When it comes to CBD flowers, most people want to get the most bang for their buck, and that includes maximizing shelf-life. The way CBD flowers are stored can also affect their long-term potency.
Hemp and cannabis are packed full of interesting compounds, flavonoids, and terpenes that give each variety and species its unique aroma, taste, and effects. Many people put a lot of time, energy, and money into procuring the finest CBD flowers they can find. On top of that, many of those people will tend to purchase an ounce (28 grams) at a time – or more – for convenience and cost-effectiveness. That means they need a good storage solution to ensure the longevity of their CBD flowers, and that’s a complex area to understand.
When it comes to the storage of cannabis and CBD flowers, the main factors to consider are things like humidity, temperature, and darkness. That’s why we’re giving this quick 101 on CBD flower storage so that you can get the best from your buds without worrying about them losing potency or developing mold.
Spoiler alert: the best storage option is NOT in the freezer.
The Perfect CBD Flower Container
While most people from the pre-prohibition days will remember buying cannabis in small resealable baggies most of the time, that’s certainly not the best way to store buds. You may have noticed that hemp buds contain a complex myriad of trichomes and crystals. This is where most of the goodness from the intrinsic compounds are, as well as flavonoids and terpenes, which add to the overall “Entourage Effect” of a fully rounded experience.
After hemp is harvested and dried, it is put by those in the know into airtight glass mason jars and “burped” regularly to allow some oxygen inside. These jars are left in a cool, dark environment for a few weeks as the process of ‘curing’ takes place. The jar will be around two-thirds full, with the lid only lightly in place.
A little amount of air helps the buds to naturally breakdown sugars and chlorophyll. The result of properly cured flowers is that the smoking or vaping experience is smoother, and more potent according to many. You should receive top-quality CBD flowers that are already cured to perfection, but if you don’t store them right – especially during the summer – you could see some negative results.
Storing CBD Flowers
Let’s start with the fact that hemp and cannabis flowers prefer dark, cool areas to be stored in. These areas need to be less than 77ºF (around 50-60°F) so that the oils and waxes inside the buds don’t dry out over time. Some people think that freezing hemp buds is the way to go, but this comes with a bunch of problems. For starters, cannabis needs some air when being cured but not for storage purposes. Furthermore, the fragile crystals on the flowers need to remain intact, but they freeze and drop off if frozen, making the buds less potent over time.
Now we’ve established that once you’ve received your CBD Flowers you need to place them into a glass jar, we can move on to where to store them. There are specialist glass insert jars made by a company called Juarz. The buds sit in glass, but the outer casing is hard plastic meaning the container is light-proof. This is probably the best option for CBD flowers, but where should they be stored? The fridge would be a logical option for the flowers if it weren’t for huge fluctuations in humidity and temperature. This opens the buds up to the risk of mildew and mold, and that is something best avoided at all costs.
In short, the best storage method for cannabis and CBD flowers is in a dark, glass, airtight container, left in a cool room with the right humidity. You can also pick up a hygrometer if you want to be really precise about it, as this will monitor humidity levels in your storage area. You can also opt for a special (and expensive) UV-blocking jar made by a firm called Cannador, and this is useful but not totally necessary.
Finally, we recommend handling your CBD flowers as little as possible with your fingers. Every time you touch them or move them to another container, valuable trichomes, and other goodies can fall off and be lost.
Getting the best hemp flowers
Now that you know how to store them, you should get yourself some great flowers to smoke or vape. Looking for the BEST HEMP FLOWERS? Subscribe to the CBD Flowers Weekly newsletter, and never be left without your medicine again!