When dry enough to store without the threat of mold, the central stem of the floral cluster will snap briskly when bent. Usually about 10% water remains in dry, stored Cannabis floral clusters prepared for smoking. If some water content is not maintained, the resins will lose potency and the clusters will disintegrate into a useless powder exposed to decomposition by the atmosphere.
As floral clusters dry, and even after they are sealed and packaged, they continue to cure. Curing removes the unpleasant green taste and allows the resins and cannabinoids to finish ripening. Drying is merely the removal of water from the floral clusters so they will be dry enough to burn. Curing takes this process one step farther to produce tasty and psychoactive marijuana......A floral cluster is not dead after harvest any more than an apple is. Certain metabolic activities take place for some time, much like the ripening and eventual spoiling of an apple after it is picked. During this period, cannabinoid acids decarboxylate into the psychoactive cannabinoids and terpenes isomerize to create new polyterpenes with tastes and aromas different from fresh floral clusters. It is suspected that cannabinoid biosynthesis may also continue for a short time after harvest. Taste and aroma also improve as chlorophylls and other pigments begin to break down. When floral clusters are dried slowly they are kept at a humidity very near that of the inside of the stomata. Alternatively, sealing and opening bags or jars or clusters is a procedure that keeps the humidity high within the container and allows the periodic venting of gases given off during curing. It also exposes the clusters to fresh air needed for proper curing.
..................Cannabis floral clusters are best stored in a cool, dark place. Refrigeration will retard the breakdown of cannabinoids, but freezing has adverse effects. Freezing forces moisture to the surface from the inside of the floral tissues and this may harm the resins secreted on the surface.