PROPERLY GROWN, DRIED and cured flowers burn smoothly and taste flavorful. The smell and flavor come from the terpenes and flavonoids in the buds. Terpenes also contribute to the strain’s specific effects.
Drying and curing flowers take time and patience, but the finished buds are worth the wait. For buds you’ll be proud of, think “low and slow.”
“Low” refers to temperature. Terpenes evaporate at different temperatures, and some at slightly below room temperature. When the air is fragrant with flower odors, the buds are losing their terpenes. Improperly dried and cured buds lose terpenes due to evaporation.
For example, the terpene myrcene—found in mango fruit, hops, bay leaves, eucalyptus, lemongrass and cannabis—evaporates at just 68°F (20°C). In addition to contributing to the smell, myrcene has analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant…