We have recently purchased one also. Any tips from those who have done it?
Been awhile but I have a HR freeze drier and tried drifting some fresh flowers out in it.
What I did was custom run it on the lowest temp set and froze it for 12hr and set the final dry to 12 hr.
It took over a day to run and realistically I could of gone with less time.
The flowers will look almost identical to when you put them in there. They retain a “fresher” scent than properly dried and cured. Everyone I asked loved the looks and Couldn’t believe what an Oz looked like!
As far as taste, I found it to be slightly grassy tasting at first, it does mellow out but not completely.
It smokes fast!
Since it’s as airy as the day it was picked, a nug just doesn’t go as far as you’d think. Burns fast. Great for J’s and the likes.
If you want to make concentrates this is the shit! Your flowers will come out so dry they will just crumble to dust! Perfect for bubble bags or extraction tubes.
I’ve found that you can “rehydrate” them by placing in jars with boveda bags and they will return to whatever humidity you like. I found that after sitting in jars they do smooth out the flavors and such but they don’t cure like traditional methods.
As far as practicality.... I stopped using it for my main flowers besides some novelty. Mainly I’ll throw my shake and popcorn nugs in for making concentrates. Other than that, I’d rather have this beast making freeze dried meals and such. Been a real food saver and great meals for camping, backpacking, hunting, prepping, and the likes.
If you really want some treats, try freeze drying gummy bears, skittles, or other fruit snacks! They are addictive.
But that’s off topic.
As far as settings, I’d keep the temp under 90 and final dry times 8-12 hrs.
If you see your torr (pressure) stays low for an extended period, you can stop the unit early and check it.
After having this unit for a few years, I’ve gotten a feel for when stuff is done in it.