Taste and Smell

Darkdrae

Well-Known Member
Alright so this is about my 4th grow, growing outdoors. Everytime i pull a plant it usually smells great and i cant wait to taste it. But as it dries and cures the smell starts to fade and when it is done curing the smell is usually completely gone and it just taste green. I usually hang it for about 4 days or so until its dry enough to put in jars then cure it usually for another 5 days or a week. Is there a secret to keeping the good smell around on plants and getting rid of the green taste?
 

ta2drvn

Well-Known Member
Try to bring your drying temps down and have a bit higher humidity for the first 4 days, by day 4 stems should still be bendable nugs slightly dry on outside but still moist, fan leaves drying to dry, the humidity should start being reduced a bit faster and by day 6 to 7 big fans should snap off easily and nugs may seem crispy but oily. If you can make it go 8 to 10 days might be a bit better but I find it hard to get past a week in most dry areas I have used. I find putting in Turkey bags sweating them for a few days is the easiest way to do initial cure then I put in jars for long term storage and longer cures.

I find if I put in jars right away for some reason I find I get the timing wrong on the sweating and easier to get it wrong, but that is just me. Brown paper bags work as well for first day or two before the turkey bags or jars.

ps. I have found that the faster the dry time the higher likelihood of losing flavors and getting that hay taste.
 

Darkdrae

Well-Known Member
i have like 4 or 5 different strains, they all smell great and different when they are growing, but as soon as i harvest and they start curing, the smell slowly gos away until they smell like nothing, and then 4 different strains that all had vastly different smells when they were growing now all smell the exact same, like nothing >_<
 

BigB 420

Well-Known Member
Last year was my first time drying and curing but I remember that the smell improved significantly after about 2-3 weeks in the jar and it was even better after a month or two.
 

Darkdrae

Well-Known Member
yea im guessing its def because how im drying if it should take 7-10 days and im doing it in 3-4 >_<
 

Mhogs

Well-Known Member
First off, flushing has nothing to do with the smell of the plant after its been cut. Dry at room temp or a little cooler for 7-10 days. After stem is dry and snaps no problem, I snip all the buds off the main stem into paper bags. I leave them in the bags for another 2-3 days. something about the paper bags does the trick for me.
Good Luck..
 

hoonry

Well-Known Member
yes yes - slow down yer drying time. shoot for something like this - days 1-2 70f, 50% humidity. day 2 or 3 lower temp to 65 and let humidity climb 5-10%, and keep it there until you feel the smaller stems snapping. the bigger buds will still be a bit wet, the smaller ones a bit dry. I lay out newspaper, bundle cut branches around 16" long or so, and wrap the bundle up in the newspaper and slide it into a paper grocery bag with the tops up (duh!). It can stay like this for a day or two, usually on the floor where it's a little cooler. once all the stems are snapping, or really close, I put the paper bag inside a contractor bag and close it up, "burping" it daily by opening it and checking it and letting it breathe for 20-30 minutes before I re-close it. this continues until it's time to trim it. then of course the trimmed nugs go into jars, where they will continue to get burped until I feel like perfection has been reached, then I seal the jar up in vaccum sealer plastic. it's the high temps and low humidity, particularly in the early stages of drying, that will affect your finished product's aroma and flavor. and don't forget - strain selection! so many strains out there smell righteous on the vine, and fade to disappointing tastes/smells no matter what you do.
 

hoonry

Well-Known Member
sorry, forgot a couple other things- more mature plants usually taste better than premes. harvest early in the morning, before sunup, if possible. and keep the drying branches in the dark.
 
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