Malawi Style Cob Curing.

[stellarjay]

My first cobbing experience was with huge airy sativa buds. You could hold them up to a light and see light shining through. Put them in one cob and placed cob into what I thought was an airtight test tube. The next day when I removed from the crock pot, the end of the cob near the seal was wet. After couple weeks cure, only the part that got wet had changed color. I'm sure that the buds were too dry when I cobbed because I wasn't use to the quicker dry time of these airy buds.

You are right the really airy sativa buds need a lot less drying and also shorter sweating time say 12 hours is usually enough.

If the cobs are not damp or wet after sweating the buds were too dry going into the cob.

My next grow will be some airy Columbian sativas so that is how I will be curing them for sure. The flowers are delicate jewels and have to be cured slowly.

some good conformations provided here. had some flowers get a bit dry before cobbing. not the airy buds you're describing, CannaRed, little more dense and sticky. it took over 48 hours before moisture appeared during original sweat, and it wasn't much. days later after the cobb had changed to an acceptable color, it was very hard and mostly dry. probably beyond 80% dry.

a week or so later made a couple more cobbs from the same plant, but didn't let flowers dry out as much. still let them go 48 hours on initial sweat, and saw more moisture than the first go round.

now about the airy buds... CannaRed's description above fits one of my experiences well with ace's honduras variety. only let them hang for one day before cobbing. glad i didn't let them hang longer. and just like you said, Tangwena, a 12 hour initial sweat seemed perfect for these one day hangers.

my gut feeling is the quicker after harvest the flowers go into initial sweat, the better. i don't have any facts to prove this, just a gut feeling i'm getting. it feels like the process has an effortless start when the flowers are less dry. we'll see soon i guess?

 

[Tangwena]

Go with your gut feeling you are getting tuned in to this method observation is the key.
Add a little experience and you will be nailing it every time. The day you get near perfection will change you forever and you will not want to stop.

 

[Tangwena]

Rogues Gallery

Rogues Gallery

Cloudy sugar, gold sugar, white sugar and amber sugar decisions decisions

 

[SierraPadre]

Hey Tangwena.....you guys still talking to dolphins and hanging with Alice?

 

[Tangwena]

Hey Tangwena.....you guys still talking to dolphins and hanging with Alice?

Its the only way to be my friend.
Its talking to straight people thats hard, when you chew some cob you can talk to everything.
Most of the time they are talking to you you just cant understand them until your with Alice then it all becomes clear.

 

[stellarjay]

here are a couple early reports...

sampled two ace honduras cobbs after 2 1/2 weeks of oven time. a hit of the purple gal had a hashy taste on the front end followed by a bit of uppityness which leveled off nicely. found the hashy taste interesting as it's unusual to taste/smell much. not a smooth smoke, and not a harsh smoke either. mostly clear ride.

after a couple hours the process was repeated with the green gal. this one tasted of old compressed black brickweed circa 1980's from south of the border. very potent and initially up lifting. then an hour later... bam! nappy time. smoke was a little more harsh than smooth. not as clear of a ride.

broke both these cobbs in half. dried/revaced 1/2 of each and stored at room temp. will not revisit for 3 months. both need more time. green gal must loose hammer affect. i do remember reading the honduras can have a slight bit of muddiness (my words) to her sometimes. placed the other half of the honduras cobbs back into oven where they will remain untill black, however long that takes, then into 3 month + storage.


few days earlier a golden tiger thai pheno was sampled. made a loaf instead of a cobb. shrunken down the loaf ended up 3" wide x 1 1/4" tall x 10" long. started out much bigger and loosely hand compressed/tied in brown paper. after a couple days the now moist paper was exchanged for dry paper and rolled/cinched up a bit tighter. couple days later, same. week later, same. week later, left open overnight, re-vaced tightly without paper, and back into oven. took the reviewed sample below before this last re-vac.

