Malawi Style Cob Curing.

[Tangwena]

Purple Honduras x Panama and Panama x Honduras cobs

Purple Honduras x Panama and Panama x Honduras cobs

Here are the box of cobs from my last grow the cobs were all 2 to 3 ounces part dried and average 8 to 9 inches long.
I got 13 cobs from that grow of 3 plants a record harvest for me.
Once they are cured and dried I will weigh them but i can tell by the weight of the box it will be over a pound for sure ha ha.
Set for life now ha ha.


The box has 3 layers of cobs. Here is pics of each layer.

 

[chilliwilli]

Hi folks my first try with cob
Some kerala chellakutti harvested yesterday. Buds are very fluffy so i hope its not too early. I picked most of the stems.

And then wrapped in some cooking bags and tightened. The cooking bag is nice because i could compress the buds easy by rolling like a joint after stuffing in the bag.

 

[Tangwena]

Hi folks my first try with cob
Some kerala chellakutti harvested yesterday. Buds are very fluffy so i hope its not too early. I picked most of the stems.

View Image

And then wrapped in some cooking bags and tightened. The cooking bag is nice because i could compress the buds easy by rolling like a joint after stuffing in the bag.

View Image

Thats going to be an interesting cure perfect type of buds for this type of cure.
Make sure you check their progress every few days.
This type of bud ferments very quickly if you let it go too long you can loose the terps as soon as it starts smelling sweet start drying the cob incrementally at each inspection that way you will preserve their unique sweet fermented terpy smell and bring out the high at its best level.

 

[TheShining]

Has anyone tried the cob method and added rosin bags filled with mimosa hostilis powder to it? Also, would oxygen absorbers help, in addition to the vacuum sealing?

 

[Tangwena]

Has anyone tried the cob method and added rosin bags filled with mimosa hostilis powder to it? Also, would oxygen absorbers help, in addition to the vacuum sealing?

No but theres always a first time for everything my friend.
If you use good pot in the first place you will not need to add anything believe me.

 

[Sertaiz]

TheShining i like your name and if you havent, you should try this tek. Its the best secret cure there is. ferments the vegetable material down away from that green, harsh burning smoke into delicious, hashy, smooth aromas, flavor, highs....
smoke it down to nothing. Tang eats it as a nonsmoker and reports incredible highs from tiny doses, its naturally decarbed. storage is much condensed....... whats not to like?

 

[TheShining]

I started 5 of them 12 hours ago, ~2oz each. Currently at 107°F in water. I didn't have access to fresh corn husks, so I went with paper bag wraps. I included a 3000cc oxygen absorber in each, on the outside of the paper. Added about a half ounce of mimosa hostilis root bark powder in a 25 mesh rosin bag inside one of the cobs (and I have a cob with the same strain without the mimosa as a baseline). I just want to see if the DMT leeches into the buds during fermentation...I like experimenting. I also have a small amount of unsulfered blackstrap molasses on the outside of a couple wraps as a test.

All 5 are the LSD strain by Barney's Farm. Only 55% sativa, but a proven trippy strain that I've grown several times. My Super Silver Haze will be ready in 2-3 weeks and I'll make a few cobs with that as well. My main goal with this grow is to cross LSDxSSH since, on paper, it's the description of what me and a couple friends have been longing for. One of the ten LSDs is the best in every category except yield. Super resinous, fastest flowering, sweetest smelling, and early tests seem to indicate trippiest as well. Crossed it with the best SSH male (out of 7). I'll be growing their cross next month. I only harvested the bottom buds on 3 LSDs so far, so there will be a lot more cobbing and experimenting in my near future.

And Tangwena...thank you so much for this thread!! I'm on mobile, so I don't see where I can like your response to my first post, but I'm very grateful to you!

