When it comes to storing weed, many of the easiest and most common-sense options actually turn out to be the worst.
Putting buds in Ziploc bags, unsuitable plastic containers, or spreading it out on a plastic tray will all ensure that it eventually goes brown, crumbly, and loses its flavor and potency. This is due to unsuitable humidity levels, too much light exposure, and oxidation.
Because of its high surface area, bud can also readily absorb smells from the environment, which we don’t want.
At first glance, cigar humidors may look like a tempting option – they’re cheap, widely available, and look nice. Unfortunately, in most cases, tobacco humidors are unsuitable for proper weed storage, with a few possible exceptions, which we’ll discuss in a bit.
The good news is that there are better options, which are actually cheaper, and one of which you probably know of and already have at home – a mason jar.
Is a Cigar/Tobacco Humidor Suitable For Storing Weed?
The short answer is _no_ – not if you want to store your weed for long periods or want to reliably preserve its flavor profile, without it crumbling or developing mold.
There are two main factors that make tobacco humidors unsuitable for storing weed:
The Wood the Box Is Made Out Of:
Cigar humidors are usually made out of cedar, which contains volatile oils that will eventually impart unwanted flavor and taste to the weed if it’s stored for a sufficient period of time. Tobacco benefits from such flavors, but weed doesn’t, as has already been determined by the many people who’ve tried this method of storage.
An exception is a cigar box constructed from mahogany, which is also sometimes used in humidors designed specifically for weed. Mahogany doesn’t impart unpleasant flavors to the stored bud and has very good porousness and humidity retention characteristics.
Humidity Levels:
Cigar humidors usually feature the simplest of all the humidity-increasing methods – a wet sponge. Wet sponges don’t actually regulate the humidity, but just give off as much water vapor as they can manage, often raising the humidity to more than 70%.
And anything more than 65% risks mold and bacterial contamination.
Exceptions:
If you have a mahogany humidor, in which you incorporate a suitable humidity-regulating mechanism (like Boveda humidity packs, which we’ll discuss in a bit), then it can be safely used for storing weed.
Regular cigar boxes may also be used for short-term storage if you’re willing to accept the possibility of the added cedar flavor and again, control your humidity well using a hygrometer or a humidity pack.
What Are The Perfect Conditions For Storing Weed?
Humidity is the main variable you want to control well. 55% to 65% is a good range. Anything above 65% will risk bacterial and mold problems and anything below 55% will dry out your bud too much and end up having to rehydrate your pot.
Temperature is also important – keeping the storage temps below around 77 is a good idea. This is the temperature, above which mold growth greatly increases.
Light – It’s important to keep weed out of sunlight, or any strong light. UV light from the sun is particularly harmful and will cause the oils contained in the bud to oxidize and go rancid fairly quickly.
THC and CBD are both relatively unstable fat-soluble compounds, so light exposure will also reduce the potency of your herb.
What Are The Best Options For Storing Weed Then?
Weed is best stored in containers made out of inert material, like glass. You may have noticed that mason jars are a very popular option on many discussion boards. Or you can opt for a high end weed stash box and use the jars in the box.
However, if you open the jar too frequently, the humidity may drop too much over time, causing the trichomes to dry out, lose their elasticity and crumble, settling on the bottom as a fine powder. So, you may want to incorporate a moisture-regulating mechanism in your jars.
Boveda humidity packs are specifically made for that purpose. And as we already mentioned, make sure your jars are kept out of light.
Using Boveda Humidity Packs
Boveda humidity packs are little packs, designed to regulate the humidity in any small, enclosed area.
When the humidity drops below the packs’ pre-determined humidity value, it starts giving off water vapor. And if it rises above the value, it will start absorbing moisture.
The humidity value of the packs used for storing weed is usually 58% or 62% – both of those work very well, preserving the freshness of your weed, while at the same time ensuring that no mold can thrive.
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