IMO this is by far the trickiest part and reliant on many factors, not least skill and intuition based on experience.
Definitely true that the first thing is genetics.
Then if they do stink at chop, the only significant factors that remain is your dry/cure, and this can be a real fight to get it down.
Dry too long and terps will evap, dry too quickly and you'll be left with dull hay. Under dry and you'll get musty smells and likely mold.
Lots of ways to skin this cat but as someone who has recently struggled with this and is now very happy with current results, for what its worth i'll share my process:
- chop main branches whole, leaving everything on including multiple colas + fan leaves
- hang dry in dark area, 68-73F @ RH50-60% with gentle, indirect fans - around 5 days
- trim down multiple branches into separate stems and into paper bags - 2/3 days
- trim leaves and de-bone buds from stem
- manicure and jar up for 3/4 week cure
Key points:
- You want a nice slow dry period, a week is good for me. Watch those temps and keep buds spaced out to avoid mold (big wet colas are very prone especially if stacked together + warmth). Watch ambient RH very closely as this determines your dry time;
- Paper bags help slow those final drying days, drawing moisture from the center of buds and rehydrating those crispy outsides without drying too far. Turning is important to keep this even and avoiding damp spots;
- Leaving everything on the stem maintains good moisture content and avoids drying too quickly. Dry too fast and you've lost it;
- At the point of trimming leaves should be crumbly and falling away, and quality buds will be crispy on the outside with a satisfying density and hardness.
With this method, by the time i'm going into jars they require very little burping, if any at all. The moisture content is right on and the lovely fragrance is there. I stick a humidity monitor in the jar to keep an eye on things; anywhere from 58-63% does the trick for me.
I dry whole lbs in a single jar; I want that whole product to "cook" together.
All this being said, I've had bud smell meh on the way in to the jar and a week later is really popping, so things do change once curing properly. Possibly strain dependent.
Not reinventing the wheel here and all of this has been said many times before, but i've had problems myself so wanted to share if it can help you.
Dry/cure really is its own skill set and is something you have to keep working on to get a feel for yourself. Many, many growers struggle to get this right, and whilst you can still produce quality stoney bud with poor fragrance, we all know that stink is what grabs your attention first and foremost. This is some sensual shit we're dealing with.
Good luck!
