What’s your small batch secrets? Dry&Cure

[MJmadscientist]

Well I had a really bad spring like everyone else. Mother Nature has got to stop hanging out in those trailer parks and smoking meth all year. Shes been losing it lately.

I lost several to excessive moisture at the worst possible times. This led to a redo for some smoke.
Problem- I got all different stuff in small batch…. Like mostly under an oz but want to dry and cure with perfection.
However I’ve never had small batch go well for me.
It usually dries out way too fast, loses smell, and jarring it never leads to a proper curing.
This let to doing like one or two kinds and using buckets as a lung to control how fast humidity comes out. Also use the 2 way humidity packs when I do this. Then leave ‘em sitting a long time after a good series of burps.

So how can I get this accomplished to get all that amazing aroma and flavor?
Anything y’all got to get that top shelf super premium smell and flavor I’m all ears.

 

[dankstranger]

Yeah small batches are a pain to dry right. They lose moisture way too fast and all your terps just disappear. Been there too many times.

The trick is to slow everything down. Don't trim them clean before drying - leave the fan leaves and sugar leaves on. Hang whole branches if you can. The extra plant matter holds moisture and slows the dry.

I use a big tote with a few tiny holes in the top and throw a damp paper towel in there to keep the humidity up around 60%. Throw a couple cheap hygrometers in there so you know what's going on. Way better than trying to control a whole room for a quarter ounce.

No fans blowing on the buds either. Just gentle air movement in the room and keep it dark.

If you got a wine cooler or mini fridge that's even better. Put the buds in open paper bags on racks and crack the door with a chopstick. Keeps it nice and cool.

The sweating thing works good too. When the outsides feel crispy but the stems still bend, throw them in a turkey bag overnight. If the humidity shoots up over 70% they need more drying time. Keep going back and forth until you hit that 62-64% sweet spot.

Use small jars for small amounts. Half pint or pint jars work way better than big ones. Too much headspace in a big jar just dries them out faster.

Get some mini hygrometers for your jars. Makes burping way easier when you actually know what the humidity is instead of just guessing.

Don't use those humidity packs right away either. Wait a few weeks until the chlorophyll smell is gone or they'll just lock in that hay smell.

Takes patience but if you do it right your small batches will smell just as good as the big ones.