BrokenStem
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Malawi Style Cob Curing.
- Thread starter Tangwena
- Start date
Tangwena I was going though this entire thread again in preparation for cobbing some recently harvested Sativa seeded buds, but this post caught my eye, and I must confess to being somewhat concerned over the cough you describe in the above post.
Looking back over your previous smoking habits and medical history, is there a possibility that your cough might have been caused by the presence of mold traces that developed during the cob making process ?
I am really inspired to try this cobbing technique, since I crave that higher high, yet, in the back of my mind, I have always wondered whether tiny amounts of virtually invisible mold could form in that moist environment during the sweating process, and have adverse effects on the smoker's health, when the cob is combusted or vaped.
Now if you already are prone to the occasional cough due to asthma or some pre-existing medical condition, then perhaps the cobs are not to blame for triggering the cough described in your post above.
Any reassurance you can offer would be much appreciated, as I steel myself for my first voyage into the cob world. Thanks in advance for any further clarification you can offer.
Hi ST I had to laugh at your post, as the reason my lungs are rooted is that from the age of 15 we used to roll our joints in brown paper shopping bags! We could not get rolling papers then, nobody used them just cigs in packets.
Also we used to make oil from cobs and mix it with the cob buds and smoke huge pipes made from 2" wide pieces of bamboo. One day i took a huge hit and couldn't exhale my lung function just stopped. I was sweating and thinking I was going to die, when I finally did exhale my lungs did not have the same capacity and from that day on I couldn't inhale fully anymore and got out of breath easily, I am amazed i am still alive at my age.
I have never gone to a Doctor as I know whats wrong and dont care.
But as far as mold doing it, none of my friends who smoked cigs as well have had the problem and still smoke.
I was fine up to that day, also I lived in UK for a few years and smoked hash mixed with cigs and some of the crap that was mixed into the hash is not good to smoke. I disolved some lebanese hash about a pound into a tall jar with iso to make oil and the trichs settled in a layer abour 2" thick and above that was a layer about 1" thick of white oily liquid and above that 12" of black iso saturated oil.
I was told it was probably gee. WTF were all smoking that shit in the joints.
So no I dont think it is micro fungas in the cobs.
Has anyone ever got an infection from fungas smoked? I had never even heard of this till I started growing indoors and joined online forums. I dont doubt its something you dont want but is there any evidence of it being dangerous? I know certain mold spoors that can grow in damp basements are bad if inhaled I have no idea about cannabis mold, if the mold was that bad Africa would be decimated by it.
Also I dont want to preach but if your serious about your health you should not be smoking anything, eating it is far more realistic as your stomach is designed for the job your lungs are not.
Tangwena
Also we used to make oil from cobs and mix it with the cob buds and smoke huge pipes made from 2" wide pieces of bamboo. One day i took a huge hit and couldn't exhale my lung function just stopped. I was sweating and thinking I was going to die, when I finally did exhale my lungs did not have the same capacity and from that day on I couldn't inhale fully anymore and got out of breath easily, I am amazed i am still alive at my age.
I have never gone to a Doctor as I know whats wrong and dont care.
But as far as mold doing it, none of my friends who smoked cigs as well have had the problem and still smoke.
I was fine up to that day, also I lived in UK for a few years and smoked hash mixed with cigs and some of the crap that was mixed into the hash is not good to smoke. I disolved some lebanese hash about a pound into a tall jar with iso to make oil and the trichs settled in a layer abour 2" thick and above that was a layer about 1" thick of white oily liquid and above that 12" of black iso saturated oil.
I was told it was probably gee. WTF were all smoking that shit in the joints.
So no I dont think it is micro fungas in the cobs.
Has anyone ever got an infection from fungas smoked? I had never even heard of this till I started growing indoors and joined online forums. I dont doubt its something you dont want but is there any evidence of it being dangerous? I know certain mold spoors that can grow in damp basements are bad if inhaled I have no idea about cannabis mold, if the mold was that bad Africa would be decimated by it.
Also I dont want to preach but if your serious about your health you should not be smoking anything, eating it is far more realistic as your stomach is designed for the job your lungs are not.
