GrowingStrains & products

It only takes a second to lock in your crop’s terpenes

Boveda
Presented ByBovedaPublished on November 24, 2021 · Last updated July 13, 2022
terpene shield
This article is sponsored by Boveda. Image courtesy of Boveda.

The Original Terpene Shield makes the process effortless—just drop it in and seal it up.


Terpenes have always been the star player of really, really good cannabis. These plant compounds, abundant in frosty trichomes, unlock pungent aromas, full-bodied flavors, and the effects that make the best strains pop.

Growers everywhere are chasing the stickiest product. But while it’s one thing to grow some great herb, it’s another to preserve your hard work and keep those critical terpenes locked in after harvest. The drying and curing process, when done right, reduces some moisture while preserving all that good stuff. Once terpenes are gone, they’re gone forever, so how do you store your crop without losing its punch?

The key is getting the humidity just right. Not enough humidity leads to drying out too much and damaging those precious trichomes—but crank it too high and you risk mold growth. If you have a harvest coming up, it’s important to choose your humidity controls carefully so you can strike that balance and get reliable results every time. Getting this step just right simplifies the drying, curing, and storing parts of the process to ensure all the hard work that went into cultivating that trichome-rich herb isn’t lost in the last quarter mile before lighting it up.

terpene shield
Courtesy of Boveda

Boveda has been in the humidity control business for 25 years and has distilled the curing environment into one simple package—literally. Here’s why and how to set your weed up for success with effortless two-way humidity control. It only takes a second.

Why terpenes matter

When you grind up weed from a freshly bought package, what signals quality to you? One of the first things on the list is probably smell, and there’s a reason for that. It comes down to the role terpenes play in the quality of cannabis.

The effects from your favorite strain don’t just come from potency. THC works with a bunch of plant compounds to deliver your specific high—and likely not just other cannabinoids like CBD. Cannabis researchers like Dr. Ethan Russo suggest that terpenes, organic compounds that give cannabis distinct smells & tastes, also contribute effects that are greater than the sum of their parts when consumed together with other compounds. This phenomenon is called the “entourage effect.”

Courtesy of Boveda

While terpenes are found in most plants, they’re especially concentrated and varied in cannabis. One strain might have an in-your-face, hops-like scent, while another might make you feel like you’re surrounded by pine trees.

Terpenes are a pivotal element of your cannabis crop—they’re not just quality indicators, but game-changers. The proof of this is present at the highest levels of cannabis consideration where strains are taking home prizes for terpene content and major competitions like The Emerald Cup are pivoting towards categorizing strains by their dominant terpene.

Curing is the real MVP

After your cannabis comes off the drying rack, the next step is putting it into a container for curing. This is where the magic happens. Like aging a fine wine, a great cannabis cure not only locks in the best parts but enhances them. A bad curing environment, on the other hand, can lead to flavorless or even moldy bud.

Courtesy of Boveda

Maintaining a relative humidity between 58 and 62 percent inside the container is the sweet spot for quality herb. It’s daunting to keep fiddling with your curing containers when curing can take anywhere from two weeks to a month or more. Once terpenes evaporate, they’re gone for good—so it’s typically essential to regularly check humidity levels with a digital hygrometer and to burp (briefly open up) your containers consistently to release moisture and replenish oxygen. 

This all adds up to a precarious balancing act when you’re trying to nail just the right amount of moisture to preserve those precious terps you worked hard all season long to produce. Boveda’s patented two-way humidity-control packs remove all that guesswork and fussing. Your ace in the hole for the curing process, these packs might seem like a magic solution to curing woes, but it’s science driving their success.

Boveda saves the terps

Boveda’s trademark humidity-control packs have been used by musicians, cigar aficionados, and cannabis farmers alike for 25 years—and their tried-and-true Original Terpene Shield line is renowned by growers perfecting their product and stoners preserving their stashes.

terpene shield
Courtesy of Boveda

Specifically developed for cannabis storage, Boveda’s terpene shield comes in 58 and 62 percent relative humidity. There’s a size for every scale, from a couple of pre-rolls to up to five pounds of product at a time. Including Boveda’s terpene shield in your curing containers means you’ll never over-dry or over-humidify.

There’s no other solution that allows the same degree of precision in your humidity control or that allows your crop to reach ideal humidity levels with the same speed & accuracy, including chemical-based solutions that use glycerin or silica to help regulate humidity levels.

terpene shield
Courtesy of Boveda

One Boveda pack should be able to protect your product for the whole curing process, but if it starts to get hard spots, swap it out for another one. You can breathe easy knowing all those trichomes are protected by a monolayer shield of purified water—literally shielded from having moisture drawn out into the headspace, causing terpenes to evaporate—regulated to perfection for the best quality out of your bud.

The small bit of extra care taken in adding Boveda’s terpene shield to your curing containers is simple, but makes a world of difference in your harvest. Putting a Boveda pack in your final packaging can help keep up quality on dispensary shelves, too. So, if you’re shopping at the dispensary, look out for products with the trusted Boveda terpene shield badge of quality & protection for the best quality bud.

Of course, nobody’s perfect. While you’ll never get lost terpenes back, adding a Boveda pack can also help perk up some sad-looking weed.

Never settle for a subpar crop. You earned all that frosty dankness, now keep it safe with a trusted friend in Boveda’s terpene shield.

Courtesy of Boveda

Boveda
Presented ByBoveda
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