I developed my commercial drying/curing process based on my goal - 9-11% moisture content, my palette, and a little experimentation. I wanted a process that was repeatable and as mindless as possible.
First, I went to Smoker Friendly and interviewed them about their humidors, the tradition of curing tobacco, and their approach to maintaining high end cigars. They are looking at a 64% to 78% Humidity Level and a 9-11% moisture content on densely rolled cigars. Different cigars needed different humidity levels but they would compromise on 68%. It wouldn't ruin anything, and the majority of their inventory would be in great shape.
Next, I looked at all of the bag/jar based humidity control products on the market. The most advanced was humidipak. I talked to to them over the course of a few months and they ended up putting together a custom set of humidipaks for us. We took 1 oz of what we considered to be perfectly cured bud and dropped it into jars with no controls, a 40% pack, 47% pack, 53% pack, 59% pack, 65% pack, 72% pack, and a 84% pack.
No controls - noticeably dryer after 60 days. Bud crumbled with no rebound.Aroma was still good. Smoke was fine but not stellar.
40% Pack - noticeably dryer after 60 days. Bud crumbled with no rebound. Aroma was still good. Smoke was fine but not stellar.
47% Pack - dryer after 60 days. Bud had a good consistency, but was a little bit crumbly with barely acceptable rebound. Aroma popped. Smoke was almost as good as the original.
53% pack - everyone involved decided this was the one. Perfect amount of rebound. Bud was easy to work with and not crumbly. Aroma was tops and it smoked better than when it went in the jar.
The 59% to 84% packs were progressively worse. Basically hydrated wet bud with a damp quality that prevented a quality smoking experience.
The take away resulted in a two room drying room process. 35% humidity for 3 days and 48%-53% humidity for 10 days. Plants are hung whole after being trimmed down to sweet leaf and bud. The plants can hang in the 49%-53% room indefinitely and at about 45 days reach what I consider peak aroma, flavor and potency. After the bud is trimmed, the bud is stored in glass containers in the second room until it hits the shelf. Ideally weed should be trimmed at 14 days and jarred.Air is gently circulated around the rooms with multiple high end humidifiers and dehumidifiers to keep the humidity pegged. 49%-53% is the goal.
This process is currently being used in four dispensary chains.