Malawi Style Cob Curing.

[Tangwena]

Christmas cobs

Christmas cobs

Well due to hot weather the cobs sweated really quickly, after 4 days I could tell by the sickly sweat smell they were ready.
They are now drying, the Gt 2013 has turned a lovely golden color.
The buds next to the cobs were sealed in the same bag sweated alongside the cobs, but did not have the corn husks and did not change color and will not be as strong.
Good yes but they will not reach the magic level that the cobs are at.
Tangwena

 

[trichrider]

my second attempt conjured wet cobs which immediately went back to cure more.

i've been using brown paper to wrap and jarring them after, no plastic wrap.

and another thing i tried was tamping the buds into a paper towel tube before wrapping.
a normal tube will have around two ounces tamped in. after wrapping i used an elastic bungee type string to tie...i wrap it tight and that further compresses the cob as it cures.

i've got three cobs curing now, thanks.

 

[zachrockbadenof]

tang.. just broke out some golden tiger that was left in the seal-a-meal bag for 2+months (4got about it)... 1st impression's 4 of us smoked it).. smoking it was very,very smooth, no harshness, and a very up/energetic head.. the 'high' (not the stone), lasted well over one hr... very impressive...

 

[Tangwena]

Hi Zack the smooth smoke is typical but the high gets better and better as you age it, its like putting wine away to age. Give it six months and you will be amazed at the difference.
The more often you try this method the more you will understand the subtle differences that can be made by varying the sweat, drying and aging times.
I hope you enjoy it.
Tangwena

 

[zachrockbadenof]

Hi Give it six months and you will be amazed at the difference.

sorry tang... I don't see this stuff lasting 6 mos... or even 3 months... I'm reaching for it every time I want a bud...

 

[Irotas]

Hi, thanks for making this thread.

I was wondering what kind of bags you use and do you use a vacuum sealer? Will this work without using a vacuum sealer?

 

[Tangwena]

Hi Irotas it will mold if you do not use a vacuum sealer to sweat the cobs traditionaly they were buried to sweat them.
Tangwena

 

[Tangwena]

sorry tang... I don't see this stuff lasting 6 mos... or even 3 months... I'm reaching for it every time I want a bud...

Hi Zack thats fantastic it meens you are happy with it, in time you will have enough to age and a whole new world of enjoyment will be yours, cobbing is adictive and the taste and highs to be had are also addictive welcome to the club my friend.
Tangwena

 

[Sforza]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgQ0kTvU5-s

Did anybody else notice that the cob he opens around 3:30 is filled with mold? He doesn't even seem to notice or care, just closes it back up. Yuck!

That wasn't a cob, that was a stone, according to the video narrator.

 

[Sforza]

How critical is it to use a vacuum sealed bag? Looking at the video, the Malawians were using dried banana leaves to make the COB. I have access to dried banana leaves. It seems as long as the COB is tied up tight and wrapped up tight in a plastic bag with all the air squeezed out, it should work about the same and be easier to open up to check midway in the cure.

 

[zachrockbadenof]

since corn is not available some times during the year, I'm wondering if the left over cardboard from a roll of paper towels, or toilet paper would work?? stuff the weed inside, tie it, put into a bag and seal it.. if you open the sealed bag in a week/two n u need to re-tie/tighten the roll, slit it with a razor, n retie... what do u guys think???

 

[Tangwena]

Its the sweating that cures the buds so any type of container, tube ect could work. I like the maize as it imparts a subtle taste or flavor into the buds.
As long as the buds start sweating prior to vac sealing it should work the same, I wrap the new cobs in a loose plastic and store in a warm place for 24hrs prior to vac sealing them. This starts the sweating and the cobs should appear wet.
The sealing deprives the cobs of air so mold does not grow, but the cure continues.
So as long as the sweating occurs and the item is vac sealed it should work.
Tangwena

 

[Sforza]

Well due to hot weather the cobs sweated really quickly, after 4 days I could tell by the sickly sweat smell they were ready.