have since taken her out again and rewrapped in paper and placed back in oven as she wants to become a bit drier in the oven before storage commences. total oven time so far is a little over 3 weeks. just going with the feeling of what to do when she's opened up each time. no rhyme, reason, or expectation. cut off a chunk and re-vacced it to be stored at room temp for at least 3 months before revisiting. gave another chunk to a friend for his birthday. he loved the smell. don't know if he sampled yet. and the rest...

she is the largest cobb of the lot and is by far the most aromatic. even more aromatic than earlier, smaller cobbs made from same plant. her aroma still seems to be getting stronger and sweeter each time the vac-seal is broken. she's now starting to take on a blackish look. looking for finished product to be black. she will stay in the oven a minimum of a month before drying out/storing at room temp. flowers dried for three days beforehand.

one hit of this girl produced a very clear ride which lasted over 3 hours. the backside was gentle and at 4 hours the feeling was close to the same as before partaking. smoke was very smooth and without taste. clear, clear, clear! happy as a pig in shit! would declare success if process ended now! yet, have heard it gets better.

feeling like the less dried 3 day flowers put into a larger cobb and progressively rolled up tighter each visit will be current go to approach for the golden tiger. the earlier cobbs made from same plant did have a sweet smell to them, but don't remember any of them smelling as strongly as the loaf does. could be because of the compaction process used on earlier cobbs in 1 1/2" pvc pipes packed with flowers. perhaps too tight??? thinking so. also, smaller amount used earlier? thinking so. haven't sampled these earlier golden tiger cobbs though as they've been at room temp for 5 weeks. will open soon for check up, sampling, and another report.

man that was a long ass post! lol!!!

 

[Tangwena]

here are a couple early reports...

sampled two ace honduras cobbs after 2 1/2 weeks of oven time. a hit of the purple gal had a hashy taste on the front end followed by a bit of uppityness which leveled off nicely. found the hashy taste interesting as it's unusual to taste/smell much. not a smooth smoke, and not a harsh smoke either. mostly clear ride.

after a couple hours the process was repeated with the green gal. this one tasted of old compressed black brickweed circa 1980's from south of the border. very potent and initially up lifting. then an hour later... bam! nappy time. smoke was a little more harsh than smooth. not as clear of a ride.

broke both these cobbs in half. dried/revaced 1/2 of each and stored at room temp. will not revisit for 3 months. both need more time. green gal must loose hammer affect. i do remember reading the honduras can have a slight bit of muddiness (my words) to her sometimes. placed the other half of the honduras cobbs back into oven where they will remain untill black, however long that takes, then into 3 month + storage.


few days earlier a golden tiger thai pheno was sampled. made a loaf instead of a cobb. shrunken down the loaf ended up 3" wide x 1 1/4" tall x 10" long. started out much bigger and loosely hand compressed/tied in brown paper. after a couple days the now moist paper was exchanged for dry paper and rolled/cinched up a bit tighter. couple days later, same. week later, same. week later, left open overnight, re-vaced tightly without paper, and back into oven. took the reviewed sample below before this last re-vac.

have since taken her out again and rewrapped in paper and placed back in oven as she wants to become a bit drier in the oven before storage commences. total oven time so far is a little over 3 weeks. just going with the feeling of what to do when she's opened up each time. no rhyme, reason, or expectation. cut off a chunk and re-vacced it to be stored at room temp for at least 3 months before revisiting. gave another chunk to a friend for his birthday. he loved the smell. don't know if he sampled yet. and the rest...

she is the largest cobb of the lot and is by far the most aromatic. even more aromatic than earlier, smaller cobbs made from same plant. her aroma still seems to be getting stronger and sweeter each time the vac-seal is broken. she's now starting to take on a blackish look. looking for finished product to be black. she will stay in the oven a minimum of a month before drying out/storing at room temp. flowers dried for three days beforehand.

one hit of this girl produced a very clear ride which lasted over 3 hours. the backside was gentle and at 4 hours the feeling was close to the same as before partaking. smoke was very smooth and without taste. clear, clear, clear! happy as a pig in shit! would declare success if process ended now! yet, have heard it gets better.

feeling like the less dried 3 day flowers put into a larger cobb and progressively rolled up tighter each visit will be current go to approach for the golden tiger. the earlier cobbs made from same plant did have a sweet smell to them, but don't remember any of them smelling as strongly as the loaf does. could be because of the compaction process used on earlier cobbs in 1 1/2" pvc pipes packed with flowers. perhaps too tight??? thinking so. also, smaller amount used earlier? thinking so. haven't sampled these earlier golden tiger cobbs though as they've been at room temp for 5 weeks. will open soon for check up, sampling, and another report.

man that was a long ass post! lol!!!

