A perfect cure every time

[frikn squirrel]

what are the largest mason jars they currently make right now?

You can find up to half gallon mason jars. I buy them on sale at 6 1/2 gallon jars for $10.

You can also find big jars of pickles (a gallon's worth!) for $3 at cheap bulk food stores. Run them through the dishwasher and they should be good to go.

 

[jgrow]

ill be back in here in about two months when i harvest. Great info!

 

[simon]

The cure should be starting in less than a week.

GMG, I made a mistake when I referred to the quantity of product that can be stored in a 1/2 gallon jar. What I thought were 1/2gal jars turn out to be a 1gal. I'll edit the original post. <blush>

Simon

 

[GrnMtnGrwr]

NP Simon, I ended up going with quart jars, and according to barth, they're good for 2oz each. I'm not expecting more than that from any one plant so I should be all set.

I pack 2 oz in a quart size jar. They are all the way full. They cure fine. I do this after the correct humidity is reached.

 

[gdbud]

I just got 5 Caliber IIIs and took them out of their packaging. They've sat out on my desk for about 30~ minutes, and the readings are as follows:

1. 74.4f // 42%
2. 75.4f // 42%
3. 75.7f // 40%
4. 75.1f // 41%
5. 74.6f // 39%

Going to go to the local tobacco shop and pick up some calibration kits to get some exact readings. The cure should be starting in less than a week.

If you are going to get a calibration kit. Instead of getting one for 75% for tobacco get the one for 65% instead since it would be more in line what we are looking for our curing process.

 

[simon]

If anyone is looking for bigger glass jars, Walmart has 1gal Ball commemorative jars for ~$10.

Simon

 

[stak]

.

 

[synchro.surfer]

look up Libbey or Libby glass and barrel ... you'll find 20 L and 10 L sized jars @ restock it dot com and other places

 

[Ty_Kaycha]

.

 

[schizobot]

hey simon , great thread !!
was just wondering , i bought myself a digi hygrometer , and seems to be workin awrite ,
i put it in the jar yesterday and it went from 35% and creeped up one% an hour (like u mentioned) to 49% , but it doesnt go further than tht , and has stopped there ?
Any idea wats going on ?

 

[Ty_Kaycha]

.

 

[schizobot]

nop ,, how is it possible to calibrate ?

 

[NHMI]

This is a great thread, I was worried about curing but most of my nugs came out great thanks to you all, so thank you for your contributions in this thread...

 

[Chronic777]

I've found that for what i've just grown (blue cheese) the taste is coming into the bud when it gets below 60%
My jars are sitting at 63%, when i smoke a bud straight out the jar it tastes stale but if i let it air out first by putting it in a small jar by itself & burp that jar until it gets to 55-59% then the taste & smell really comes through.
I guess the air in the packed jars gets stale pretty easy.

I never thought this would happen as most people in this thread have said their jars at higher RH were always more smelly, i've found the opposite to be true, when i get it to around 55% the smell is incredibly sweet.
Maybe its strain dependent, it was my first harvest so i have no comparison really.
I brought my jars down from 70% very very slowly & i can say without a doubt that getting them down to 55-59% really really brings out the flavour & sweet smell
I guess you just wanna bring it down to that RH as slow as you can

Its been great to see this process unfold, i really thought i'd messed up the flavour as it had been 12 weeks curing yet my bud mostly tasted stale
All i needed was the RH% to drop a few percent & that flavour came back more than before, its really unbeleivable how a few percent makes all the difference

Just to go on from this last post...
I've found that airing the buds out for a few hours before smoking will help get rid of any stale taste you may get from keeping the jars sealed/not burping enough
In this previous post quoted i thought it was getting the RH down to under 60% that affected taste, but its more just getting fresh air around the buds to get rid of the stale air taste

 

[Ty_Kaycha]

.

 

[GrnMtnGrwr]

Well, my plants have been hanging for about 72 hours now, temperatures in the low 70s, and humidity in the 45-55% range. I just filled up one jar a few hours ago and it's at 68% right now, so I'm going to leave the top off that jar tonight, see how it looks in the morning, and let the rest hang til tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to this.

 

[growclean]

I am considering also trying to use these Boveda packs http://www.bovedadirect.com/products/index.cfm . Alot of folks around here apparently use them and like them. I have a question though. Most see to use the 72% one which is listed as the most popular for cigars. This is a little high for applications though right? The next ones down are 69% and 65%. I was thinking of ordering some of the 65%, but then a guy here locally that uses them was trying to talk me out of it, saying that he wouldn't use any lower than a 69% pack. What do you think? Anyone with experience with these?

 

[Zen Master]

I am considering also trying to use these Boveda packs http://www.bovedadirect.com/products/index.cfm . Alot of folks around here apparently use them and like them. I have a question though. Most see to use the 72% one which is listed as the most popular for cigars. This is a little high for applications though right? The next ones down are 69% and 65%. I was thinking of ordering some of the 65%, but then a guy here locally that uses them was trying to talk me out of it, saying that he wouldn't use any lower than a 69% pack. What do you think? Anyone with experience with these?

keep in mind the local guy is referencing you buying a boveda for cigars.... probably at least.....

we want a different humidity (strain dependent).

I'd go with the 69% and 65%

 

[growclean]

keep in mind the local guy is referencing you buying a boveda for cigars.... probably at least.....

we want a different humidity (strain dependent).

I'd go with the 69% and 65%

Well, he is a caregiver, so I know that is the format we were talking. But I agree with you, be probably got his advice from a cigar man.

When you say "strain dependent", do you have any additional info or even general guidelines on that?

 

[igrowone]

so far, i'm seeing a very consistent 45% from the meter
i'd say i've been there for at least 3 weeks, total cure time has been 2 months
by the charts i've seen here, this is overly dried
but the bud texture is one step away from what i would call moist
no signs of mold, very nice smell
i'd have a hard time daring a higher RH percentage, wondering if anyone has done any bud below the 50% zone, and how moist it seemed to be