Dab Storage: Best Practices for Properly Storing Concentrates
Storing dabs properly is essential to extend the potency, flavor, aroma, and effectiveness of our cannabis concentrates. Leaving our dabs out in the open air without proper storage can significantly degrade the quality of the extract and shorten its shelf life. Let’s learn how to make the best of our wax, shatter, crumble, live resin, terp sauce, or any other concentrate type using these easy and effective tips and tricks.
Benefits of proper dab storage
If we neglect the best practices for storing concentrates, we’ll end up with a harsh-tasting and weaker-hitting dab due to the product’s natural breakdown cycle. Environmental elements such as light, air, heat, and moisture can wreak havoc on our dab’s chemical structure and lower its efficiency. Here are a few ways that these environmental factors affect the shelf life of our dab:
- Light or sun exposure can degrade the quality of our dab. Concentrates exposed to light can develop a dark color and lose potency over time. Light speeds up THC degradation, which converts it into CBN, a sleep-inducing cannabinoid compound.
- High temperatures can decrease the shelf life, flavor, and potency of our dab. Heat can affect the consistency and texture of the concentrate. It can also hasten the THC-to-CBN conversion process.
- Exposure to too much moisture can drastically affect the quality of a dab. Too much moisture in a dab container can develop mold and cause or worsen respiratory conditions if consumed.
There’s no reason for us to waste our money, time, or those precious cannabinoids and terpenes by using bad dab storage practices. Using the best cannabis concentrate storage practices is easy and affordable. Of course, the equipment needed and shelf life of our dabs depend on various factors, including how long we’re planning on storing our concentrates.
How long do concentrates last?
Cannabis concentrates can last for a relatively long time compared to other products such as whole cannabis flower buds. The duration a concentrate can last depends on factors like the quality of our dab, environmental conditions, and the storage practices employed. High-quality concentrates can last up to a year after purchase. Low-quality dabs in poor storage environments can degrade quickly.
Short-term concentrate storage
Most concentrate users consume their product within days, weeks, or even up to a couple of months after purchase. We can reduce the dab’s natural breakdown process by storing our dabs in a silicone concentrate jar. Jars come in various shapes and sizes, and it’s essential to get the appropriate size to store our entire stash. Short-term dab storage jars may typically hold between 4 to 7 ml of concentrate or about 1 to 3 grams of concentrate, although larger storage containers are also available.
Silicone concentrate jars are affordable, non-stick containers that can hold even the stickiest of marijuana concentrates. We can simply remove a portion, or “dab,” of concentrate from the jar using a dab tool when we’re ready to consume the dab. Keep in mind, silicone concentrate jars aren’t airtight and will introduce some air to our dab.
Some users also choose to wrap their concentrate with a small piece of parchment paper. Using parchment paper with extracts like shatter can add another layer of protection to our dab and prevent it from sticking to other surfaces. Finally, make sure to keep our concentrate container in a cool, dry, and dark place to reduce its exposure to moisture, light, and air.
Long-term concentrate storage
While parchment paper and silicone concentrate jars are enough to preserve our dabs for a few weeks at most, we might want to store our concentrates for months or even a year. In that case, we need to employ more stringent concentrate storage practices. It’s crucial to keep our dabs in an area that is cool and dark, without too much temperature and humidity variation.
To store our dabs for an extended period of time, we can place the parchment paper and concentrate in a sealed food bag or even a vacuum-sealed bag for the ultimate level of protection. We can also use a range of cannabis humidors and food-grade stainless steel and airtight storage containers to preserve a dab’s freshness and potency, including large volumes of concentrates.
Storage containers with an opaque exterior, such as stainless steel or any other UV-resistant material, can completely prevent the product from coming in contact with sunlight. Choosing an airtight container can also prevent air and moisture from affecting the dab quality. Some of us have even gone the extra step of refrigerating or freezing concentrates with varying results.
Tips on freezing concentrates
In some cases, storing concentrates in a refrigerator or freezer might be necessary. People in humid and hot environments may require a separate cooling compartment to keep their concentrates in a cool and dark place. We must take several precautions to prevent the cool temperatures from negatively affecting the stored dabs.
Vacuum sealing concentrates and keeping them in an airtight container ensures that the concentrates don’t develop excess moisture inside the container. Condensation in the container could dramatically affect the flavor, aroma, and potency of a dab. Overexposure to humidity can make concentrates especially harsh to dab due to the excess water content.
Storing dabs: final word There are plenty of variables when it comes to storing dabs. For example, we can choose from a variety of storage jar materials, including plastic, glass, and silicone. Glass and silicone jars are preferred for their ease of use and durability compared to plastic ones. We may also want to store different concentrate types in separate jars to preserve their original aroma, form, and potency.
As we can see, there are many different ways to store dabs for short and long-term use. The most appropriate method of storage will depend on our personal preferences, concentrate type, concentrate amount, and frequency of use. A simple silicone jar is plenty for short-term storage, but we can definitely go above and beyond for maximum dab preservation with stronger storage methods.