 

[Tangwena]

I started 5 of them 12 hours ago, ~2oz each. Currently at 107°F in water. I didn't have access to fresh corn husks, so I went with paper bag wraps. I included a 3000cc oxygen absorber in each, on the outside of the paper. Added about a half ounce of mimosa hostilis root bark powder in a 25 mesh rosin bag inside one of the cobs (and I have a cob with the same strain without the mimosa as a baseline). I just want to see if the DMT leeches into the buds during fermentation...I like experimenting. I also have a small amount of unsulfered blackstrap molasses on the outside of a couple wraps as a test.

All 5 are the LSD strain by Barney's Farm. Only 55% sativa, but a proven trippy strain that I've grown several times. My Super Silver Haze will be ready in 2-3 weeks and I'll make a few cobs with that as well. My main goal with this grow is to cross LSDxSSH since, on paper, it's the description of what me and a couple friends have been longing for. One of the ten LSDs is the best in every category except yield. Super resinous, fastest flowering, sweetest smelling, and early tests seem to indicate trippiest as well. Crossed it with the best SSH male (out of 7). I'll be growing their cross next month. I only harvested the bottom buds on 3 LSDs so far, so there will be a lot more cobbing and experimenting in my near future.

And Tangwena...thank you so much for this thread!! I'm on mobile, so I don't see where I can like your response to my first post, but I'm very grateful to you!

Good on you for giving it a go potent strains so the results should be interesting please keep us posted with pics if you can.

 

[SweetSue]

Hashishene

Hashishene

Good day to you Tangwena. It's been a while, hasn't it? I've been keeping busy writing cannabis blogs for THCSD, a dispensary in California, missing all the interaction, but staying busy enough to work past the loss. I'm glad to see you still spreading the good word. Someday soon I'll be back in the swing and I'll ramp up my own promotion of this marvelous technique again. Count on it.

I stopped for a very particular reason. DrDoob linked me up to this article by Alchimia from 2016 that may explain part of what's going on with cobs. Unfortunately, I'm out of touch with this system and don't know how to link it.

https://www.alchimiaweb.com/blogen/hashishene-the-terpene-of-hashish/

It turns out that under certain conditions - conditions that come into play almost exclusively in the making of hash - myrcene converts to another, more potent terpene named hashishene. Myrcene is the most prevelant terpene found in just about every cannabis plant grown, and as a result, hash has incredibly high levels of hashishene.

Doob and I suspect this may also be happening with cobs, although we lack the testing to prove it. I thought you'd enjoy the rabbit hole. Hehehe!

Miss you brother. I'll check back to see if anyone else gets excited. You all have a wonderful day.

 

[Tangwena]

Good day to you Tangwena. It's been a while, hasn't it? I've been keeping busy writing cannabis blogs for THCSD, a dispensary in California, missing all the interaction, but staying busy enough to work past the loss. I'm glad to see you still spreading the good word. Someday soon I'll be back in the swing and I'll ramp up my own promotion of this marvelous technique again. Count on it.

I stopped for a very particular reason. DrDoob linked me up to this article by Alchimia from 2016 that may explain part of what's going on with cobs. Unfortunately, I'm out of touch with this system and don't know how to link it.

https://www.alchimiaweb.com/blogen/hashishene-the-terpene-of-hashish/

It turns out that under certain conditions - conditions that come into play almost exclusively in the making of hash - myrcene converts to another, more potent terpene named hashishene. Myrcene is the most prevelant terpene found in just about every cannabis plant grown, and as a result, hash has incredibly high levels of hashishene.

Doob and I suspect this may also be happening with cobs, although we lack the testing to prove it. I thought you'd enjoy the rabbit hole. Hehehe!

Miss you brother. I'll check back to see if anyone else gets excited. You all have a wonderful day.

Good to hear you are enjoying life and making good use of your talents my lady.
I always felt a special connection with you your enthusiasm is very special and infects everyone around you.
What you suspect makes perfect sense to me there is def some magic happening thats for sure.
I just go with the flow right now I am flowing with some of Aces Malawi crossed to Mullumbimby in cob format from a good friend and cob alchemist.

