Evaporating Brands: Arizona Cannabis Quality At Risk 

Author: Drew Emmer

Arizona and Nevada share the title for driest climate in America. With an average of 38% relative humidity, the loss of cannabis quality is particularly challenging for the cannabis craft in the Grand Canyon state. You can grow the dankest of buds and it all can go to boof in a few short days if the preservation plan isn’t on point. The moment plants are cut down the precarious game of precise drying and curing begins. It is harder than it looks. And once the ideal quality is reached, maintaining that freshness is virtually impossible without serious help. 

Cannabis flower is incredibly perishable. At harvest, cannabis water activity is in the 75-85% range. The drying process ensues bringing the flower down to an ideal water activity level of 55-65%. This process is necessary. It dispels much of the undesirable gas constituents in pursuit of the ideal smoke. 65% is the upper limit to avoid mold and pathogen growth. There is significant risk in the process of bringing cannabis to the ideal relative humidity. As cannabis gives up her water she also begins to give up volatile and valued organic compounds, the terpenes associated with cannabis flavor and aroma. 

Today’s growers have perfected producing incredible quality flower. In a perfect world we would all have the opportunity to enjoy cannabis flower at the precise moment it reaches the optimal cure level. If it was smoked on the spot or even within a week of that magical moment, we would all agree that the product of Arizona’s cannabis craft is indeed spectacular. But, no matter how good the jar or bag it goes into, evaporation continues to happen. The only way to stall evaporation post-cure is to incorporate something to enforce a precise humidity level inside the package. It’ll either continue to be that bud giving up her water or a humidity pack with the capacity to match the sacrifice with the power and precision necessary to suspend the loss. 

Water is weight. Weight is revenue. Growers over-pack to compensate for the certainty that the consumer will get less weight than you ship. This practice is consistent across the industry. At $2 per gram wholesale, packing an % with an extra 2g = 40 cents, It adds up. And weight loss doesn’t begin to address the loss of quality in the smoking experience for your customer. 

So why doesn’t every grower store and package their precious harvest with precise 2-way humidity control? It’s simple. Growers operate under extremely tight budgets that are largely gone by the time harvest is complete. They’ve exceeded their projected expenses on labor, water, nutrients and lights. Testing, packaging and labeling are yet to be paid. As a dedicated team scrambles to get their prized flower to market, any additional expense begins to look like a loss. It takes an unusual amount of discipline to stick to a production budget. Most operators don’t have it. 

Premium brands store and package cannabis with the global leader in precise 2-way humidity control. They care about their flower. They care about the quality of the end product. They care about maintaining the weight buds. They care about keeping money in their budgets. They care about preserving the terpenes that they’ve worked so hard to develop. If you’re a producer that 

cares about any of these things then Boveda’s precise 2-way humidity control wants to help you. You’ve done all the hard work, allow Boveda to keep that hard work from evaporating. 

For further information and samples contact Jane.Plank@bovedainc.com or 

Drew.Emmer@bovedainc.com