Flavour in cannabis flowers is a huge selling point for most of us. Not only is it a sign of a quality product, but it’s also a sign of the predicted effects, since terpenes are a major source of what gives cannabis the properties it has.
But what if you want to take it a step further and add more flavours, or enhance what’s already there? Turns out you can!
Pro tip – Before you read further on how to do it, keep in mind that you should have a method to your flavouring madness.
You need to know what your buds already smell and taste like to make good choices on what flavours to add. For example, if your bud is a piney diesel smell and flavour, maybe adding vanilla might not be the best idea for that particular strain.
Here are three great tips for adding more flavour and aroma to your cannabis flowers!
1 – Spray Flower With Essential Oils or Food Grade Extracts
The first way we’re taking a look at is flavouring the cannabis while it’s in its final growing days. There are some problems with this method we’ll outline, but it works fairly well if you do it right.
Before flavouring (this will be true for method two as well), you’ll need to create a sprayable water solution. Ideally, you want to use 15ml of essential oils – or maybe a food grade extract like vanilla or hazelnut for example – for 500ml of water. This will create a potent, aromatic mix to spray your flowers with (make sure to mix it well).
This first method requires a few steps.
First, let your plant start to dry out on its own for up to 5 days before you plan to harvest. Don’t let it droop or die, but stop your watering routine. The reason is that you’re spraying the plant with water with your solution, which will mean it takes longer for your cannabis to dry. Best to give it a quick start with helping the internal drying.
Second, is to spray your plant with your desired solution. We recommend you do this twice on harvest day. The reason is to maximize your flavour profile. Remember that terpenes evaporate, so no matter what some of the flavouring will be lost. Better to guard against that with two spray treatments.
Third, go about your usual harvesting and curing routine.
Note – This method isn’t the best of the three because of the drying time in open air. Like we said, your terpenes will evaporate, and the water solution isn’t a sealed trichome. No matter how careful you are, some of the flavour you’ve added will evaporate away.
Let a Fresh Trimmed Bunch Sit in a Flavoured Water Solution
The second method is to let a fresh trimmed bunch sit in the same solution you would have made for the spray bottle method.
The best way to do this is to follow three simple steps.
First, place a fresh cut stock (no need to stop watering your plant for a few days prior for this method) into a water glass that has been filled about ¼-⅓ of the way up with your water solution.
Second, let the bunch sit in this solution, stem down for up to one week – topping up with more solution if needed – until the leaves around the buds are dry. Dry leaves mean the plant is no longer drawing water from the glass and has absorbed all it can.
Third, follow your usually hanging and drying routine.
Note: This method is better than method one, since the solution is absorbed into the plant internally, making it better to preserve the flavours through the drying process.
Use Dry Infusions in a Sealed Container
This final method will add a bit of flavour to your cannabis flower but mainly this is best suited for the aroma.
It’s also the least labor intensive, but perhaps also the most limited method on this list.
There is only one step, add any dry herb, citrus peels, dried vanilla beans, mint leaves, or any other dried material with a good scent profile that compliments your cannabis’ natural profile to a bag or jar with your partly dried flower.
This is done after your cannabis has already been dried and bagged. The most effective way to dry infuse is by incorporating it into the curing process while you’re burping your bags or jars.
Eveytime you burp, take out the old infusion herbs and peels and replace them with fresh ones.
This will maximize your aroma and flavour infusion by bringing fresh scents into the mix several times over the curing process, and also prevent any material from rotting and ruining your harvest.
Conclusion
Of our three listed methods to add flavour to your cannabis: pre-harvest sprays, mid-harvest soak, and end of harvest infusing, which one did you like best?
Are there any methods we missed, or better ways to get better results?
Let us know in the comments!
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