Getting some incredible waves that only Malawi can generate cant wait to see where it goes ha ha.
I have some crazy cobs from my last harvest, not my best grow unfortunately lots went wrong and I harvested a bit early at 12 weeks BUT!

I have a sneaking suspicion its going to be dynamite ha ha.
Just got back home an hour ago after a 9 hour drive from my fishing camp its great to be back home and now I can delve into my new creations.
i will be going deep down that rabbit stroke worm hole in the name of science ha ha.
Stay cool my lady big things in store for you it is written in the stars.

 

[clearheaded]

they harvest aspergillus orzaye off of corn cobs with rice. its also known as KOBI which is used to make miso along with many other japanese condiments wines etc. even 'instant' dry age meat.. so there is something other then just the vessel of the actual corn husks

 

[MedBelgUsr]

Hi Tangwena,

As I have slightly modified the main lines of the cobbing process that you shared, I'm wondering :

The sweating is done for my 2 cobs ( 24h in the Yoghurt device ) , and I have just removed the moisture located outside the cob, without touching the ties or peeking inside : the smell was leaving no doubts that everything was going fine.

In many of the methods, I see that after sweating, most people ferment at 25-30 C for 1 week, and then dry the cobs to let it age for month(s).
Personnaly, from what I've read, I have the impression that once the cob is dryer, it's not evolving much.

So instead of keeping the ferment phase to 1 week at a "high" temperature right after the sweating day, I went for a looooong ferment/cure by keeping the inside of the cob untouched in its vacuum sealed bag ( the inside of the vacuum bag has been dried ) and I plan to leave it 3 months of room temperature curing ( and I guess the inside of the cob is still very moist with the plants enzyme working slowly at 22 C ) .

I will be checking monthly the smell in vacuum the bag without opening the cob to leave the moisture inside the wrap. After 3 months, I will dry the cobs fully by opening them and leave them at open air in the dark until their outside shell becomes hard.

My question is : leaving the cobs all the time slightly moist for so long in its vacuum bag, have you heard other people doing it ? should I expect a reduction in any effects or terpenes profiles or, on the contrary, 3 months of curing with no external bacteria/molds will be good ?

I understand that aging/storing can me done for years, but is it desirable to let the enzyme work for a long time ( even very slowly with far than optimal temperature ).

Cheers
MBU

 

[Tangwena]

Hi Tangwena,

As I have slightly modified the main lines of the cobbing process that you shared, I'm wondering :

The sweating is done for my 2 cobs ( 24h in the Yoghurt device ) , and I have just removed the moisture located outside the cob, without touching the ties or peeking inside : the smell was leaving no doubts that everything was going fine.

In many of the methods, I see that after sweating, most people ferment at 25-30 C for 1 week, and then dry the cobs to let it age for month(s).
Personnaly, from what I've read, I have the impression that once the cob is dryer, it's not evolving much.

So instead of keeping the ferment phase to 1 week at a "high" temperature right after the sweating day, I went for a looooong ferment/cure by keeping the inside of the cob untouched in its vacuum sealed bag ( the inside of the vacuum bag has been dried ) and I plan to leave it 3 months of room temperature curing ( and I guess the inside of the cob is still very moist with the plants enzyme working slowly at 22 C ) .

I will be checking monthly the smell in vacuum the bag without opening the cob to leave the moisture inside the wrap. After 3 months, I will dry the cobs fully by opening them and leave them at open air in the dark until their outside shell becomes hard.

My question is : leaving the cobs all the time slightly moist for so long in its vacuum bag, have you heard other people doing it ? should I expect a reduction in any effects or terpenes profiles or, on the contrary, 3 months of curing with no external bacteria/molds will be good ?

I understand that aging/storing can me done for years, but is it desirable to let the enzyme work for a long time ( even very slowly with far than optimal temperature ).