Sounds like you have a lot going on there. The last cob that you were happy with would be a good one to try chewing half a gram of the cob.
Not eat but chew until theres nothing left but dust and then suck and chew the juice out of that, finally wash it down with a drink.
wait 2 to 3 hours and you should be in a totally different head space.
GT is my best trip out and half a gram would be very interesting to hear your thoughts on. That clear high is where its at you seem to have got that cob well cured.
If it was me I would store half as is in case you over cook it and loose some of the high. The black looking cobs can be very devastating to the point of messing with your head and giving you a paranoia trip be warned ha ha.

 

[stellarjay]

thanks for the heads up Tangwena. taking your advise on the paranoia trip cure.

will give the chew and wash a go soon. cheers!

 

[HaHaHashish]

I sent samples of cobbed with un-cobbed buds from the same plants to the HaHaHashish Cannabis Bio-assay Laboratory for analysis and here's the results.

The high from the cobbed buds is definitely clearer, cleaner, higher and I feel zinged off my face while feeling sharper, smarter and centered. The best part of the high is the 20% increase in IQ. The high from the un-cobbed buds is definitely different, it's a little heavier, I definitely feeler less sharper and less smarter.

it's not a good tasting herb either way but I grow it because it grows well outdoors here, but the cob is much nicer to smoke, milder with zero cough, the uncobbed is harsher, hotter and can cause coughing.

 

[Tangwena]

I sent samples of cobbed with un-cobbed buds from the same plants to the HaHaHashish Cannabis Bio-assay Laboratory for analysis and here's the results.

The high from the cobbed buds is definitely clearer, cleaner, higher and I feel zinged off my face while feeling sharper, smarter and centered. The best part of the high is the 20% increase in IQ. The high from the un-cobbed buds is definitely different, it's a little heavier, I definitely feeler less sharper and less smarter.

it's not a good tasting herb either way but I grow it because it grows well outdoors here, but the cob is much nicer to smoke, milder with zero cough, the uncobbed is harsher, hotter and can cause coughing.

With you on the feeling sharper and more intelligent ha ha.
Its the result of that clearer high isn't it try chewing half a gram and make sure to write down your name and address somewhere you will find it ha ha

Awesome report I was with you all the way ha ha.
I am just leveling off after 6 hrs from 0.4g of chopper read cob man blasted to heaven and back at least 4 times its crazy strong.
Well worth trying if you like letting go a lot ha ha

 

[Tangwena]

Golden Tiger the best I have tried

Golden Tiger the best I have tried

I have by some miracle managed to find a cob I stashed 6 months ago and couldn't find since then.
This is the best high and the best cob I have ever made.
Its very hard almost like wood and you have to cut it with a knife.
The pictures dont do it justice but it has a very mild funky honey smell and when chewed is like MDMA should be, it excels at taking me to another reality one I wish I could remain in ha ha.
Love this cob its just magic in a stick.

 

[EvergreenState]

I've got a couple of these going. I took some Bud that I'd dried and had curing in a jar for about a week. I read this thread after I'd already dried my bud but it was 65% humidity in the jar so they were still moist and I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I wrapped them up, vac. sealed them and then put them in a dehydrator for a few hours at 115 degrees F. That temp. setting is for the internal temp. of the material. I figured if the material got to that temp. it would make it sweat.
I used dried corn husks from the grocery store in the Mexican food section. You put them in warm water for 10 minutes to rehydrate them. I took them out of the water and gently shook the excess water off of them. Then I took some paper towels and patted them to remove more excess water.
I think these cobs are simply another concentrate and that is where they get their power. You are compacting 3 or 4 or more times the number of trichomes into a small area when you compact the buds. The fermentation may play into it too.
I can get Cuban cigars in Canada. Cigars are fermented tobacco. When you smoke a well cured Cuban cigar, you get high. It's a different high but you do get high.
My cobs have been sealed for about a week, I opened them today and they were moist. I tied them back up and sealed them. I'll leave them for about 4 more days, then dry them. Sample some and then reseal for another month or so.