You can smell the sickly sweet (or did you really mean sweat?) smell through the plastic vacuum bag?

 

[Sforza]

As long as the buds start sweating prior to vac sealing it should work the same, I wrap the new cobs in a loose plastic and store in a warm place for 24hrs prior to vac sealing them. This starts the sweating and the cobs should appear wet.

Cool. I did not notice this pre-sweating step in your first couple of posts on the process. Have you developed the step of letting the new cobs sit in loose plastic in a warm spot for 24 hours before vacuum sealing them recently or has that always been part of the routine?

 

[Tangwena]

Cool. I did not notice this pre-sweating step in your first couple of posts on the process. Have you developed the step of letting the new cobs sit in loose plastic in a warm spot for 24 hours before vacuum sealing them recently or has that always been part of the routine?

I am allways trying new ways to get the buds how I want them, so this is something I tried recently and got faster results and a better end product.
Getting this cure right is very worth it, if you experiment slightly with the bud. The best cured sativa heads are the best high in the world in my opinion and well worth the time and effort.
Tangwena

 

[ZanzibarDawa]

Hi Tangwena, thank you very much for this thread! Lately I was reading quite a lot on decarboxylation (activation of THC-A to THC, mor or less same goes for CBD-A to CBD). As it turns out, in at least some fermentation processes decarboxylation takes place. (Source 1,2) I wonder if that is the reason for the magic of the cobs? Especially as with normal decarboxylation of THC-A a lot of the THC is simultaneously broken down to CBN (Source 3,4,5) Although related to heat in these sources the same simultaneous decarboxylation of THC-A to THC and degradation of THC to CBN happen in normal cure and storage, although I have no idea at what rates, especcially in relation to each other. So what might happen here (hypothesis) is that THC-A is decarboxylated via fermentation at a much faster rate as in normal cure and the fermentation has not the same influence on THC degradation to CBN, thus speeding up THC-A -> THC but not speeding up (by the same ammount at least) THC -> CBN. With normal decarboxylation (with heat applied, but I suspect the same happening in a jar) it seems that a level of 70% decarboxylation rate translates to the highest THC content achievable. "...after about 70% decarboxylation, the levels of THC actually start to fall sharply." (Source 3) Decarboxylation while smoking happens instantly but not under ideal conditions, so not all available THC-Ais turned into THC. (Source missing, will try to find) So if the fermentation would push the optimum decarboxylation rate up (maybe even near 100%?) this would mean more potent bud, in theory up to 30% stronger and maybe also reduced CBN levels. This seems to happen in practice too! Hope I didn't highjack with this pseudo-scientific gibberish... ZD Source 1:http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=388 Source 2:http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/69962_en.html Source 3: http://skunkpharmresearch.com/decarboxylation/ Source 4:http://www.marijuanagrowershq.com/decarboxylating-cannabis-turning-thca-into-thc/ Source5:http://www.marijuanagrowershq.com/decarboxylation-marijuana-alchemy/

 

[ZanzibarDawa]

Hmmm, seems it kicked all the line breaks out and I can't edit, sorry.

 

[St. Phatty]

Has anyone tried this with fan leaves ?

What I mean is, letting the leaves hang-dry so that they envelope the bud, then wrapping the bud in fan leaves (maybe adding a few extra.)

 

[Tangwena]

Hi Zanzibar what you posted is possibly why the Malawians do it I dont know for sure, in between all the other variables it would have to be part of the answer
All I know is it tastes better and dose change the high, sometimes dramaticaly.
In Malawi some cobs are good some exceptionaly good. So its hard to say but it makes sense to me,
Tangwena

 

[ZanzibarDawa]

Well, without a lab the easiest way to test would be to eat a bit of cured cob and in the next experiment eat the same ammount of cured cob but this time heat it in the oven to make absolutely sure it is decarboxylated. If the first sample has the same or higher potency than the second sample it would prove my theory. As I have no cobs I need a guineapig https://www.icmag.com/ic/images/smilies/biggrin.gif ZD