# Sweat

> Moisture moving from the inside of dried buds to their surface after jarring, making them feel damp again; normal early in a cure but a warning if excessive.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sweat.html
- Also written: sweating, jar sweat, buds sweating, sweat in the jar, re-sweat
- Glossary category: Harvest, drying and curing · Evidence: Grower practice
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

In curing, "sweat" means buds that felt dry on the rack becoming soft and damp-feeling in the jar a few hours to a day after sealing. Water still held in the bud core and stems migrates outward and raises the headspace humidity. Some sweat is expected, because the outside of a bud always dries ahead of the inside.

## In practice

Read it from the equilibrated [jar RH](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/equilibrium-relative-humidity.md):
- **About 58-65%**: normal; [burp](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/burping.md) on schedule.
- **About 65-70%**: burp longer or more often; leave the lid off for a while.
- **Above about 70%, or condensation on the glass**: take the buds out and spread them on a tray or back on the rack for some hours, then re-jar. Inspect for mould and ammonia smells.

Heavy sweating usually means the buds were [jarred](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/curing-jar.md) too early or were case-hardened. Dense [colas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cola.md) sweat most.

Older growers sometimes used deliberate warm, tightly packed "sweats" to change colour and aroma. That's a form of microbial or oxidative curing that sits closer to fermentation and risks mould. GenetixBay doesn't recommend it.

## Don't confuse with

- **Burping**: the action that releases sweat moisture.
- **Mould**: a possible consequence of unchecked sweating.
- **Sweat (slang)**: unrelated everyday [senses](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sinsemilla.md) of the word.

## Related terms

[Curing](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/curing.md), [Burping](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/burping.md), [Case hardening](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/case-hardening.md), [Equilibrium relative humidity](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/equilibrium-relative-humidity.md)

## Read more

- [Curing and burping: jars, humidity and how long](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/curing-burping.md)

## Sources

1. ASTM D8197. Standard Specification for Maintaining Acceptable Water Activity (aw) Range (0.55 to 0.65) for Dry Cannabis Flower. ASTM International. https://store.astm.org/d8197-22.html