Tangwena
I must confess that I too have smoked moldy weed back before I started growing my own, after my stored stash went moldy and I was desperate for a buzz, so yes, I too can attest that I saw no ill effects after that reckless self-experimentation.
It has been here in the IC Mag forum that I learnt from the gurus that mold can be dangerous to ingest even in trace amounts, and since I grow my own supply and never run out for long, I have always thrown out any weed that so much as smells of mold, just to be on the safe side.
Your wisdom about eating cobs rather than smoking them may become my best option down the road, if my concerns persist about possible health costs associated with smoking and vaping in general.
Finally, your point about the widespread smoking of cobs in Africa, and there being no reported illnesses caused by cobs over generations, provides me with further assurance that well made cobs are no threat to health, and may in fact be beneficial in that they are so potent that smokers consume far less than they would with conventionally dried and cured buds.
As always, your enlightening reply is much appreciated, and I am about to embark on my first cob making adventure today, confident that if the process is followed to the letter, all will be well during the consumption phase of this experiment.
It has been here in the IC Mag forum that I learnt from the gurus that mold can be dangerous to ingest even in trace amounts, and since I grow my own supply and never run out for long, I have always thrown out any weed that so much as smells of mold, just to be on the safe side.
Your wisdom about eating cobs rather than smoking them may become my best option down the road, if my concerns persist about possible health costs associated with smoking and vaping in general.
Finally, your point about the widespread smoking of cobs in Africa, and there being no reported illnesses caused by cobs over generations, provides me with further assurance that well made cobs are no threat to health, and may in fact be beneficial in that they are so potent that smokers consume far less than they would with conventionally dried and cured buds.
As always, your enlightening reply is much appreciated, and I am about to embark on my first cob making adventure today, confident that if the process is followed to the letter, all will be well during the consumption phase of this experiment.
All cool my friend I am sure the only thing that you will have to worry about is how to make more, better and stronger cobs, once you experience what you can do with your hands.
I still stress each grow to try and get the best I can from the plant and then again after I put the cobs to sweat and age. It climaxes 6 months later when they are fully ripe.
Trying them as they age is a revelation in itself to you of what the plant can do.
Tangwena
I still stress each grow to try and get the best I can from the plant and then again after I put the cobs to sweat and age. It climaxes 6 months later when they are fully ripe.
Trying them as they age is a revelation in itself to you of what the plant can do.
Tangwena
Well, the thunk I had hoped to cob is a little to dry, so I will
make hashish from that yield and try a thunk cob next time.
I the meantime I do have the zamaldelica cob to smoke, after
some more cure time in the jar, natch
make hashish from that yield and try a thunk cob next time.
I the meantime I do have the zamaldelica cob to smoke, after
some more cure time in the jar, natch
Zamaldelica cob oil
Zamaldelica cob oil
Today I decided to get out my Zamaldelica cob and buds I sealed up 11 months ago from my second try at her.
I took about an inch off the cob and some compressed buds from the same plant.
While cutting up the cob I decided it had been a while and chewed on some cob. Very refreshing energy boost has started to flow through me and bodes well for a strong trip.
Anyway I thought I would upload some pics because they smelled so good, pine resin and pepper real Africa. This is before and after ready for QWISO and then evaporation
Zamaldelica cob oil
Today I decided to get out my Zamaldelica cob and buds I sealed up 11 months ago from my second try at her.
I took about an inch off the cob and some compressed buds from the same plant.
While cutting up the cob I decided it had been a while and chewed on some cob. Very refreshing energy boost has started to flow through me and bodes well for a strong trip.
Anyway I thought I would upload some pics because they smelled so good, pine resin and pepper real Africa. This is before and after ready for QWISO and then evaporation
Zamaldelica oil
Zamaldelica oil
Well a few hours later 5 grams of Zam oil, the jar weighed 63.25g so roughly 5 grams a bit less after it dries out completely.
As well as keeping the cobs sealed up for years I like to have some oil as well. This should last me forever.
