The Water Cure Compendium - Faq

THE WATER CURE COMPENDIUM - FAQ
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On an other thread here, the subject of curing buds faster has come up so I thought I would introduce the subject of water curing. The following is an extract from the now defunct Overgrow site. While, I myself have never cured using this technique, I have smoked water cured weed at a few occasions and I really liked it, the taste is so clean and smooth.


Introduction - What is the water cure? Why would I want to do it?

The water cure has only recently come to light as a widely accepted form of curing (mostly because of this thread). Water curing uses osmosis to flush out the chemicals, chlorophyl, pesticides, pests, and anything else you would rather not be smoking. The water cure is also very fast (about 7 days) with optimal quality (as compared to 30 days air curing), and as well does not stink like an air cure does. Water-cured buds are also more potent than air-cured (however there is proportional weight loss to potency increase).

THC is not water soluable, and the bud is protected from air/light, enabling potency to be maintained at it's highest levels, while the nasty chemicals are flushed out. Some growers report being able to add nutes all the way up to their harvest date because the water cure takes care of the built up chemicals.

Because of its speed, stealth and clean taste, water cure is very inviting to most non-commercial growers. The commercial grower might not be attracted to the water cure, as the weight of the bud is diminished.

Water cure can also be attractive to those smoking/cooking with suspect cannabis (schwag), moldy bud, pest infested bud, unflushed bud, etc.



How will my bud taste/smoke/smell/look?

Properly water-cured buds (submerged for 7 days and properly dried) will have a clean, thick taste when smoked, as well as being more potent than air-cured buds. This is one of the major advantages to the water cure; a quick drying process that retains potency and has a clean taste a flavor.

Smoking reports vary, however most people agree that water curing provides a very clean, smooth taste. Those with hashier, sandlewood/piney and harsher strains will find this method enjoyable for the clean, thick flavor without the edge (like a fine whisky).

However, those with frutier tasting strains have mixed results. They report the smoke is almost too smooth - much of the fruity/citrussy flavor removed.

The smell of the bud is greatly diminished, which many believe is one of the positive side-effects of water curing. Some also report a diminished smell in the smoke itself.

Water-cured buds tend to look more earthy and dark in tone. Some say the bag appeal is decreased, however proper care while water-curing can improve bag appeal.



What do I need for this? What is the process?

1. A container hold your bud and appropriate water (about 4 times as much water as amount of bud). A cooler with some kind of drainage works great.

2. A dehydrator or low-impact heat device. Dehydrators work great and cost about $40 from walmart. Radiators work well (as long as it isn't too hot), and some report using hair dryers.

3. A cool, dark place to put the water-curing container.

You need at least 7 days to do this, any less than seven can result in undesireable quality. Even 5 days in water is not enough - you need seven!!!

Plop in your freshy cut buds (or schwag, whatever, but fresh buds work best) into enough water to completely submerge the buds. The buds will float to the top for the first few days of this, so you need something to hold them down (a block of wood, a plate, etc). Change the water every day for 7 days, any less than seven could result in undesirable results (trust me). Try not to disturb the buds when changing the water as plant material can break off more easily (read: trichomes). Always keep the lid of the cooler open, do not seal off the container.

The water may take on a yellowish/greenish (even brownish) tint each day, moreso as the bud becomes completely saturated with the water. It will probably also stink. This is good, as it is the nasty chlorophyl and salts exiting your plant.

After 7 days remove the buds from the water. They will be sopping wet, and can be dried relatively quickly. MPD (and many more of us) purchased a food dehydrator from wal-mart for about $40 and consensus tells us this may be the best method for drying. Put the dehydrator on the lowest setting and dry for about 5 hours or so.

Radiators and other low-impact heating devices can also be used. Users have reported hair dryers working with some success, as well as hanging the wet buds on a clothes line with a fan circulating air. The important thing to do is to ensure the buds dry quickly enough to not become moldy, but with as low-impact of a drying environment as possible.



7 DO'S and DON'TS of water curing

1. Do not close the lid on the cooler. As the chlorophyll bleeds off into the water it evaporates - this is good and sealing the cooler just puts the crap back in the water.

2. Keep out of direct sunlight. I just put the cooler in the garage and that's the end of that.

3. Don't stir or agitate. This serves no useful purpose.

4. Don't bother straining the water for trichomes when you change it each day. I've tried it countless times and have yet to get enough trichones to make it worth the effort, though some hairs will break loose.

