The Uncollectable Collection: Bud and its Shelf Life

[NorseGrower]

Hey all,

I grew up in Pennsylvania in the 80-90s and while I have always been a cannabis enthusiast since my early teens, the selection at the time and place were pretty sad. Sometimes we had green brick weed, sometimes we had brown. It all had seeds and for those that didn't know better, it was just fine. We would occasionally have a good skunk or "kind" bud that would come through in very small quantities and at $$$$. So the only time I really got to see what I know now as the glorious plant we all obsess over was in High Times magazine. It might as well been a comic or something of fiction because it was unobtainable. I am a collector of sorts. Guns, knives, steins, whatever I am into and I used to think how tremendous it would be to have a cannabis collection. Until one day I was reading one of the main articles in High Times about some guy who collected cannabis from around the world. He had all the bud in these sealed jars. It was exactly what I envisioned and desired but I was heartbroken to learn that when he opened them to sample that there were all dried up and ruined. So my dreams of having collection were crushed. I realized that even with precautions taken there is a shelf life to cannabis. This didn't all matter much at the time as I mentioned, I didn't have access to a diverse selection of bud even if I had the ability to afford it.

Fast forward 25 years and starting in home cultivation is as simple as 5 minutes on Amazon. My ability to obtain a diversity of bud has final arrived :smoking: When I first started growing I would save a small sample from each plant. I would put them in small Grove bags and seal them. After a 6-12 months I would dip back into the samples to provide more variety. Because I woulds shove them full in gram bags bud would be flat and it would age for sure and not be as good. To change up and kind of scratch that itch more as a collector, I got some amber jars, small Boveda packs and a case so I can lock up from slippery fingered grown in age but not manners kids. I mainly press most of my plants so before I start to press I fill one of these small jars to dip into for joints, bowls, etc.. Well I have one jar left and 2 plants upside and more in the wings. So I have to decide. Do I go bigger, getting more jars and a bigger case stretching out the age of my older stuff or do I smoke some damn bud and make room? If I do smoke it which is what I am leaning towards, do I smoke oldest first or do I just pick what I want to smoke and what empties first empties? How long have you kept bud in jars at room temp for?

Thanks for reading!

 

[FarmerJake]

Easy answer oldest first

 

[Drownomatic]

I would think that vacuum lids, like burp lids would make it last longer.

The lack of oxygen should help make it last longer.

 

[NorseGrower]

I would think that vacuum lids, like burp lids would make it last longer.

I know my burp lids would lose suction over time. I believe in article that's what he did, he vaccum sealed the jars. I know freezing in vaccum sealed bags would preserve longer but not the kind of access I'm really after that way. I'm going to try to find the article lol it's been a long time but it has to be searchable somehow

 

[Uncle Bert]

I'm smoking 2 year old weed. It was harvested in June 2020. Luckily I got the dry and cure just right and it's been stored in a glass jar with boveda packs. I've been opening the jar probably every fortnight to take a little out to smoke. I'm a very light smoker.. About 3g a month.
Obviously it's not a fresh as it was and it's dried out a little but it still gets me nicely stoned.
I just keep the jar in a cool dark place.

 

[NorseGrower]

I'm smoking 2 year old weed. It was harvested in June 2020.

Makes me wonder what the window really is. After two years have you had to replace your packs in the jars?

 

[Humanrob]

Two years is the longest we've gone for smoking (so far). I have had bud for longer, but it was cured and then frozen and made into hash or butter. Our two year old stuff is leftover from a big outdoor harvest we had summer of 2020. I don't smoke (only do edibles), but my wife says the Cosmic Queen still tastes good and gets her stoned, it definitely still smells good, but not as sweet or 'flowery' and a little more like cinnamon. The main stash is in mason jars with Boveda packs. The color has certainly changed, sort of a golden hue.

The big jar of Double Grape left over from the same grow has not aged as well, turned a bit darker, almost brown, and has lost much of its flavor. We gave some away a few months back and got good feedback, so it's still smokeable (if you've got nothing better to smoke). I find older weed like that can make an interesting butter that is mind-numbing without being too head-stoney, excellent for helping with sleep because it quiets "monkey mind" instead of feeding it. I'm not sure what the actual chemical changes in the terpenes and THC profile are, but that's been my experience with it.

As far as what order to smoke it in, you'll have to dig deep into your reasons for having the "collection" to answer that. What order would be the most fun? If you are concerned with the samples losing their charm, then oldest first is the most practical, I would think.

 

[kfigerm]

When I quit growing ~10 years ago, I "forgot" a complete jar of buds - yes I quit very abruptly and simply forgot about it. They were in a black plastic jar, often used for proteine stuff, sealed from air and well disguised. Four years ago it drew my attention and I discovered what was in there during a renovation. It was there summer and winter for six years. It was just dried and then put in there. When I opened it, i instantly could tell what strain it was and it was just as delicious as it was back then. If there was a loss, I didn't recognise it after that long time, but it still smelled gorgious. Perhaps that was just the mood but I smoked it with delight over some weeks.
I may have had luck, ....that was a surprise for me too.
But now I think as long it is sterile, airsealed and dark, not too much will happen to terpenes..they can't disperse the jar, if it's airtight.

 

[Talonxracer]

Purge your jars with dry nitrogen, no oxygen = no decay....

 

[JP1]

Grove bags with a boveda pack definitely last at least a year and a half just kept cool. Haven't held onto anything longer then that in them yet. I think the real answer to indefinite storage is hash. Hash will store for years and get better with age and it'll still keep the taste and vibe from the fresh flower