Mixing the oil with the cob turbo charges the high like you would not believe and is the ultimate high I ever got from grass in Malawi.
This looks and tastes the same piney resin with a strong peppery taste real deal Africa.
Tangwena
Zamaldelica oil
Well a few hours later 5 grams of Zam oil, the jar weighed 63.25g so roughly 5 grams a bit less after it dries out completely.
As well as keeping the cobs sealed up for years I like to have some oil as well. This should last me forever.
Mixing the oil with the cob turbo charges the high like you would not believe and is the ultimate high I ever got from grass in Malawi.
This looks and tastes the same piney resin with a strong peppery taste real deal Africa.
Tangwena
I've been looking forward to trying your cob curing method once I get going again, but now I'm even more excited to try making cob oil. Gonna be a while before I get the chance to try it though 
rod58
Active member
hey tangwena , i've been following for a while now and decided to give cob curing a go ..i only had some pineapple chunk to start with until my GTs are ready ..these have been out of the vac for about 4 weeks ..they certainly change and smell differently , almost sour - sweet smell ..a fermented smell ..i sweated them for a few days and then vac them for 10 more. i've yet to try it ,maybe another month if i can wait that long ..lol
Cannabis Motiva
Member
I think this is an excellent thread, Tangwena and I genuinely thank you for sharing the technique. I think the Malawi process of cob-curing is pretty damn interesting, especially from a cultural/traditional perspective.
With that said - and with all due respect - I see little more going on here than a compressed curing. This cure seems to produce the same end result as the process of decent Mexican brick, except in a cob shape.
That's not meant to be an insult either, it's just an observation from experience and familiarity.
With that said - and with all due respect - I see little more going on here than a compressed curing. This cure seems to produce the same end result as the process of decent Mexican brick, except in a cob shape.
That's not meant to be an insult either, it's just an observation from experience and familiarity.
Hi CM you are probably right I have never had the bricks from Mexico so I cant compare.
Its getting just the right combination of sweat, and aging that makes a good cob cure.
I am sure the compressing and sealing up for shipment plus the time it spends like that can produce a very good sweat if everything is perfect.
Tangwena
Its getting just the right combination of sweat, and aging that makes a good cob cure.
I am sure the compressing and sealing up for shipment plus the time it spends like that can produce a very good sweat if everything is perfect.
Tangwena
Cannabis Motiva I suspect that there might be more going on in the cob process, from a chemical and microbial standpoint, than simply a compressed cure, because while I haven't yet tried cob weed, I have in the past been unfortunate enough to buy and toke on Mexican brick weed during my years living in SoCal, and, with very rare exception, that brick weed had precious little to offer in terms of a decent high, and, it generally tasted absolutely revolting, with a horrid lingering aftertaste.
Malawian cob weed, on the other hand, has earned a reputation for delivering an absolutely devastating TCH payload, whose debilitating effects have been vividly described in this thread by Tangwena, drawing on his memories of his African wanderings, and of course of his own harvests that were processed with a modified cob technique.
Also, the Malawi cob is prepared with a very specific, exacting procedure that only results in potent, tasty results IF the method of preparation is followed in the traditional manner, or in an adaptation of that process such as the one invented and shared here by Tangena. Conversely, the processing of Mexican brick weed is an arbitrary mass-production method characterized by a haphazard chop 'em, bag 'em and tag 'em philosophy whose results vary all over the spectrum of TCH potency and mold content.
Right now I have my very first set of cobs going through the vacuum seal phase of the game. I opened one after about 5 days, and was greeted by a sweet smell of fermentation that reminded me of African-made palm-wine. Sealed and vacuumed it back, and will now let it age for a couple more weeks before I take the plunge into the realm of the cob connoisseur.
I have a question for Tangwena regarding long-term storage of cobs. Would it be ok to leave cobs in the sealed vacuum bags, in the freezer, in the hopes of halting the fermentation process at its optimal stage, for as long as the bag contents are sealed in a vacuum, and kept frozen ?
Malawian cob weed, on the other hand, has earned a reputation for delivering an absolutely devastating TCH payload, whose debilitating effects have been vividly described in this thread by Tangwena, drawing on his memories of his African wanderings, and of course of his own harvests that were processed with a modified cob technique.
