Cann Drying Systems: Best Practices

At Cann Drying Systems, our cannabis and hemp drying technology is engineered to help you achieve the highest quality and uniformity possible. Our systems are designed for repeatable throughput, so after the initial trial, you can “set it and forget it”. This ‘recipe’ based dry and cure cycle will keep customers coming back, just as they do at their local brewery. Below are standard operating procedures on behalf of our experienced team to optimize your Cann Drying System commercial drying experience:

Make sure that you have a clear vision for the end product goal. Smokable flowers are dried at a lower temperature and a moderate humidity to slow the process, ensuring the preservation of trichomes. For extraction, the setpoints are set on the opposite side of the spectrum, with a higher temperature and a lower humidity. 

High Quality Flowers

(Terpene Retention Setpoints) Dry using the following environmental parameters: (58°F-63°F & 55%-63% RH)

Product Preparation

Best practices for flower include the utilization of hanging racks and ensuring the majority of fan leaves are removed prior to chamber input. This ensures that the system isn’t wasting energy on dehydrating leaves that have no value. The sugar leaves (those attached to the flowers themselves), should be left on to protect the trichomes. Stems that are being hung should also be of uniform length.  

Extraction

(Terpene Capture Setpoint) Dry using the following environmental parameters: (85°F-100°F & 40%-50% RH)

Product Preparation

For extraction, utilize bakery style tray racks to maximize both capacity and throughput. Cannabis material should have all fan leaves removed and should also be removed from the stem. 

Fan Speed

The density of the cannabis material will largely determine the ideal fan speed settings for flowers being dried. Fan speed should typically be somewhere between 25% and 40%. The goal is to feel a gentle stream at the center of the chamber. This ensures a uniform dry and ultimately a consistent finished moisture content across all cannabis material  in the chamber.

*Please note that the noted setpoints are suggestions, and the variables involved with the post harvest process are many. The time it takes to dry will be determined by several factors outside of Cann Drying Systems’ control –  including but not limited to product density, full utilization of chamber space, how the product was trimmed and manicured, and how often the doors to the chamber space are opened and closed during the dry cycle.

Weight

It is crucial to fill the chamber to capacity as rated per the DH unit. This ensures that the airflow is evenly distributed and the buds are dried uniformly. This will result in a more consistent and high-quality product and alleviate the concern of the product drying out too quickly.

Quality

The primary focus when drying is the preservation of overall quality/trichomes which maintain potency (cannabinoids) and flavor/aroma (terpenes). When drying at low temperatures for high-quality smokable cannabis, the consistency of our drying units helps preserve more terpenes (10-20% more on average compared to standard drying).

Conversely, when drying at higher temperatures with extracts and throughput efficiency in mind, terpene collection ensures the ability for the reintroduction of terpenes, leading to additional revenue streams. Be sure to adjust set points accordingly for the goal of the final product.

Uniformity

Our commercial cannabis drying system utilizes laminar airflow to ensure uniformity in shelf-stability. It is important to evenly distribute your flowers across your loading trays or hang racks to ensure moisture content uniformity. You can monitor environmental conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, and fan speed from afar with our remote access controls, the Cann Dashboard.

Utilizing your turnkey chamber with these best practices will help you prepare your cannabis for the ideal drying environment. Best Practices provide a reference point for your team and instill confidence that you are drying the highest quality cannabis products.

Be sure to check out our FAQs for more inside know-how from our experienced in-house team.