5. I've water cured as long as 9 days, but there was no real improvement over the 7 day mark - so why bother?

6. Do use a dehydrator. They cost $35 over at Walmart and you set it on the lowest possible setting. Mine takes about 5 hours to dry out a 1/2 pound of sopping wet buds. If you line dry make sure there is a drip tray or tarp for them to drip on.

7. DO NOT water cure seeded buds that were intentionally seeded so you can harvest seeds. Air cure these buds only...



What is the dry-weight ratio comparison with air curing?

Dry weight using air cure usually returns about 25% of the freshly cut bud weight. That means if you had 10 grams of freshly cut plant, you would get about 2.5 grams dry.

Water cure, on the other hand, returns about 15% from wet to dry. In our 10 gram example, that would be about 1.5 grams.



So why is there less weight using water, but more potency?

THC is not water soluable. When the buds are underwater, they are protected from environmental conditions such as humidity, over exposure to air, temperature, and light. This consistent state is something not easily achieved through the traditional air cure, which can be prone to a harsher smoke with decreased potency if everything isn't just so.

Water cure enables the removal of undesireable elements from your bud while retaining potency.



How potency is increased through the water cure

I should explain this so that the conspiracy theory kooks don't land on me like a ton of bricks.

Here's the "magic" behind the increased potency you get by water curing.

For the sake of making it simple, I'll use an example of 100 grams of bud going into the pot.

Now, you had this bud assayed and know that 15% of it is pure THC.

15% of 100 grams is 15 grams. So in our example the 100 grams of fresh bud has 15 grams of THC in it.

You water cure it and dry it. Now you have only 70 grams of bud left. WTF?

But you are deceived because the 15 grams of THC is part of the remaining 70 grams of bud. 15 divided by 70 equals 21.42%.

Sooo....

The mass didn't change, just some of the things that were there - aren't there anymore, so what is left becomes a bigger proportion of the entirety.

You go assay your water cured bud and find out it has 21.42% THC content - a 50% increase in potency.

Not bad, eh?



How osmosis leaches nasties, saves trichs

In air, chlorophyll breaks down at a rate that is only slightly faster than the breakdown rate of the resin - hence the reason the pot is dried for a short time then placed in jars and burped - but always out of direct sunlight because sunlight plus air equals an ideal situation for the THC is to break down and thus a loss of potency may ensue.

In water, the chlorophyll breaks down (out of the plant) while the THC remains suspended in the resin and is relatively unaffected by the surrounding water medium.



More on chrlorophyll removal

Water curing and air curing are doing exactly the same thing except you retain flavour and smell with air drying and with water curing you lose that flavour and smell but you have a smoothe smoke....

The Chloryphyll in the plant leaves through either the water evaporating (air cure) or through osmosis into the water around it...Water curing is obvously more affective at removing chloryphyll because you are adding more water, and
the smoke is smoother (chloryphyll is a big factor in bad tasting and bad burning weed)....however smell and taste come from terpenes in the plant that are also water soluble so they are lost in the water curing process....

In air curing the chloryphyll has to leave by the evaporating water in the bud....this is less affective but you keep those smell and taste terpenes.....so why after going through the trouble to preserve and develop them through air curing would you dunk them in water and lose them?

Its either one or the other



What about already dried buds/shwag/moldy buds?

Many have reported success in re-curing nasty buds of one kind or another. Dry schwag that is still in a nugg-ish form can be water-cured, as well as semi-moldy buds (however, no miracles here).

 

hahahaha, yea, even the snowman from hell knows that no fast cure technique beats a slow cure. That article candy coats it really well, I love his use of adjectives. Where it says clean flavor it should say no flavor. Water cure is def. called for in certain situations though, like a huge outdoor harvest where several p's might be lost to pests or something.

 

And why is that?
What do you feel reveals this technique to be inferior to a slow air cure?

 

Don't think hes saying its inferior. Think I met the snowman once.

 

I fallowed threads at a couple of popular sites and most of the Folks that did it liked it alot.

 

lol, inferior because I *like* flavor and aroma. It is essential to a pleasant smoking experience. Everybody I've ever met with enough extra tree to try this has dismissed it as a last ditch effort to save damaged outdoor mary.

 

It worked out great for anyone I ever seen try it. I meen in threads that I fallowed,not in person. but Still in all anyone I ever seen try it liked it alot. The Folks I seen try it were xperianced growers with plenty of xperiance growin and curin under theyr belts. It worked out great for them. I spoke a couple of times with these Folks on this and other maters too and I saw for myself that they were neither fools or posers so I beleave their opinion. Mabey someday I'l try it for myself but till then I'l beleave theyr opinion. I seenem do it rite over the net.

