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storage methods and shelf life

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Mafioso

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So I've never been able to hold onto weed for more than a month or so, usually kept in a glass jar or if I plan to keep for maybe 2 months I'll vacuum seal. I've never stored for longer because I feel that even after about 2 months in a vacuum seal the buds start to lose a little bit of quality. not mold, per se, but more that the freshness and taste seem to degrade fairly quickly.

I've heard of people storing bud for a couple of years though and have smoked some year old buds that were really dry but still potent. idk if as potent as they were right after cure though.

just wanted to start a discussion amongst people who are experienced in curing and storing buds. I say curing because I imagine the better the bud is cured the better it will store. What are your thoughts? What are your experiences? How long can you store buds OR concentrate and with what methods?

I'd also like to know about your experiences with concentrates, particularly how long will it store before it starts to degrade?
 
I m not an expertise but from what I know it depends how you store your weed.
Does it get light? Is it dry enough?
Do you keep them lose or you compact them? How do you wrap it? Do you keep it off heat, humidity? Etc, etc.
 
nugs keep pretty well in a glass jar if you "burp" the jar every few weeks, if you're vac sealing fresh nugs then the fridge is the best place to keep it fresh. for long-term storage i'd say just turn nugs into a hash brick and that will automatically protect most of it from oxidation.
 
I used to pre-roll a week of joints. By Friday they were cigarette dry. Live and learn I guess.
 
So before posting in this thread, I just now smoked some 5 year old bud that I grew so I could be a better help. This particular bud was kept in a regular mason jar, cured for 2-3 weeks, and never opened for 5 years until today.

I have about 4-5 different strains all described as above, the opened one is Bubble Gum (Indiana).

Curing:
Every tiny mistake that you might not have noticed you made in curing will become clear after smoking 5 year old bud. All the sweetness is gone after 5 years. All the bad tastes are apparent. Strangely enough the potency does not seem to be effected at all after 5 years.

Storage:
I keep a small stash in a plastic medicine bottle that I use for quick access. I keep a large stash of weed in mason jars, with the plastic covering used there as well.

I don't like to store the same weed longer than a few months. The only reason I have 5 year old bud is because of sentimental reasons.

Concentrates:
Storage:
Like weed, I'll keep a small stash in plastic container for quick access. Unlike weed, I keep my large stash of oil in the refrigerator. I've had wax and shatter stored there for over a year without any noticeable loss of potency or taste. I do find that there is a small loss of taste after oil has been on the shelf for a couple weeks.

lol i'm high off of 5 year old bud.
 
w01fg4ng said:
So before posting in this thread, I just now smoked some 5 year old bud that I grew so I could be a better help. This particular bud was kept in a regular mason jar, cured for 2-3 weeks, and never opened for 5 years until today.

I have about 4-5 different strains all described as above, the opened one is Bubble Gum (Indiana).

Curing:
Every tiny mistake that you might not have noticed you made in curing will become clear after smoking 5 year old bud. All the sweetness is gone after 5 years. All the bad tastes are apparent. Strangely enough the potency does not seem to be effected at all after 5 years.

Storage:
I keep a small stash in a plastic medicine bottle that I use for quick access. I keep a large stash of weed in mason jars, with the plastic covering used there as well.

I don't like to store the same weed longer than a few months. The only reason I have 5 year old bud is because of sentimental reasons.

Concentrates:
Storage:
Like weed, I'll keep a small stash in plastic container for quick access. Unlike weed, I keep my large stash of oil in the refrigerator. I've had wax and shatter stored there for over a year without any noticeable loss of potency or taste. I do find that there is a small loss of taste after oil has been on the shelf for a couple weeks.

lol i'm high off of 5 year old bud.
Click to expand...

5 years and still working. As I mentioned it all depends how well you storage.
 
Erikmen said:
5 years and still working. As I mentioned it all depends how well you storage.
Click to expand...
Yes indeed. I'm almost out of my fresh supply and thinking that I am just going to smoke the ~ ounce of 5 year old bud for the next month or so. I mean, the taste could be a lot better, but you are right that it is still working at full potency.

One other note is that the smell was almost gone, but when I break up the bud, the original strain specific smell comes right back. It's nice to be able to smell the same bud as it brings back memories.
 
For short-term storage I would just cut it up really fine with scissors, and put it into a dugout, or keep it in a bag, but for long-term storage I would cure whole buds and keep them in a Mason jar like Thujone and w01fg4ng posted about doing, and I would keep it in a dark and cool place away from heat and light.
 
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Need to keep it away from light too. Sealed glass jar in a cool dark place should last a while, easily a few months. If for some reason you want to store it for over a year then maybe vacuum sealing it & keeping it frozen is best.
 
hey all, thanks for the replies. I keep my jars/bags in a desk drawer(to keep out of light) that sits in a room that stays between 40-75F year around. Might get a little warmer or cooler, but in general it stays pretty close. When vac sealing for long term, I try to suck the bags as tight as possible.

wolf, with your 5 year old buds, did you dry them out until almost crumbly? or do you just make sure they are completely free of any mold spores?
 
Mafioso said:
wolf, with your 5 year old buds, did you dry them out until almost crumbly? or do you just make sure they are completely free of any mold spores?
Click to expand...
I dried them "normally" (about 5 days hanging?) prior to curing the buds for 2-3 weeks. There is drying involved in the curing process, but I believe that most of the normal drying is done prior to curing. After all the proper amount of moisture is gone when curing is complete and the bud is ready to smoke, this is the time that I simply put them in a glass mason jar and left them there. This is how I treat most of my buds that I grow, whether I keep them for one month or 5 years.

Mold has only presented itself for me when I was first learning how to cure and I did it improperly. Since then, I've never seen mold on my buds, but I do live in a dry environment so ymmv.

They ended up becoming extremely dry on their own due to being in a non airtight container for 5 years. I imagine I could have retained to the proper moisture if I had used an airtight storage (vacuum seal?). I'm sure lower temperatures are going to help preserve all of this as well.
 
I usually dry for about 12-14 days (I have no set time, it takes as long as it takes) and I cure for at least a few months.

If I was going to store long term I would probably use something like a Foodsaver jar sealer and Ball or Kerr jars. Or failing that I would put oxygen absorber sachets in since they reduce oxidation of the buds. One thing I wouldn't do is put the buds in those vacuum pouches that crush the buds though since I prefer my buds to retain their bag appeal (personal preference).

The main thing that reduces shelf life is air, higher temperatures and light. So keep it in a dark place, lower the temperature but don't freeze bud IMO and create vacuum long term or add oxygen absorber sachets. Anything under a year and just the usual storage method (mason jars) will work well.

gallery_51167_3924_78742.jpg
 
great post AE, I agree, I don't like the vacuum pouch method because in order to get a good seal you have to crush the buds.

never thought about vacuum sealed jar, always thought it involved boiling for some reason. do you know if you can buy the oxygen absorbers at a retail store? I guess I could always order online.


I don't really have a specific purpose in mind other than finding a better storage method for general use, although I do think it would be cool to keep samples of really good strains for future tasting. Maintaining taste is important to me. Would be cool to see how long buds could retain taste and potency under vacuum with oxygen packets.
 
You are right, it does usually involve boiling but for obvious reasons that would not be suitable for buds. That's why a vacuum sealer is the way to go.

I don't know of anywhere you can buy the sachets in bricks and mortar shops but you can get them for cheap online like that online auction site everyone uses (can't say the name but everyone knows where I mean). All they contain is iron powder, salt and possibly a bit of activated carbon.
 
haha ya I think I could take a guess about where you're talking.

great advice thanks again
 
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