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Remember Baggies™? It wasn't so long ago that your cannabis came in a little Ziploc. I still have a few buds inside Baggies and sealed in Tupperware, actually. It's a favorite strain (Space Queen) that mysteriously slipped through the cracks of Oregon's rigorous medical marijuana regime two years ago, and which I have not seen again at recreational shops. It was a favorite, favorite flower for me, and I can't quite bring myself to finish it off—especially now that it's bone dry.
Ever crack a 5-year-old BridgePort barleywine that tastes like soy sauce? That's what happens with old weed—except, in addition to the harsh flavor, it'll be muted in effect.
But that's not necessarily how it needs to be. Cannabis storage is getting serious, with products like the Cannador, a new humidor designed to maintain your flower at optimal humidity, like the Cubans I'll soon be rolling blunts with. (Thanks, Obama!)
First, some cheaper and older wisdom: Your crazy college roommate wasn't wrong. The best place to store your buds is the fridge.
"If it's for a month or longer, cannabis does best in the refrigerator," says weed wiz Jeremy Plumb of Farma. "The cool, steady temp helps to preserve aromatic compounds and freshness. It's important to use an airtight jar, or the flowers will degrade due to dehumidification—ideally one that blocks light to prevent that oxidative force."
Plumb says Mason jars are fine, but something that truly seals, like Oxo Good Grips, is a noticeable upgrade.
But if you really want to go pro? Check out the Cannador, which maintains cannabis at 55 to 62 percent humidity, which is the optimal range, according to a study by Boveda, a maker of tobacco and cannabis humidity packs.
The Cannador is priced between $159 and $249, depending on size, and is designed to maintain higher terpene and cannabinoid content along with robust flavor.
The company was founded by a cannaisseur-turned-gangapreneur named Zane Witzel, who came up with the idea in late 2013.
"I was out with a couple friends, and my buddy cracked out an old shoe box and brought out all his Baggies and paraphernalia and had them strewn about," he says. "And I thought, 'Good God, man, there has to be something better than this!' And there wasn't."
I've long used cigar boxes for my best flower, which Witzel cautions against unless they're made of mahogany; cedar has oils that taint the flavor.
The Cannador humidor has an odor-proof seal that works with beads or humidity packs that can be monitored with Bluetooth. It's especially popular with vapers—the import drivers of the cannabis world—since dry bud is extra harsh as vapor.
Witzel says his system will keep flower as fresh as the day it was cured for at least three months.
And, he says, it can maybe help me bring back that Space Queen. He's had success rehumidifying busted buds. Obviously, the terpenes will have degraded, but the burn of a desert-dry nug will be gone.
"At that point, at least it's smokeable. You don't have to throw it away," he says. "There are obviously cost-effective means of doing that—you could put a Boveda pack in a Mason jar. But the Cannador is a normal, functional piece of furniture in my home, not some clear jar I have to hide in the closet. It's a step up, I'd say."
BUY: The Cannador can be purchased at cannador.com.
Willamette Week