Smokable cannabis is at its best when it’s freshest. Aromatic, flavorful, and “sticky,” fresh cannabis is richer in terpenes and phytocannabinoids like Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that shape the consumption experience. But how can you tell if your cannabis is supporting the best experience? Here, we’ll review the typical shelf life of cannabis flower, how to tell if your cannabis flower is stale, and best practices for keeping flower fresh and avoiding deterioration — both at the dispensary and at home.
What is the typical shelf life of cannabis flower?
Assuming that cannabis flower is stored at proper temperatures and humidity levels away from oxygen and light, you can expect it to stay fresh for around one year, possibly longer.
However, it’s not as fresh as it could possibly be in the first place. That’s because cannabis flower freshness begins to decline the moment cannabis is harvested, thanks to unavoidable THC degradation. The wrong environmental factors can accelerate flower’s decomposition.
As time goes on, cannabis flower typically undergoes THC deterioration at the following rates:
- 16 percent THC loss after one year
- 26 percent THC loss after two years
- 34 percent THC loss after three years
- 41 percent THC loss after four years, though newer studies suggest nearly 100 percent THC degradation if stored at room temperature
Cryo Cure cannabis can last for up to two years on the shelf in the right conditions — in an airtight container away from light.
How to check cannabis flower for mold
- The sight test: Look very closely at your flower. Mold is not easy to spot unless you inspect your flower carefully. White spots that are fuzzy or powdery may indicate mold, even if these spots are tiny.
- The smell test: Since mold is often hard to see on cannabis, use your nose to suss out smells like hay, sweat, or musty basements or attics. These odors typically indicate mold growth on your flower. That said, not all mold produces odors.
- The touch test: Mold thrives in moist environments, including cannabis that’s not dry enough. Try pulling your flower apart. If it feels damp and more sticky than usual, it might have mold. And if it doesn’t have mold now, it might soon.
How do I know if cannabis is stale?
Check for these telltale signs of cannabis freshness when in doubt about flower’s shelf life:
Smell
This is one of the main telltale signs of stale cannabis. Cannabis should smell potent and not lose its pungent, instantly recognizable aroma. If the flower has a diminished scent, it’s likely lost its potency, too.
Visuals
Take a look at the cannabis flower. Do the colors look dull? Are there any suspicious spots that could be mold or mildew? If something about the flower looks off, it may not be fit for consumption.
Touch
Sticky bud is a hallmark of its freshness. If the cannabis feels dry, crumbles way too easily, or appears over-compressed, it may mean that it’s too stale to smoke.
Sound
Listen to the cannabis – literally. Fresh cannabis should “snap” while being broken apart. If the cannabis flower sounds crackly, it could be past its prime.
Experience
When in doubt, try some of the flower. If the strain has a “sluggish” effect, it could be an indicator that the flower’s THC is degrading into Cannabinol (CBN), a consequence of being exposed to light and heat. If this is the case, or if the flower simply isn’t as potent as expected, it’s time to pick up more cannabis.
What impacts cannabis flower freshness?
The shelf life of cannabis is influenced by two distinct but equally important parts: how it’s treated after harvest and how it’s stored once the product is taken home. Whether at a larger scale in a grow operation or in a small amount at home, the environmental factors that impact cannabis shelf life remain the same. Here are some of the main ones that you should be concerned with, both in grow ops and once the flower is with consumers.
Temperature
The hotter the storage conditions, the more likely phytocannabinoids and terpenes will evaporate from the product. Plus, temperatures higher than 77 degrees Fahrenheit can contribute to an environment where mold and mildew can thrive. Storing your cannabis flower at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit helps stabilize the cannabinoid and terpene content and negate mold and mildew content.
Oxygen
Exposure to air can contribute to flower staleness. Oxygen exposure can occur during the cannabis drying and curing process, or if improperly stored once a consumer brings it home. Exposure to oxygen destabilizes THC content, causing this cannabinoid to turn into CBN, which is the cannabinoid known for causing the “couch lock” effect when consumed.
Humidity
Too dry, and flower can shrivel up. Too moist, and mold and mildew can grow. To preserve potency, aroma, and flavor, keep cannabis’ humidity conditions around 60 percent. Consider using humidity control packets at home to keep moisture levels at their ideal percentages. Commercial grows should take long-term storage conditions into account as well, closely monitoring all factors, including humidity, during the cannabis drying and curing process.
Time
The clock is not on cannabis’s side. The longer flower sits around, the more time it has for its phytocannabinoids and terpenes to evaporate. Simply put, older cannabis will lose its potency over time – the question becomes how much potency it loses.
Why should cannabis professionals care about shelf life?
It’s not just what customers do when they get home that keeps cannabis fresh. Growers, processors, and dispensary managers need to concern themselves with flower freshness, too.
- Shelf life means improved supply – and money saved. Properly stored cannabis can stay on the shelf for months past its improperly packaged counterparts. For dispensary owners and cannabis cultivators, that means less expired wasted product and more options to sell to their customers.
- Keeping cannabis fresh impacts other business decisions. So many environmental factors influence cannabis freshness that they need to be kept top of mind every step of the way. From carefully controlling humidity in the drying room to choosing proper packaging that blocks oxygen, light, and moisture, ensuring cannabis flower stays potent and powerful is a top priority.
- Fresh cannabis means a good reputation among customers. Competition is tough in some adult-use and medical cannabis markets. How will your product stand apart? For many, quality is the first and most important product differentiator. Fresh, quality cannabis flower is certain to bring customers back time and again.
How Cryo Cure extends cannabis shelf life
How cannabis is stored at home greatly impacts its shelf life, as does how it’s treated from seed to sale. The clock begins ticking on your cannabis’ shelf life the moment it’s harvested, which is why proper processing and packaging are of utmost importance. That’s where Cryo Cure comes in.
By cutting the dry time from a few weeks to less than a day, Cryo Cure’s patented technology gets flower to market faster while tacking time onto its shelf life. The Cryo Cure process stabilizes moisture content to its ideal levels, reducing the chances that mold and mildew can grow. It also preserves the fragile trichomes that contain most of the plant’s phytocannabinoids and terpenes. The result is a smokable flower we call “live cured” flower — there’s no getting closer to “fresh.” Contact Cryo Cure to schedule a no-obligation consultation.
