potency question

[Drums]

Does curing time affect potency? I've had some homegrown Cotton Candy for a month or so. Nice, mellow indica buzz. Last night I smoked some and it kicked my butt. VERY narcotic-like. Did that extra month do something, or was it just "one of those nights"?

[tanders]

Well, when a bud is curing in a jar it gets "fresher" the crystals have more time to develop and the inner moisture in the plant evaporates, so in theory I guess the relative concentration might increase a bit.

It's like leaving it in an environment so it can perfectly age instead of getting dried out of flaky in the bitter air. Heavy indicas tend to be rather narcotic, but that also sounds like how the Berlin was, so maybe the Cotton Candy just caught up to its potential

[wheezer]

I don't have any scientific knowledge to back this up, but what I believe, is throughout the drying, curing, and aging process, the cannibinoids are ever slightly changing. Each different cannibinoid changes and becomes more prevelent, or potent, than others throughout the whole process, and at some point begin to degrade, depending on how it's kept. I know from experience that I 've opened a jar of weed that had been sitting awhile, and it wasn't the same as it was....better or worse, just different.

[wheezer]

That's why old pot gives you a burn out typr high and so forth.

[tanders]

If you kept it from the air though, burping whenever needed, in theory couldn't it stay fresh forever, or will the cannabinoids deteriorate either way?

[wheezer]

eventually, in my experience they do deterierate after time, but the better kept, the longer it takes. If your jar is full, it takes longer than if you have a half a jar with room for air.

[Kansas]

I used to swear when I would get super fresh batches in I'd Jar em for a week and not mess with them except for an occasional burp or breather and I used to swear certain strains that were super fresh would get better or at least I believe the moisture inside was evaporating and solidifying on the outside of the buds thus creating waaay more crystals

[wheezer]

That's prolly an optical illusion. Crystal isn't going to grow after harvest, but the change in color and texture will make it look shinier.

[some guy]

Some buds still have too much moisture in them when sold. Actually, more like most buds sent out to market.

Anywho. There is a water molecule that has to evaporate off of a trich before it becomes active. So when buds are still "new", they will not be fully active. As they sit, the water evaporates off and the potency WILL increase until it reaches it's peak and then the THC starts to degrade. The trichs will slowly go amber and become more couch lock and less heady. Eventually, they will degrade completely. Like wheezer said it all depends on how you store it that determines how long it keeps.

I have more to say, but am not into typing more now....