How to Test the Moisture Content of Your Cannabis

The moisture percentage of marijuana is an important figure to know, but
the shift in that percentage when buds go from drying, to curing, to
packaging for sale are — for the most part — mysterious and subjective.

In my book “Marijuana Harvest,” we provide various tests for determining
moisture throughout the stages of post-harvest processing. None offers a
truly objective measurement, but the community uses them all the time for
want of a better system.

When I asked bud processors about this gap, some had theories about what
the proper cannabis moisture content should be, but few were even willing
to venture a guess when it came to quantifying a particular sample.
Processors also had theories on the proper humidity (and temperature) of
the drying, curing and storage areas and use automatic climate control to
control those factors.

One way to measure the moisture percentage of a leaf or bud is to weigh a
small amount and place it in an oven at 80 degrees until it’s crispy and
dry. Then measure the difference between its pre and post-oven weight and
divide that number by the original weight of the wet material — the
resulting number is the percentage of moisture.

*Example:*

*A hundred grams of dried, un-manicured buds were weighed out, then placed
in a low-temperature oven until they were crispy. When they were weighed
again, their weight came to 91.5 grams, a difference of 8.5 grams from
their pre-treatment weight. Taking 8.5 divided by the weight of the
original, results in the percentage of moisture (8.5 percent) in the
un-treated bud.*

If there was an objective tool that could help with this chore, processors
would have a more accurate assessment — one that wouldn’t require the skill
of an artisan to use, just the eye of a trained worker.

Recent experiments I’ve performed show that there *is* an objective way to
measure moisture content using a wood moisture meter. I’ve been using one
that has a touch pad and it’s been giving an accurate reading based on the
subtractive test described above.

[image: Moisture Curing Cannabis Now]

There are at least two styles of moisture meters. I prefer to use the sort
that comes with two probes, about 1-1½ inches apart and sticking out less
than half an inch, with a touch pad sensor.

I get the most accurate results when I set the meter on the “softwood”
setting and hold the material firmly against the pad with a piece of hard
plastic — the readout takes about a second.

And even if the actual number isn’t strictly accurate, as long as it’s
consistent, it can be used as a standard. In the cannabis community there
has been a widespread opinion that 12 percent moisture is a good content of
water for smoking in a joint that won’t go out — it’s also the percentage
at which small sticks audibly snap.

If you have tested the meter against these two subjective but accurate
tests and the meter reads 12 percent, all is well. Should the meter have a
different readout, but one that’s consistent, you will still always know
the bud is ready when it hits that number, provided the other criteria are
met.
Proposed moisture readings for various humidity levels of processing and
smoking:

*Drying ends: 14-15%*

*Curing ends: 11-12%*

*Pleasant smoke: 10-12%*

*Harsh dry smoke: 10% or less*

*Excerted from “Marijuana Harvest: Maximizing Quality and Yield in Your
Cannabis Garden.”*

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