what the ideal storage temperature is. If you put your stash somewhere too hot and moist, there will be an increased likelihood of mold and mildew growth. On the other hand, environments that are too warm and dry can dry out your buds, causing them to become brittle and crumbly. Sure, you can break dry buds apart easily, but they are also harsh and unpleasant to smoke. Temperatures that are too cold are no good either, and I’ll explain why in a minute.

Keeping your weed fresh and potent isn't only about the sunlight and the amount of moisture, temperature is also a big factor. Leaving your stash in an area that is humid and has a warmer temperature will seriously increase the risk that mold and mildew will begin to grow. Compared to that, storing your stash somewhere that is too dry and hot, will also lead your herb to dry out and crumble, losing potency and flavor. Unfortunately, the solution isn't as simple as turning down the temperature lower either.

There is an ideal temperature that you should aim to store your weed at, between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. This will help mitigate the growth of mold and mildew, and should keep the heat low enough that the herb can maintain the necessary level of moisture to remain fresh. Again, you'll also want to avoid direct sunlight or other areas in your home that can affect the heat or moisture inside the jar. Somewhere dark, dry, and warm is the best option; especially when using a mason jar.

While your favorite strains won’t last forever, using the above weed storage tips will help to ensure that they stay fresh for as long as possible. Knowing the temperature is just as key as where you store weed when it comes to how to keep weed fresh.

Though no weed will stay fresh forever (we can dream), using these tips is sure to help! The tips mentioned after the mason jar hold true for just about every other container you may use for your weed! When storing your weed, remember:

• Avoid direct sunlight
• Avoid any places that may be too damp, or too dry (Look for a container with an airtight seal to help maintain freshness levels)
• Avoid temperatures that go too far above or below 69 degrees
• Check on your stash regularly

Can You Freeze Weed?

It's not uncommon for us to look to freeze something when we want to preserve it. After all, that's what we've been taught to do with food in order to keep it fresh for a long time. Unfortunately, this doesn't hold true when dealing with weed. Even though you can still freeze your weed, it doesn't provide the same benefit as when you freeze other perishables.

Not only does it not provide any extra benefits, but freezing your weed is actually detrimental in the end. Your weed will lose potency if you decide to freeze it as your means of preserving it. The beneficial parts of weed can largely be found in the trichomes that exist on your buds. These trichomes store most of the trichomes and cannabinoids that you are looking for when using cannabis, and freezing the buds will cause these valuable trichomes to fall off of the flower. The flower becomes more brittle as it freezes, making it increasingly easy to knock off the trichomes.

Also, even if you manage to properly handle the frozen flower so that you don't experience a significant loss of the trichomes, there is still the unfreezing process that needs to happen. While the buds are thawing out, there is bound to be moisture present as well. This means that the flower will inevitably become moist, making it hard to grind and to smoke properly. Of course, it also means that there is an increased chance that mold could grow if the buds aren't properly dried after they have been thawed.

Basically, freezing your weed is a bad idea for storage. There are some production methods that target those frozen trichomes, but most smoker/vapers don't need to concern themselves with the process.

Does Dry Weed Lose Potency?

Not only is dry weed brittle and hard to work with, it is also less potent and becomes harsher to smoke as well. You also lose much of the flavor and smell profile, which can be just as serious as the potency for many people that enjoy regularly consuming cannabis in it's various forms.

What's the easiest way to see when your herb is losing potency? When the nugs become dry and start to have smaller leaves flake off, this is commonly referred to as "shake". However, you might be able to identify some stale bud by the smell alone! Fresh buds tend to have a much stronger aroma, especially when they have been sealed in a container for a longer period of time. If you go back to your bud and the smell doesn't essentially smack your nose when you open the lid, that is usually a clear sign that your buds are reaching the point where they should be smoked, or risk losing potency.

Preserve the Quality of Your Weed!

Another way to prevent losing the potency of your weed is to use a grinder that doesn't strip the THC and trichomes from your buds as it breaks them down. The Grynder from Stache is the best grinder on the market for breaking down your nug into a fluffy, potent mix that is perfect for rolling up and packing into bowls.

Final Points

At the end of the day, weed is a natural substance, it's a plant. It can do well on its own to maintain it's quality and potency, but only for a short amount of time after it has stopped receiving outside nutrients. This is why it is important to properly store and handle it if you are not planning on using it shortly after you get it. Buying in larger quantities can save on time at the dispensary, and can reduce overall costs on your weed, but make sure you are prepared when buying larger quantities, or you may lose out on what you initially thought was a great investment. We hope the tips spelled out above will help you continue to enjoy your smoking and vaping experience to the fullest.