Also, the Malawi cob is prepared with a very specific, exacting procedure that only results in potent, tasty results IF the method of preparation is followed in the traditional manner, or in an adaptation of that process such as the one invented and shared here by Tangena. Conversely, the processing of Mexican brick weed is an arbitrary mass-production method characterized by a haphazard chop 'em, bag 'em and tag 'em philosophy whose results vary all over the spectrum of TCH potency and mold content.
Right now I have my very first set of cobs going through the vacuum seal phase of the game. I opened one after about 5 days, and was greeted by a sweet smell of fermentation that reminded me of African-made palm-wine. Sealed and vacuumed it back, and will now let it age for a couple more weeks before I take the plunge into the realm of the cob connoisseur.
I have a question for Tangwena regarding long-term storage of cobs. Would it be ok to leave cobs in the sealed vacuum bags, in the freezer, in the hopes of halting the fermentation process at its optimal stage, for as long as the bag contents are sealed in a vacuum, and kept frozen ?
Hi my friend I was being diplomatic with my answer and you are spot on about it being an exacting procedure, like wine making the theory is easy but the practice is something you learn over time.
If the cob is sweated and aged,(and then dried, not to much) if you vac seal it up, it will last for years and just get better in every way. I recently opened a sealed cob I had sealed up over a year ago after curing and aging for about 3 months (sealed) It was a thing of beauty and the texture, smell and taste was even better than after 3 months curing. It is not needed to be frozen. I have never done it so I cant comment on its effectiveness though.
Its something you will get to appreciate once you have a few cobs put away to age.
The cob was still moist in the centre and sticky when ground up. Smooth smoking and packed a big hit. Once you have practiced on a few you will find a way that suites your taste and will be able to reproduce them, although again like wine every harvest and every cure is slightly different and you will come across the occasional cure that everything goes your way and it blows you away.
You will spend the rest of your life trying to reproduce or better it, take it from me I am chasing that rabbit every grow ha ha.
Tangwena
If the cob is sweated and aged,(and then dried, not to much) if you vac seal it up, it will last for years and just get better in every way. I recently opened a sealed cob I had sealed up over a year ago after curing and aging for about 3 months (sealed) It was a thing of beauty and the texture, smell and taste was even better than after 3 months curing. It is not needed to be frozen. I have never done it so I cant comment on its effectiveness though.
Its something you will get to appreciate once you have a few cobs put away to age.
The cob was still moist in the centre and sticky when ground up. Smooth smoking and packed a big hit. Once you have practiced on a few you will find a way that suites your taste and will be able to reproduce them, although again like wine every harvest and every cure is slightly different and you will come across the occasional cure that everything goes your way and it blows you away.
You will spend the rest of your life trying to reproduce or better it, take it from me I am chasing that rabbit every grow ha ha.
Tangwena
This analogy between cob making and fine wine making really appeals to me, and I look forward to embarking on numerous cob making, and cob aging experiments, as I pull down my 100% organically grown outdoor bud harvests over the coming grow seasons.
By virtue of this highly informative internet forum, weed growers and smokers get to learn tried and tested ideas resulting from decades of experience, eliminating so much of the wasteful trial and error that would otherwise occur along the way, as new growing and harvest curing techniques are developed.
By virtue of this highly informative internet forum, weed growers and smokers get to learn tried and tested ideas resulting from decades of experience, eliminating so much of the wasteful trial and error that would otherwise occur along the way, as new growing and harvest curing techniques are developed.
Hi caljim thanks for posting your cob pics, I wish you every success, the buds look like they will make a very nice cob once cured. Just make sure to get the cob good and sweaty before vac sealing them for the cure.
What strain are they if I may ask? Its good to know the result from different strains for future reference, the cure changes the effects they produce and certain strains really benefit from the cure.
Tangwena
What strain are they if I may ask? Its good to know the result from different strains for future reference, the cure changes the effects they produce and certain strains really benefit from the cure.
Tangwena