Cheers
MBU

Yes I have done it myself earlier in the development of this technique.
Whether or not it will be detrimental to the end product depends to a large degree on the moisture content of the buds starting the cure.
If too much moisture is present after the initial sweating 12 to 24 hrs for example it doesn't seem to matter what temp the cobs are kept at they compost not cure.
The resulting matter is usually foul smelling like ammonia and most unattractive.
It will once dried get you high but has a bad smell and taste and should be avoided.
The best smelling and tasting cobs are usually made with drier rather than moister buds.
The best gauge is if the storks still bend but dont snap and it will burn in a joint but go out if not constantly toked on.
Drier buds as described above can tolerate this type of cure and can be very nicely cured this way.
Dont read too much into the term fermenting in regard to this cure.
You can get a good cure without the initial sweat if the starting moisture content is right.
There is a good reason I say open the bags weekly dry the cobs and sniff the bags because most people use buds that are too moist. By checking weekly you can get more chance of hitting the sweet spot in the fermentation.
Once you have found it it pays to dry the cobs leaving only a slightly moist core and vacuum seal them to age at around 30c.
If its too cold the cure stalls and the buds just stop changing for the better.
I have had cobs made in our winter where the temps can go as low as 6c overnight and they just stay looking like pressed green buds.
Its an art form and takes a bit of practice but it is very rewarding once you see good results you will pick it up quickly as your enthusiasm will keep you wanting to get better and better.
The master curers I was fortunate enough to taste and see the wares of in Africa are true artists not every grower can reach their level of artistic expression.
Good curers are highly sought after in the tobacco industry I see no reason why it will not be the same in the pot industry.
Small artisan type growers can easily find a niche market as theirs cobs will sell themselves.

 

[MedBelgUsr]

Ok, then after reading your tips, it means that I will open the current 2 Kali cobs weekly to be sure there's no foul smell development ( I will still keep them all tied/wrapped because, from what you wrote, if there's no bad smell, probably all is still going fine ).

And for the Trainwreck that I'm cobbing tomorrow, I will :

- sweat for 24h with the wrap and vacuum
- dry the outside of the wrap , vacuum again
- put for 1 week at 25 - 30 degrees with the wrap,
- remove the wrap, let it dry till the outside is getting hard ( around 3 days )
- take the unwrapped piece of cob, vacuum for at least 3 months ( + an eternity ) at room temperature. Abuse.

Of course, with regular "nose" checks.

Thanks Mr Tangwena, I have a plan now.

 

[OnlyPureSativas]

Hi folks my first try with cob
Some kerala chellakutti harvested yesterday. Buds are very fluffy so i hope its not too early. I picked most of the stems.

View Image

And then wrapped in some cooking bags and tightened. The cooking bag is nice because i could compress the buds easy by rolling like a joint after stuffing in the bag.

View Image

Please don't open it for at least two or three months because the high will just keep getting better

 

[funkyhorse]

Very interesting article Tangwena, I decided to make an experiment after reading it
It is impossible to find food vaccuum bags, but banana bark is no problem at all, fresh from the garden and gliphosate free, this year there are a few babies, the plant is happy here

View Image

So I made a banana cob with the TRSC repro of Malawi Gold and I put it in the greenhouse where it will have temperatures ranging from 20-40C for the summer and will receive some morning dew as well. It will stay until after Carnival.

View Image

Tomorrow I am trying a cob in the yoghurt maker with the nylon bag of my Arizer Q Extreme which should be of same quality as the Volcano one. Thank you Nivek for the tip, I like this nylon, is much easier to work with than the milk bag which is the only food grade bag available here

Carnival is over and I decided today to open up this first banana cob I made and certainly it wont be the last. I wasnt expecting anything on the high department since the material/version of the strain used are very mild, I would say subpar. I am surprised at the organoleptics. Excellent smells, matching or even beating some of the best paraguayan weed I got in times long gone on the organoleptics. It smokes very smooth, better than the cured buds on the jar. What impresses me is that it smells better than the buds, I wasnt expecting it. I am curious what the result on the resinous top quality strains will be with this banana bark technique, they keep fermenting outdoors for at least one more month.

