As a smoker, when we light up a joint of homegrown Cannabis flower, you expect the taste to be terpene rich, packed full of flavor and as smooth as breathing air. There is nothing worse than smoking buds that refuse to stay lit, burn with a charcoal black ash, and the harsh taste can leave you in a coughing fit. As a buyer, you can feel like you have been ripped off, and as a grower you may be scratching your head wondering what happened. In this article, we break down how to get the best tasting Cannabis buds, to ensure you have the ultimate smoking experience, and what signs to look out for when identifying bad tasting flowers.
Use Organic Nutrients
When it comes to nutrients, you will either work with organic or chemical based. For many beginner growers, choosing the organic option is generally the easiest path with the least resistance. Many will testify that not only will using an organic growing medium and liquid fertilizers produce the best tasting Cannabis, it also allows a grower to remain chemical free.
Organic nutrients can be sourced from local garden centers, and in the most basic circumstances can be fed a plain water diet. There is a buffering period of 72 hours that occurs inside the soil, which is where the old school phrase of ‘ don’t panic..it’s organic ‘ originates from.
Flushing The Plants
If you are new to growing, and are not familiar with this term, this simply refers to the final 2 weeks of the flowering period. During this time, the plants are fed only plain water in the effort to wash away any undissolved salts that have accumulated over the entire growing cycle, and to also encourage plants to use the remaining internal nutrients stored.
Flushing your Cannabis plants for 14 days will guarantee the best tasting Cannabis, and make sure the ash is light gray and soft. Not only will every toke of your joint taste extremely smooth, the flavors should be at their pinnacle, leaving your lips coated with a gloss of terpenes.
The Drying Stage
How you dry and store your Cannabis buds, once harvested, plays a huge role in the final quality of the smoke. The best tasting Cannabis buds will always be produced when allowed to dry in a well ventilated and smell proof drying room. It is during this stage that the buds will now dry out, and the chlorophyll will die off, which is how the plants lose any fresh aroma.
The drying room should remain consistently at 15 degrees Celsius with a relative humidity of as close to 55-60% as possible. The best tasting Cannabis buds will require a full 14 days to dry, until the buds can be broken with a clear, audible snap. When checking the buds after 10 days time, and you notice there is still a fresh, green smell, then the buds will need longer.
Correctly Curing
For those who are fortunate to grow enough buds every harvest they can fill their cupboards full of labeled curing jars, then correctly curing is an excellent way to guarantee the best tasting Cannabis. Curing is a process that allows the buds to react with the air inside the jar or tub. Using a 10 minute per day burping system, over time the buds will become somewhat smoother in taste, with a more complex and refined flavor and effect.
When the goal is to achieve the best tasting Cannabis buds around, you should know the difference between correctly curing buds, and simply storing away. Curing like wine, cheese or ham is a slow process that requires time, patience and consistency.
Enzymes
Enzymes can be used for Cannabis plants, garden ponds, kitchen washing machines, and we even have plenty of them, inside our bodies breaking down food. Basically a liquid that is applied to organic substrate which will break down the organic matter making it into smaller sizes that are more readily available for Cannabis plants.
Not only will using enzymes with every feed and for the flushing stage produce the best tasting Cannabis, enzymes will also wash the roots, creating a bright white appearance. Some growers choose to work with many different enzymes at once, to allow them to benefit from the multiple sources offered by so many nutrient brands.
5 Signs of Unflushed Cannabis Buds
You can never really tell just by looking at a bud if it has been well grown and correctly flushed. Typically, you may find out the hard way that you don’t have the best tasting Cannabis, so below is a list of 5 signs to look out for.
1. Side Burning
This means that when you light the joint, it refuses to burn with an even shape and takes no time before the joint is side-burning. You may do your best to nurse the joint as best you can, however the ember seems to have a life of its own.
2. Black Ash
After taking the first few tokes off your joint and finding out the smoke feels hot and harsh, the next thing you will most likely notice is the ash color is charcoal black. Even when mixed with tobacco, the ash still produces a chalky black residue that will stain your ashtray black when putting the joint out.
3. Harsh Smoke
We all know the difference between smoking some organic buds that were smooth, tasty and the best case scenario experience wise. On the other hand, we are all familiar with the joint which makes us cough uncontrollably, accompanied by a hot, dry smoke that leaves us dying for a drink.
4. Unpleasant Aroma
Another great way to know if your buds in question are not up to par, and that is by the aroma it produces when lit. A terpene rich, well cured bud will have a certain smell and aroma that can be just as enjoyable as smelling a dried bud. If your joint has a chemical, burnt stench when smoking, then this is often a sign of badly grown and dried flowers.
5. Constantly Lighting
The final sign and easily the most frustrating, especially in a social scenario, is needing to constantly light the joint. This is a clear sign that the buds being smoked are packed full of nutrients that give it that slow burning, black ash characteristic.
Conclusion
Make sure that you do not overfeed your indoor plants, correctly flush for 14 days, and follow a strict guideline when drying and curing your buds. We hope this article helps you achieve the best tasting Cannabis buds possible, and gets you on the path to becoming the indoor connoisseur!
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