Get ready for something entirely new to hit the Nevada cannabis scene this fall, as CRYO Live Cured Flower makes its debut in the Las Vegas area. Live Cured Flower is a new category of dried cannabis flower created with a unique drying and curing process. The buds are bigger and more vibrant, the flavors […]
Get ready for something entirely new to hit the Nevada cannabis scene this fall, as CRYO Live Cured Flower makes its debut in the Las Vegas area.
Live Cured Flower is a new category of dried cannabis flower created with a unique drying and curing process. The buds are bigger and more vibrant, the flavors are delectable, and the smoke is smooth and gentle.
“Live Cured Flower is a whole new category of cannabis flower,” said Tracee McAfee, CEO of Cryo Cure, the company that developed the globally-patented drying and curing technology behind CRYO Live Cured Flower.
We sat down with McAfee and Cryo Cure president Greg Baughman to learn more about Live Cured Flower, their unique approach to drying and curing cannabis, and their upcoming launch in The Silver State.
What Makes Live Cured Flower Unique?
Some things in life need to be tried to be believed, and that’s certainly true of Live Cured Flower.
The first thing you’ll notice is its appearance. The larger-than-life buds are resplendent with crystalline trichomes that glimmer in the light. It truly looks different than other flower out there, and that’s only the beginning.
Live Cured Flower’s texture is also unique, breaking apart easily in your hands without the need for a grinder. At the same time, it’s not overly dry, so you can expect the buds to retain their structure until it’s time to break them up. That’s because Cryo Cure has modified and improved upon freeze-drying technology that zaps that small yet valuable moisture from cannabis flower. The result is a perfectly balanced moisture content, not too wet and not too dry.
Two words come to mind about the smoking experience: smooth and flavorful. The ideal moisture content of Live Cured Flower means you won’t get a harsh pull of smoke that leaves you coughing uncomfortably. And the rich terpene profile offers pronounced and nuanced flavors.
Finally, every consumer will want to know how this product makes you feel. Live Cured Flower retains the full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes, preserving them at peak levels. This offers an exceptional experience that even the most discerning cannabis connoisseurs will appreciate.
It might sound fantastic, but these characteristics are all the result of Cryo Cure’s globally-patented drying and curing process. Developed by McAfee and Baughman, this approach not only expedites the process – completing it in less than 24 hours – but that crucial time savings contributes to preserving all the best qualities of the plant at the moment of harvest. The result is delivering what is quite literally farm-fresh, ready-to-smoke cannabis directly to the consumer.
Pulling Back the Curtain on the Live Cured Flower Process
So, how does the Live Cured Flower process work, and what makes it so different from other drying and curing methods? It starts with the award-winning genetics developed by Baughman during his time as a caregiver and grower in Michigan. After all, you can’t have top-shelf flower without top-shelf genetics, and these strains stand out.
When Live Cured Flower hits Nevada dispensary shelves at the end of this month, these strains will be available:
- Banana Cello, a sativa-dominant combination of Lemoncello and Banana MAC
- Sour Cherry Larry, an indica-dominant hybrid from Sour OG (Cali Connection) and Cherry Gelato (Greenline)
- Apple Dumplin’, a hybrid descended from Gelato 33 and Apple Fritter
- Sour OG, an indica-dominant hybrid hand-selected from a Cali Connections phenotype hunt for the original Sour Diesel
- The Juice, a sativa-dominant hybrid descended from Sour OG, Gorilla Cookies, GG#4, and Ohio Lemon G
These exceptional genetics are meticulously grown to harvest, and then it’s time to cure them with Cryo Cure’s globally-patented process. To do so, the buds are placed in a Cryo Cure machine that combines precise time, temperature, and pressure calculations to cure the flower, retaining between 8 and 12 percent of moisture content. That’s dry enough to preserve the flower and protect it from contaminants, and moist enough to lock in peak levels of cannabinoids and terpenes found in freshly harvested plants — hence the name Live Cured Flower.
Cryo Cure’s process not only retains more of the well-known terpenes like myrcene and beta-caryophyllene, but it also preserves rare monoterpenes often lost in the drying and curing stage, like alpha-bisabolol, camphene, carene, and eucalyptol. Thanks to this bouquet of additional terpenes, Live Cured Flower boasts a freshly-harvested experience with unique flavors and additional therapeutic potential. Best of all, you won’t miss any part of the plant’s natural goodness, as any kief that falls from the flower during harvest is infused back into the flower before packaging.