On the next banana cobs to ensure vaccuum, I wrapped the cob with masking tape or Scotch tape and I like the results with scotch tape better, it handles the humidity better. For long cure storing, I am using the same method as with my hash, inspired on the way of commercial nepali charas. I wrap the cob in a lot of nylon film, the same used to wrap food and on top of that I wrap it with scotch tape to ensure vaccuum
I found the vaccuum bags here. They need to be used with a vaccuum machine which costs 200u$s the cheapest one and 400u$s the next cheaper one. Are these vaccuum machines a household item in the first world??? How much it costs in the free trade world? In the meantime I stick with proven succesful cheaper third world techniques.

Tangwena, do you get the same terpenes in the yoghurt maker compared to the natural ferment process?

 

[Swamp Thang]

I found the vaccuum bags here. They need to be used with a vaccuum machine which costs 200u$s the cheapest one and 400u$s the next cheaper one. Are these vaccuum machines a household item in the first world??? How much it costs in the free trade world? In the meantime I stick with proven succesful cheaper third world techniques.

Tangwena, do you get the same terpenes in the yoghurt maker compared to the natural ferment process?

Here is a nice kitchen grade vacuum machine for $20 USD.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Commercial...-Sealing-kit/303861093442?_trkparms=ispr=1&ha

Very cheap and affordable. Since you won't use this machine often, a commercial grade machine is not essential.

 

[funkyhorse]

Here is a nice kitchen grade vacuum machine for $20 USD.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Commercial...-Sealing-kit/303861093442?_trkparms=ispr=1&ha

Very cheap and affordable. Since you won't use this machine often, a commercial grade machine is not essential.

Thank you very much for the link. There are no shipments to my country, and in case there would be, shipment would cost x3 or more the price of the artifact. I was curious to know the price of a cheap machine and at that price it makes sense it becomes a household item at first world countries

It is amazing how cheap these things are in first world countries and how expensive they are at the third world

Have a nice day everybody

 

[Tangwena]

Carnival is over and I decided today to open up this first banana cob I made and certainly it wont be the last. I wasnt expecting anything on the high department since the material/version of the strain used are very mild, I would say subpar. I am surprised at the organoleptics. Excellent smells, matching or even beating some of the best paraguayan weed I got in times long gone on the organoleptics. It smokes very smooth, better than the cured buds on the jar. What impresses me is that it smells better than the buds, I wasnt expecting it. I am curious what the result on the resinous top quality strains will be with this banana bark technique, they keep fermenting outdoors for at least one more month.

View Image


On the next banana cobs to ensure vaccuum, I wrapped the cob with masking tape or Scotch tape and I like the results with scotch tape better, it handles the humidity better. For long cure storing, I am using the same method as with my hash, inspired on the way of commercial nepali charas. I wrap the cob in a lot of nylon film, the same used to wrap food and on top of that I wrap it with scotch tape to ensure vaccuum
I found the vaccuum bags here. They need to be used with a vaccuum machine which costs 200u$s the cheapest one and 400u$s the next cheaper one. Are these vaccuum machines a household item in the first world??? How much it costs in the free trade world? In the meantime I stick with proven succesful cheaper third world techniques.

Tangwena, do you get the same terpenes in the yoghurt maker compared to the natural ferment process?

Excellent colors that cured well for sure the nose knows well.
If the smell is good so is the cure my friend.
They dont use vacuum sealers in Africa so I'm not surprised your method has worked so well I take my hat off to you sir!
Now just imagine what you can produce with a resinous trippy plants buds.
I predict your next and all subsequent cobs are just going to be better and better you have the talent now.
The yogurt maker can produce the same terpy colorful cobs when drier buds are sweated for shorter periods.
It is especially good at producing the sticky hashish style cobs but thats another style.
What you have produced is a classic cure and you should feel very proud my friend welcome to the cob club.

 

[Guest]

yeeeeeha. nice cob. yes, funkyhorse, someone else was mentioning that also, about the cost of things shipped.