Dab Storage: Best Practices for Properly Storing Concentrates

Storing dabs properly can extend the potency, flavor, aroma and effectiveness of your cannabis concentrates. Leaving your dabs out in open air without storage can significantly degrade the quality of your extract and shorten its shelf life. Learn how to make the best of your 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 you choose to neglect the best practices for storing concentrates, you’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 your dab’s chemical structure and lower its efficiency. Here are a few ways that these environmental factors affect the shelf life of your dab:

• Light or sun exposure can degrade the quality of your 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 your 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 to waste your 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 to do. Of course, the equipment needed and shelf life of your dabs depend on a variety of factors including how long you’re planning on storing your 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. How long a concentrate can last depends on a variety of factors including the quality of your 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 pretty quick.

Proper dab storage is essential for preserving the flavors and potency of your extracts.

Short-term concentrate storage

Most concentrate users consume their product within days, weeks or even up to a couple of months after purchase. The dab’s natural breakdown process can be reduced by storing your dabs in a silicone concentrate jar. Jars come in various shapes and sizes. It’s important to get the appropriate size to store your 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. Users can simply remove a portion, or “dab,” of concentrate from the jar using a dab tool when they’re ready to consume the dab. Keep in mind, silicone concentrate jars aren’t airtight and will introduce some air to your dab.

Shatter stored on a piece of parchment paper.

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 your dab and prevent it from sticking to other surfaces. Finally, make sure to keep your concentrate container in a cool, dry and dark place to reduce its exposure to moisture, light and air.

Long-term concentrate storage

A parchment paper and silicone concentrate jar are enough to preserve your dabs for a few weeks at most. For those that want to store their concentrates for months or even a year, they must employ more stringent concentrate storage practices. It’s crucial to keep your dabs in an area that is cool and dark, without too much temperature and humidity variation.

To store your dabs for an extended period of time, place your parchment paper and concentrate in a sealed food bag or even a vacuum-sealed bag for the ultimate level of protection. Concentrate users 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 users have even gone the extra step of refrigerating or freezing concentrates with varying results.

This hand-painted, one-of-a-kind ‘Terp Fridge‘ from Yo Dabba Dabba is the perfect solution for keeping your dabs refrigerated and fresh.

Tips on freezing concentrates

Some cases may warrant storing concentrates in a refrigerator or freezer. People in humid and hot environments may require a separate cooling compartment to keep their concentrates in a cool and dark place. A number of precautions must be taken 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, you 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. You may also want to store different concentrate types in separate jars to preserve their original aroma, form and potency.

As you can clearly see, there are many different ways you can go when storing dabs for short and long-term use. The most appropriate method of storage will depend on your personal preferences, concentrate type, concentrate amount and frequency of use. A simple silicone jar is plenty for short-term storage, but users can definitely go above and beyond for maximum dab preservation with stronger storage methods.