All plants contain moisture. Water helps plants grow, and even after they’re harvested, they still contain moisture.
With cannabis, there’s a moisture-sweet spot between 10-13%. Anything above this percentage and the bud is too wet and susceptible to mold. Anything below and the bud will crumble into an unsmokeable mess.
Researching the California cannabis company Canndescent, we learned they use the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer. The adoption of this moisture analyzer by a major California cannabis producer marks a turning point worthy of exploring moisture analysis and what it means for the future of cannabis.
Overview
1. Moisture analyzers determine the amount of moisture in a substance
2. Cannabis buds have ideal moisture of 10-13%
3. The OHAUS Moisture Analyzer determines the amount of moisture in cannabis to hit this “sweet spot”
4. Cannabis moisture analysis is an important form of quality control that is rapidly becoming the norm
5. We find the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer to be a solid product with specific ideal applications
What is moisture analysis?
Moisture analysis is the process of determining the total amount of a substance that consists of water. If you put a water droplet in a moisture analyzer, for instance, it would come back with a reading of 100%.
Objects with less water read incrementally closer to 0%. It’s important for cannabis buds to be a little bit moist, but they really shouldn’t contain that much water.
Outside of cannabis, moisture analysis is used in the packaged consumables industry to determine the moisture concentration of substances that are stored for a long time. Cannabis nugs can sit on the shelf for weeks or even months, illustrating the pressing need for cannabis moisture analysis.
What is a cannabis moisture analyzer?
A cannabis moisture analyzer is a moisture analysis machine that is used to analyze cannabis buds. The OHAUS Moisture Analyzer is a great example of a moisture analysis machine that is commonly used in the cannabis industry.
Cannabis producers typically subject their buds to moisture analysis during the drying and curing processes. In some cases, moisture analysis may also be performed just before cannabis buds are placed in packages.
In combination with humidity devices like the Integra Humidity Pack, moisture analysis can ensure expected shelf life and lead to extended bud quality as time goes by. Moisture analyzers may well become the norm for cannabis producers in the near future.
The story behind Canndescent and moisture analyzers
We decided to look into the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer due to a recent in-depth exposé of Canndescent’s production facility. Rather than revealing a scandal, this video analysis of Canndescent’s approach to producing cannabis underlined the critical role that moisture analysis is playing within the hotly competitive California cannabis market and beyond.
Canndescent is known for producing some of the most expensive products in the California cannabis market. These products don’t appear overpriced, it’s just that Canndescent spares no expense in producing top-shelf cannabis flower and vape cartridges.
During the drying and curing process, Canndescent uses the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer to determine the moisture content of hanging buds. Once their moisture content is down to 12%, buds are considered ready to be cured in airtight containers.
Using the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer throughout the drying and curing process
Like Canndescent, other cannabis producers can use moisture analyzers throughout the drying and curing process. As far as commercial cannabis processing equipment goes, moisture analyzers aren’t that expensive, and they deliver incredible returns in product quality.
With moisture analysis technology on the market, it’s only a matter of time until consumers become aware of the benefits of perfectly moist and well-preserved cannabis. This will drive an ensuing surge of interest in devices like the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer among cannabis producers.
Raising the bar for quality in the cannabis industry
Analyzing the moisture content of cannabis isn’t a gimmick. Moisture content is a seriously useful percentage to know when producing high-quality cannabis, and controlling moisture content can also be a safety issue.
With a moisture analysis tool, you can keep your buds from being too wet when they cure, preventing mold. It’s an inescapable fact that cannabis is simply more usable within a certain moisture content range, and moisture analysis allows cannabis producers to market products that most ideally suit consumer needs.
What does moisture analysis mean for cannabis?
Moisture content analysis already separates the high-quality cannabis producers from the corner-cutting riff-raff. As a none-too-cost-prohibitive technology, most reasonably successful cannabis producers consider dabbling in moisture analysis at one point or another.
With prices steadily reducing at every link in the legalized cannabis supply chain, moisture analysis will soon become more of a must than a can. For California cannabis producers, at least, being perpetually overshadowed by connoisseur brands like Canndescent will surely spur an uptick of interest in the tools used to produce its top-tier cannabis.
OHAUS Moisture Analyzer overall score
At Best Dosage, we grade THC tools and innovations like the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer based on how innovative, useful, and well-designed they are. We also assess the quality and overall value of each item.
With all this in mind, we award the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer an overall score of 9.4 out of 10.
Innovation: 8/10
Usefulness: 10/10
Design: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Value: 9/10
Overall score: 9.4
Moisture analysis isn’t anything new. Within the cannabis industry, however, moisture analysis is profoundly useful and desperately needed. Each of the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer Models, the MB23, MB27, MB90, and MB120, appear to be well-designed with the higher-end models being the most reliable and best-performing.
The value of the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer will be different for each cannabis producer. Each model may also offer different values.
For something like moisture analysis, we’d recommend going with the highest-end option available to ensure reliable results. Moisture analysis probably isn’t something you’re ready for if you can’t invest that much in the future of your business.
Cannabis moisture analyzer FAQ
Let’s finish off with answers to a few potentially lingering cannabis moisture analysis questions:
Who should invest in moisture analyzers?
You should purchase a moisture analyzer for your cannabis production facility if you have a reasonable amount of cash flow and both shelf life and user experience are some of your top priorities. Moisture analysis devices like the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer are ideally suited for cannabis production startups with considerable initial funding and established producers with reasonable operating revenue.
Will I need a moisture analyzer to grow cannabis?
Things are starting to look that way. It’s unknown if moisture analysis will ever become a legal requirement for cannabis producers, but the industry is gravitating toward premium producers who take this extra step.
In the end, moisture analysis is something you want to do anyway. A lab can do it for you, but having the luxury of performing moisture analysis every day during the curing process like Canndescent provides the type of data and consistent results that an independent testing lab never could.
What is the best moisture analyzer for cannabis?
Moisture analysis in cannabis isn’t quite mainstream enough to declare a definitive victor when it comes to the title of best cannabis moisture analyzer. Based on our research, however, the OHAUS Moisture Analyzer appears to be high-quality. Through its collaboration with Canndescent, this innovative THC tool is already changing the California cannabis world.