 

[Tangwena]

I've got a couple of these going. I took some Bud that I'd dried and had curing in a jar for about a week. I read this thread after I'd already dried my bud but it was 65% humidity in the jar so they were still moist and I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I wrapped them up, vac. sealed them and then put them in a dehydrator for a few hours at 115 degrees F. That temp. setting is for the internal temp. of the material. I figured if the material got to that temp. it would make it sweat.
I used dried corn husks from the grocery store in the Mexican food section. You put them in warm water for 10 minutes to rehydrate them. I took them out of the water and gently shook the excess water off of them. Then I took some paper towels and patted them to remove more excess water.
I think these cobs are simply another concentrate and that is where they get their power. You are compacting 3 or 4 or more times the number of trichomes into a small area when you compact the buds. The fermentation may play into it too.
I can get Cuban cigars in Canada. Cigars are fermented tobacco. When you smoke a well cured Cuban cigar, you get high. It's a different high but you do get high.
My cobs have been sealed for about a week, I opened them today and they were moist. I tied them back up and sealed them. I'll leave them for about 4 more days, then dry them. Sample some and then reseal for another month or so.

Thank you for posting your experiment, I dont know if it will ferment though.

If it is you should get a very distinctive sweat fermented smell when you open them.
The fermentation does a lot more than compact it the effects are such that are not found in the original material.

Its just a case of taste if you enjoy fermented weed or not. Some do some dont,its just an alternate method of curing your green buds. There are others this is the one I know.

Try it as per the recipe at the beginning of this thread before you write it off please.
There is something to be gained from doing this. I know you would like the results.

 

[HaHaHashish]

Tangwena - would it be right to say that if the cobbed bud is initially sealed in a bag on 40C heat for 24 hours and then there's only a tiny bit of moisture in the bag afterwards, that the bud was too dry for successful fermentation/cobbing in the first place? That's what I've found from the limited cobbing experience I've had.

 

[EvergreenState]

Thank you for posting your experiment, I dont know if it will ferment though.

If it is you should get a very distinctive sweat fermented smell when you open them.
The fermentation does a lot more than compact it the effects are such that are not found in the original material.

Its just a case of taste if you enjoy fermented weed or not. Some do some dont,its just an alternate method of curing your green buds. There are others this is the one I know.

Try it as per the recipe at the beginning of this thread before you write it off please.
There is something to be gained from doing this. I know you would like the results.

Believe me I'm not writing it off; I think it's a great method and I believe everything you say. When I have another crop and I can do the method exactly per your steps, I will.
The heating in the dehydrator, which is just another heating method to make them sweat, did work. The smell has definitely changed and has become sweeter and the buds were definitely moist. It surely didn't sweat as much as it would have if I had done it right after drying but the buds going in the cob and the corn husks were still moist, heating did make them sweat because of that and they were in the vac. sealed bag while heating, which kept all the moisture in.
I still do think you are making a concentrate with this method but a concentrate with a unique high. That's why I tried it, I believe you. By the way, I used a fragrant Orange Pekoe Cambodian sativa that I harvested after 12-13 weeks of flower, it was very fragrant and had a distinct aroma. That aroma is now almost completely different after a week in the cob. I'm looking forward to the final result.
Oh and calling it a concentrate is not belittling it at all, I love concentrates and anything that breaks down almost completely, like this method does through fermentation, the plant material or like most concentrates, completely eliminates the plant material, is a great thing. The high and the medicine is in the trichomes and anything that enhances the trichomes, like I believe your method does, is the only way to go.

