Keep It Fresh

by Fabio Tollon February 11, 2025

Properly storing cannabis is about more than just keeping your stash fresh—it’s about preserving the potency, flavour, and overall quality. Factors like humidity, light, air exposure, and temperature play critical roles in ensuring that your cannabis stays in its best condition for as long as possible.

Improper storage can lead to dried-out buds, lost terpenes, diminished cannabinoids, and even mould or mildew. In this article, we’ll explore the right ways to store your cannabis, highlight the importance of maintaining optimal humidity levels, and explain why taking the time to store it correctly can elevate your entire cannabis experience.

Why Proper Cannabis Storage Matters

Long gone are the days of throwing your stash into a plastic baggie and leaving it there until you’re through smoking it all. And while we know that no one can stop the ageing process, we’ve learned that proper storage of your cannabis buds can slow it down, maintaining a shelf-life of six to eight months. Here are a few reasons:

The flavours of the bud mature and improve as it continues to cure
Proper storage prevents things like mould and mildew from taking hold
It keeps the compounds like terpenes and cannabinoids from being destroyed
The shelf-life is vastly extended with proper storage, keeping your bud fresher for longer

There are several things we need to look at to preserve cannabis more effectively:

Temperature
Light
Humidity
Container materials

Why Light and Temperature Matter

High ambient temperatures can accelerate the ageing of your bud for several reasons. First, higher temperatures cause terpenes and cannabinoids to break down faster. Second, mould and mildew grow in warmer spaces, particularly between 25.5 ºC and 30 ºC. We recommend keeping your bud around 21 ºC to 25 ºC.

As for light, UV rays found in sunlight lead to faster breakdowns of terpenes, THC, and other important cannabinoids, which is why it’s so important to keep cannabis out of direct sunlight and preferably in a dark space.

Ideal Humidity Levels: Finding the Sweet Spot

Pay attention to the ambient humidity in your storage area. High humidity can lead to mildew and mould, so keep your buds away from water sources like taps and pipes. On the flip side, low humidity can cause your buds to dry out too quickly. As cannabis ages, it undergoes changes that can lead to a loss of THC, conversion of key cannabinoids, and a decrease in flavour and aroma.

Keeping your bud out in the open air leads to it becoming stale and losing its potency and smoking experience. That bud isn’t going to get you as high as when you bought it a couple weeks prior. The terpenes drying out also leads to a less flavourful and harsher smoking experience.

We recommend a humidity range of 55% to 65% for keeping cannabis fresh without risking mould or dryness.

Tools of the Trade: Storage Containers

Let’s talk storage containers. You don’t need fancy packaging or expensive containers for this, but we recommend one that’s made from glass or ceramic and that’s easy to open and close.

Mason jars are a fantastic, inexpensive option for storing cannabis thanks to the wide mouth and rubber seal that creates an air-tight environment, stopping extra oxygen from getting to your bud and reducing how much smell your buds leak.

We recommend not using plastic because it can cause your buds to sweat, meaning it releases moisture and causes it to become harsh, dry, and brittle.

Similarly, we recommend avoiding metal containers as they can affect the taste and aroma of your bud.

To vacuum seal, or not to vacuum seal?

While vacuum sealing isn’t strictly necessary, it helps prevent air from getting to your bud, thereby protecting its potency. Vacuum sealing also reduces that particularly identifiable weed smell, making it easier to store and move discreetly when necessary.

Even if you opt for vacuum-sealing, remember to keep your bud in a cool, darl, dry place out of direct sunlight.

Some Tips and Tricks

Here are a few things you might want to stay away from if you want to make your cannabis last:

Try to veer away from plastic simply because the trichomes of the cannabis flower tend to stick to plastic.
Don’t fill your containers to the top. Aim for three-quarters full, as this allows some oxygen to circulate amongst the buds, helping with the curing process and preventing mould and mildew growth without oxidising the buds.
Have a couple of different-sized storage containers on hand so that you can transfer your bud to smaller containers as you use some of it. This prevents too much air from getting in and prematurely drying out your cannabis.
Don’t store your stash in the fridge. The moisture in the fridge increases the risk of mould growth.
Store each of your strains individually to maintain their unique characteristics. Because of their different terpene profiles, their flavours and aromas may be cross-contaminated if stored together.

How to Tell if Your Cannabis Has Been Stored Incorrectly

There are a few ways you can tell if your buds are past their use-by date.

You can see fuzzy growths or discoloured spots, which usually indicate that mould or mildew has set in. Moulds can appear in different colours, such as white, grey, brown, or black. We do not recommend smoking buds infested with mould, as it is very harmful to your health. Your buds should always be vibrant green, with some specks of colour depending on the trichomes.
As far as smells, your cannabis should have its unique musty, earthy aroma, with a scent profile dependent on the strain’s terpenes. If your buds smell musty or stale, it’s time to throw them out.
If you look at textures, your buds should be sticky and a little spongy. Stale buds will be brittle and will crumble easily between your fingers. These buds will have lost their potency due to trichome loss. On the other hand, overly moist buds may have mould or mildew growth. If your buds don’t feel right, we recommend saying goodbye.

Freezing Cannabis

If you need a long-term storage solution, vacuum-sealing a bag with your chosen strain and popping it in the freezer can extend its shelf-life, but this method also has a couple of drawbacks.

Freezing cannabis is great if you need to store it for a long time because it slows down the decarboxylation process, which helps extend the potency to about one to two years. However, be sure that your buds are vacuum sealed. If air gets into the bag, it could cause freezer burn.

The downside of freezer-storing is that it can lead to the buds becoming brittle and lead to loss of trichomes. If the container is not properly sealed, it could also lead to moisture getting in and cause mould growth, the same as with fridge storage.

The general takeaway here is that we don’t recommend freezer-storing unless you’re able to properly vacuum-seal your buds.

Short and Sweet

You want to keep your cannabis out of direct sunlight so that the UV rays don’t prematurely age your bud.
To keep mould, mildew, and other organic microorganisms from growing on your bud, you’re going to want to store it in a dry and cool space. Moulds and mildew love warm areas with higher moisture levels.
At the same time, keep air out of your storage container so that your buds don’t dry out.
Try to keep it away from electronic appliances that radiate heat, like kettles, microwaves, and ovens to stop it from drying out prematurely. We recommend keeping your bud around 21 ºC to 25 ºC.
Store your bud away from water sources like taps. Again, we want to ensure the humidity in your storage area isn’t too high.
Vacuum sealing is a great way to preserve your bud.
Be choosy with your type of storage container and head for glass and ceramic types, and away from plastics.

Happy Storing

Storing your cannabis the right way is key to preserving its potency, flavour, and overall quality. By paying attention to factors like humidity, light, air, and temperature, you can ensure that your stash remains fresh and effective for longer.

Whether you’re a casual user or a connoisseur, proper storage elevates your cannabis experience and protects your investment. So, take the time to store your cannabis correctly—it’s a small effort that makes a big difference in the long run. Happy storing, and enjoy your buds at their best!

Stay lifted, stay curious, and enjoy the journey.

— The Hey Bud Team

Sources:

Adults only (18+)