What are "Dry and ready to smoke" buds?

[Braddah Waiheesohai]

Aloha 420!

This months nug of the month journal has me wondering if we all share the same definition of a "dry and ready to smoke or vaporize" nug.

My belief is that we, as growers of our own (perhaps aside from our first grows), generally have enough supply to take our time with the drying and curing process. Sure, we CAN smoke or vape flower as soon as its dry on the line or the rack. But do we really call that "ready to smoke or vaporize"?

The bud isn't evenly dried (wet in the middle), and still contains a bunch of chlorophyll which taints the flavor, and harshes the smoke:
"Why curing cannabis is important:
The curing process is possibly the most overlooked aspect of growing weed. During curing, moisture continues to draw from the center of the bud toward the outside.

Curing affects the flavor and quality of the smoke. Many terpenes, which give cannabis its unique smell and flavor, are quite sensitive and can degrade and evaporate at temperatures as low as 50°F. A slow cure at low temperatures will preserve terpenes better than a quick, hot dry.

A proper cure also allows you to store weed for long periods without worrying about mold, or cannabinoid or terpene degradation. Well-cured flower can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to two years without significant loss of potency.

What does curing do to weed?
Curing helps finish off buds, improving their taste and smell. During curing chlorophyll continues to break down, getting rid of a vegetal taste—without curing, weed would taste like a freshly cut lawn. This loss of chlorophyll makes buds less harsh and smoother to smoke."

Are we not here to help everyone grow connoisseur quality flower? For me the dry, cure, and trim say a lot about the grower and are the difference between good and great weed.

What do you growers think?

**Off topic question: Do you prefer BIG (5+ gram) nugs or lots of medium (2-3) gram nugs? It is fun to whip out a giant nug with friends, but for me BIG nugs generally have too much stem weight.

***Off topic question 2: What's the biggest nug you ever grew? I got an unknown sativa seed from a friend and planted it outside. It just KEPT flowering without maturing for 100+ days. I didnt have a scale at the time, but the main cola was bigger than my head.

 

[2Water]

I was trying to figure a way where my sarcastic ass wouldn't sound like an akea, but is your question just concerning whether or not growers should smoke testers? I'm confused by your question, but I see nothing wrong with the practice, just with the understanding that it isn't ready until after cure. But with a new strain it could give you an idea of what to expect, or you can use it for notes to compare on lengths of cure To each their own is my opinion

 

[Regrowth]

Feels like you're stirring the pot a bit man.
Considering I smoke scissor hash or was smoking nugs right out the fridge when doing low and slow this spring -
Dry and ready to smoke is probably not long after harvesting.
Sure, it get's better tasting and terpenes develop with time but fresh buds mess me up regardless
and just as much if not more than they do a few months into the cure because the cannabinoids start to degrade.

Off topic #1: I have some OCD thing where I smoke my little nugs first and work my way up to the bigger ones.
Think it goes back to when I was younger and would smoke the crappier stuff so I could move the better stuff.

Off topic #2: Probably the MAC1 crosses I grew last summer. Buds were huge and loaded with frost.

 

[Braddah Waiheesohai]

I was trying to figure a way where my sarcastic ass wouldn't sound like an akea, but is your question just concerning whether or not growers should smoke testers? I'm confused by your question, but I see nothing wrong with the practice, just with the understanding that it isn't ready until after cure. But with a new strain it could give you an idea of what to expect, or you can use it for notes to compare on lengths of cure To each their own is my opinion

haha, nothing wrong with testing! I test always! Question is do you keep your whole stash at the point of that first just dry test, and consider that to be the best expression of that flower? I'm the same, no judgement, no right answer. As someone who's spent most of their life in the hills off the grid I'm just curious what other people think.

 

[Braddah Waiheesohai]

Feels like you're stirring the pot a bit man.
Considering I smoke scissor hash or was smoking nugs right out the fridge when doing low and slow this spring -
Dry and ready to smoke is probably not long after harvesting.
Sure, it get's better tasting and terpenes develop with time but fresh buds mess me up regardless
and just as much if not more than they do a few months into the cure because the cannabinoids start to degrade.

Off topic #1: I have some OCD thing where I smoke my little nugs first and work my way up to the bigger ones.
Think it goes back to when I was younger and would smoke the crappier stuff so I could move the better stuff.

Off topic #2: Probably the MAC1 crosses I grew last summer. Buds were huge and loaded with frost.

I can see that, and I considered it when posting this. I'm really just curious! It's important to me, but that doesn't make it right. It's just what I like. As a long time off the grid hillbilly I'm really just interested in what other people think.

I smoke scissor hash too, and would argue that hash doesn't really need to be cured as it doesn't contain much excess moisture or any chlorophyll.

Hell, I've been out and smoked resin scrapings from a pipe, re-rolled roaches, you name it. For a while we put nugs in resin chambers in metal pipes .