 

[Rory Borealis]

I have by some miracle managed to find a cob I stashed 6 months ago and couldn't find since then.
This is the best high and the best cob I have ever made.
Its very hard almost like wood and you have to cut it with a knife.

<a href="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=75063&pictureid=1804545" target="_blank">View Image <a href="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=75063&pictureid=1804544" target="_blank">View Image

Tangwena,


Thanks for sharing that. I am patiently awaiting my grow to finish so that I can cob a few ACE strains to share with my fiends and family.

when chewed is like MDMA should be, it excels at taking me to another reality one I wish I could remain in ha ha.

That is the exactly the "inter-dimensional portal in a puff" experience that I am hoping to share with others.

 

[Tangwena]

Tangwena - would it be right to say that if the cobbed bud is initially sealed in a bag on 40C heat for 24 hours and then there's only a tiny bit of moisture in the bag afterwards, that the bud was too dry for successful fermentation/cobbing in the first place? That's what I've found from the limited cobbing experience I've had.

Yes its got to get wet from sweating out the moisture in the buds.
The process causes the loss of moisture and the buds shrivel as if being dried but as they are in a wet environment does allow changes to take place that dont happen if the water is removed by dry air.
The drier buds can be still cured this way but dont change as radicaly as they do when wetter. I prefer a 2 to 3 day dry for my cobs but that depends on how fast they dry.

 

[Tangwena]

Believe me I'm not writing it off; I think it's a great method and I believe everything you say. When I have another crop and I can do the method exactly per your steps, I will.
The heating in the dehydrator, which is just another heating method to make them sweat, did work. The smell has definitely changed and has become sweeter and the buds were definitely moist. It surely didn't sweat as much as it would have if I had done it right after drying but the buds going in the cob and the corn husks were still moist, heating did make them sweat because of that and they were in the vac. sealed bag while heating, which kept all the moisture in.
I still do think you are making a concentrate with this method but a concentrate with a unique high. That's why I tried it, I believe you. By the way, I used a fragrant Orange Pekoe Cambodian sativa that I harvested after 12-13 weeks of flower, it was very fragrant and had a distinct aroma. That aroma is now almost completely different after a week in the cob. I'm looking forward to the final result.
Oh and calling it a concentrate is not belittling it at all, I love concentrates and anything that breaks down almost completely, like this method does through fermentation, the plant material or like most concentrates, completely eliminates the plant material, is a great thing. The high and the medicine is in the trichomes and anything that enhances the trichomes, like I believe your method does, is the only way to go.

Thats good my friend I prefer the buds to be still alive or close to it just starting to dry.
You need moisture and fresh dry buds to get the biggest changes happening.
Please post some pics if you can a picture speaks a thousand words as they say. That plant sounds like a very unique type and would make good cobs the high could be very special with this cure. If done right it changes quite a lot from the jar dried high.
Concentrate is a good description as 2oz of bud can easily weigh less than an ounce when finished and looks nothing like the flowers it was made from.

 

[Tangwena]

Tangwena,


Thanks for sharing that. I am patiently awaiting my grow to finish so that I can cob a few ACE strains to share with my fiends and family.





That is the exactly the "inter-dimensional portal in a puff" experience that I am hoping to share with others.

Good on you my friend I have found Aces gear to be the best i have tried so far, so much so that I dont bother growing anything else.
The Panama I have I predict will be among the best I have cobbed its just covered in resin and thats what makes good cobs ha ha

 

[EvergreenState]

Thats good my friend I prefer the buds to be still alive or close to it just starting to dry.
You need moisture and fresh dry buds to get the biggest changes happening.
Please post some pics if you can a picture speaks a thousand words as they say. That plant sounds like a very unique type and would make good cobs the high could be very special with this cure. If done right it changes quite a lot from the jar dried high.
Concentrate is a good description as 2oz of bud can easily weigh less than an ounce when finished and looks nothing like the flowers it was made from.

I have a grow diary titled, Orange Pekoe Cambodian, Back to the Congo, HSO 707 HEADBAND and I have a couple hundred photos posted in that diary.