Sticky Vs. Dry Cannabis: Does It Make a Difference?

Often, you’ll hear cannabis enthusiasts celebrating the “stickiness” of a bud. Pinching it between their fingers, they marvel at how resinous and fluffy the flower feels. Conversely, you’ll hear people shying away from cannabis they deem too dry.

Does the relative stickiness or dryness of cannabis really make that much of a difference? Let’s remove the spoiler right at the top of the article – yes, it does make an appreciable difference in quality and overall smoking experience. Below, learn what makes weed sticky, why stickiness matters, and how you can store your bud to optimize for that sticky-icky quality.

What Makes Cannabis “Sticky”?

When people stay “sticky,” they’re referring to the resinous quality of cannabis, which comes from its trichomes.

Trichomes – those hairy, crystalline off-shoots on cannabis – are the plant’s resin glands, functioning to help protect the plant from intruders. You can think of them a little like tree sap. Rub them with your fingers, and you’ll feel that unmistakable, clingy kind of resin. Put your fingers up to your nose, and you’ll smell a bouquet of fresh botanical scents.

Read a deeper dive into what makes cannabis sticky by clicking the link in the introduction.

Why Sticky Matters

While trichomes function as the cannabis plant’s defense system, they also carry a happy accident for cannabis enthusiasts: they’re rich in terpenes and cannabinoids. Terpenes are the naturally occurring chemical compounds that give cannabis its array of aromas and flavors – from piney and lemony, to peppery and fruity. And cannabinoids, specifically THC and CBD, are responsible for the psychoactive side of the cannabis experience.

So why does sticky matter? Sticky bud indicates a high volume of trichomes. A high volume of trichomes means bigger flavor and more potency. Ergo, sticky cannabis is quality cannabis.

The Flipside: Dry Cannabis

So, where does that leave dry cannabis? Unfortunately, dry cannabis loses many of its trichomes; along with them go much of the plant’s flavor and potency.

This is a real problem for cannabis enthusiasts who buy in bulk, since prolonged exposure to improper storage settings can quickly dry out some perfectly good bud. It’s also an issue for occasional smokers who store their stash longer than a few days.

How to Keep Your Buds Sticky, Fluffy and Fresh

As established, sticky weed makes a significant difference, delivering a more flavorful, aromatic and potent experience. In order to keep your cannabis sticky, however, you need to be proactive about correct storage.

Open air and low RH (relative humidity) are notorious culprits of dry bud. Therefore, experts agree that you should place your cannabis in a tightly sealed container (a cannabis storage bag or tight-lidded jar) and pop a 2-way humidity control pack in it. The container will keep away open air. Meanwhile, the humidity control packs dial in the RH of the environment, releasing moisture if the surroundings are too dry, and keeping the container at an optimal RH between 58% and 62%.

With the right storage set-up, you can preserve those trichomes, terpenes and cannabinoids pretty much indefinitely. That way, you can enjoy sticky, resinous cannabis time after time.