 

Anyone whos tried it says the taste cant be beat, its suposed to be like smokin 4 month cured bud in a week or so. The only concern anyone had was the bag appeal. Nothin serious but they said it wasnt as pretty as when ya put it in the water.

 

One of the reasons that buds need to be cured is to facilitate the further transformation of cannibinoids to THC. That does not happen with water cured pot as far as I'm aware.
Considering that, it would be inaccurate to say that water cured pot will be more potent.

I would be interested to hear if anyone has ever actually had it assayed.

 

The other reason for air curing is to dry the plant.
If you water cure the pot, you still have to dry it, which means the cure time is longer than 7 days.

I would strongly disagree with any fast drying techniques, even freeze drying.
Any method of drying which requires heat will deterioate the THC in the buds.

I've used food dehydrators, and they produce inferior product in my opinion. It is less potent and it doesn't hold a very good 'cure'.

Any quick cured pot fails to maintain a moist cure and tends to lose it's aroma and flavour. It quickly becomes dry and bland and harsher than it would be if it were dried properly. While some people think that's just great, most people I know who actually smoke pot for the enjoyable experience rather than simply to get high (either for addiction or medicine), will prefer taste and the 'overall experience' even over potency.

 

If anyone wanted to they could do a bit of research, like I said, I did and I wont discount anybodys good accounts that I've read and fallowed threads of. Ive read threads of Folks doin it allong with pictures and smoke accounts and the accounts Ive read and fallowed all had favourable things to say bout the water cure. The Folks that made the threads that I fallowed were well known fixtures on a couple of sites I used to frequent and I know they wer'nt posers. I value theyr opinions and like I said, I wont discount any good reports on watercuring and I hold negative reports in suspect.

 

If you read the original article it explains most things. It says its good for smoothing harsh weeds but it also says people who like the fruity taste of some weed would not want to use this method. As for strength it says potency remains the same but as the weed weights less the equivalent proportional strength is more.

 

I've read a FYEW articals bout it. What makes ya think thats "The origional" artical? As I said I fallowed a couple of progressive threads on it. I've seen it done over the net and herd the results straight from the individual posters. Thats what In basin my opinion on, not any artical in perticular. Do more research.

 

Meant the original article on this post

 

Personally i've never tried it but I'm always open to new ideas. In principal it sounds good but I would feel a bit nervous about soaking a bud. Might try it on a little piece. I suppose tying it for yourself is the only surefire wat to know if your going to like it. Tend to take more notice of some growers ideas though such as Pepe he seems to know his stuff.

 

What reason does one have to subject freshly harved buds to a fast cure,I dont see it exceptas being impatient.A slow proper cure will increase potencey by allowing non-psychoactive alkloids to become psychoactive via a slower release of chlorophylls creating superior smell,smoother taste,alot cleaner burning then product then any type of fast cure.

 

Medical users who may not have the time, or perpetual harvest capabillities, to wait a month for a good air cure.

 

Please elaborate. If you are able to harvest, you are able to perpetually harvest.

 

Well, I've known people that are just uncomforatble with a perpetual harvest, which sounds weird. And then I've also known a few people that JUST harvested their first grow, and didn't really have cured stuff already on hand from a previous harvest. I think water-curing is just a nice way to get your foot in the door if you're a) impatient or b) a medical user.

 

Obviously MeanGreen has never been out of weed to smoke and had a fresh cut closet collection to cure. I did. Vegetable Dehydrator to the rescue. A few hours later in the morning I had crispy dry "FRESH QUICK CURED" THC filled flowerz. I'm still using the last 2 fliud ouncez left in my storage bottle. Best dust of the whispy thin buds that got treated as "LEAVES". HaHAHA lol. NOT. I forgot the "leaves" had the good bud dust and THC dust at the bottem of the bottle. I'm into tincture'z now. MagicMindMedicine HapppyJuice. I need a perpetual harvest TOOO, but I'm lucky Mom -n- Dad let me get away with my bathroom "laundry" closet that leaks a LOT of light. I want, I want, I want. I plead the fifth. The whole fifth and nothing but the Fifth ....... of Tincture. Oh yeah ---- http://www.JackHerer.com 's 1938 Popular Mechanic