It’s important to mention that Cryo Cure is not the same as freeze-drying cannabis. Where freeze dryers leave flower devoid of all moisture content, making it brittle and harsh to smoke, Cryo Cure strikes a balance that leaves the flower in its freshest state. It’s this delicate balance and novel process that allows the award-winning genetics behind Live Cured Flower to shine. And unlike freeze dryers used for fruits and bouquets, Cryo Cure machines are built for cannabis from the inside-out, including extra room between trays so buds aren’t squished in the process.
Meet the People Behind the Process
Partners in love and in business, McAfee and Baughman got their start in the industry thanks to Baughman’s background as a caregiver and grower in Michigan, where they first developed their patented drying and curing process.
“My goal was to produce flower that would be the best possible for patients, so once we had the genetics dialed in, I wanted to find a better way to cure the flower,” Baughman said.
Inspiration came from iconic cultivator Ed Rosenthal, who mentioned the potential of freeze-drying for curing in his book, The Marijuana Grower’s Handbook.
“I always wanted to preserve the beauty of the flower fresh off the plant, so when Greg and I came across that information about freeze-drying in Ed’s book, we had a ‘eureka moment’ that this may be the answer to what we were looking for,” McAfee said.
Freeze drying, however, came with its share of pitfalls. The machines removed too much moisture and the texture was too brittle for a good smoking experience. Baughman and McAfee sought out to correct those shortcomings.
As they perfected the Cryo Cure machine, they realized they were onto something big, McAfee said.
“In so many focus groups, people have told me that Live Cured Flower is really great to try with friends as a social experience,” she said. “It’s a new category of cannabis flower that can’t be compared with traditional dried flower, and that makes it fun to introduce to others.”
With the process perfected, McAfee and Baughman sought to bring their technology to markets across the globe. And when they came across the opportunity to manage a license in Nevada, they jumped at it.
“We wanted Nevadans to experience the joys of Live Cured Flower, so we decided to launch our new consumer brand here,” McAfee said.
The pair rented a home in Pahrump and settled in immediately, finding the town to be the perfect fit for both their lifestyle and business. Located a short drive from Las Vegas, the town offers McAfee and Baughman the perfect opportunity to visit the city on business while also retreating from the bustling urban landscape to appreciate the beauty of the Mojave Desert and Pahrump Valley.
“We love living in Pahrump,” McAfee said. “It’s so beautiful, friendly, and with a small-town feel. It’s close to Las Vegas, but still quiet and peaceful, so we have the best of both worlds.
“And the industry here looks very promising,” she added.
As Live Cured Flower rolls out in Nevada dispensaries, McAfee and Baughman feel like they’re in the perfect spot to grow their business and be a part of the state’s burgeoning cannabis industry.
Showcasing Live Cured Flower with Unique Packaging
How will you know Live Cured Flower when it reaches a dispensary near you? Its unique packaging can leave no question, allowing you to inspect the flower closely before you buy. Live Cured Flower comes in an upside-down jar, which acts as a magnifying glass so you can examine the trichomes and literally see the difference between Live Cured Flower and traditionally dried and cured flower.
“While we were planning our packaging, I had this feeling that the flower was too beautiful to cover up,” McAfee said. “We were playing with labeling and suddenly I just turned the jar upside down and realized that, with a small label, we could really show off the flower.”
Live Cured Flower comes in larger-than-usual packaging, as the buds don’t shrink during the Cryo Cure process. And, just as the process protects terpenes and cannabinoids, so too will the packaging. An outer box shields the flower from ultraviolet light that would otherwise degrade its quality.
“I’m super excited for everyone to get their first jar of Live Cured Flower, open the box, and pull it out for that surprise and delight,” McAfee said.
Where to Find Live Cured Flower in Nevada
Expect Live Cured Flower to hit dispensary shelves in fall 2023, when it will be available at Planet 13, Jardin, CannaStarz, and Sahara Wellness. According to McAfee, Live Cured Flower will soon be available in other dispensaries throughout the state as well, so if you want to try it for yourself let your local dispensary know that you want them to stock Live Cured Flower. All five strains will also be available in prerolls for consumers who prefer a more convenient, ready-to-smoke option.
The launch of Live Cured Flower is only the beginning for McAfee and Baughman in Nevada. The pair plan to also introduce a line of CRYO Concentrates and CRYO Confections in the coming months. These concentrates and edibles will be made with live rosin extracted from Live Cured Flower, bringing robust terpene profiles and potent cannabinoids to consumers of all preferences.
“We’re really excited for the launch of Live Cured Flower and the CRYO line in Nevada,” McAfee said. “We’ve only been here a short time but it already feels like home, and we couldn’t be more pleased to grow our business in such a great place.”
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