Malawi Style Cob Curing.

[ProfessorLefty]

I like the form factor there @ProfessorLefty, kind of reminds me of a hockey puck! I might need to mix things up a little here this harvest and try some other shapes! Love the colors, looks like a winner, cheers!

I’m using a handheld pasta maker to press the pucks—each one is about 34g when they go in end up being a little over 28g when dry (1 oz.)

At some point I want to 3D print some discs to press a pattern into the pucks so they come out like Chinese moon cakes, lol

 

[Asentrouw]

After 2,5 weeks in the vacbag and three days slowly drying the outer skin, it looks like this. It has a sweet/sour smell to it, although not as strong as I suspected it to be. The material seems to be pretty compressed, but still bends a bit.

The cob itself has still quite some humidity, but I repacked and resealed it for a longer cure now.

 

[mountainoutlaw]

cob cure

cob cure

This was my original method, but at the bottom of the page is an alternate method developed with some friends on this and other forums
Before sealing them in a vac bag I get the sweat started by wrapping the cobs loosely in a plastic bag in a warm/hot location, you should see the perspiration on the inside of the plastic bag and the cobs should feel wet/moist on the outside. Then vac seal the cobs in the vac bag.
I leave the cobs in the vac bag for between 1 and 3 weeks to sweat. When opened the smell should be a strong sickly sweet smell if the sweat was successful.
Then remove them and let them air dry in a cool dark place.
By the end of a week the outer skin is dry and stiff. The buds inside will have amalgamated to form a stick. This can then be stored for years in the usual way. The buds inside will need to be carved off and broken into rocks to be smoked the usual way.
The buds need to be dried to just dry on the outside but moist on the inside before compacting in the cob.

Tip: Once the cobs are cured dry them but not fully, so they are slightly moist in the centre, then store ina jar or vac seal them for long term storage. If you fully dry the cobs it stops any further curing. I have cobs vac sealed over 3 years old and they are still as good if not better than when first dried.
Below is some Malawi cob and buds cured this way plus the trichs after curing.

The trichs were clear and mostly cloudy before the cob cure


Since posting this a while ago some friends and I on another forum have developed a sure fire method to get good results.
You need a Yogurt maker $60 online, crockpot on minimum or any other regulated heat source heat mat ect
You make you cob as normal and vacuum seal it. I have used buds as fresh as 24hr after harvest through to smoke able dried.
Then put the sealed cob into the yogurt maker for between 6 and 24hrs at 40c. You can go up to 60c or possibly even more but fermentation will be quicker.
Then remove the cob which will be wet and dry it to about 80% dry
Next re vacuum seal the semi dry cob for a month to further cold cure at 30c or room temp
After a month remove and dry to smoke able consistency
You can smoke it now but it will be very stony, if you reseal it for a further 2 months to age at room temp it will be the most potent and very clear.
You can vary the time in the yogurt maker even 48hrs is ok but the longer you sweat it for the darker the result. Darker cobs tend to be more narcotic but still very trippy
You can also vary the moisture content of the buds going into the cob in the first place to give differing results.
Its as simple as that and works every time as long as its vacuum sealed you will not get mold.

Turns out I have a lot of very long resin soaked colas im harvesting this week and october 1st.

Def doing this...

My question for you on the original post is ....when you say you vacuum seal your cobs and let sit for 1-3 weeks.....what tempeture are they sitting in? Room temp? Heat pad?

Is heat key to getting your cobs solid and homogenous throughout?

I have a crockpot, im thinking of setting up some cobs on a trevett and putting on low setting.

Or hell, i could go putem under a metal thatch under shaq roof.
Thanks

 

[GreenAndFast]

I put mine on top of my led lights and left for two weeks. As long as it's warm it will work just the time will differ

 

[mountainoutlaw]

I put mine on top of my led lights and left for two weeks. As long as it's warm it will work just the time will differ

Thanks, im also going to be using fresh harvested colas...like that same day....
I wonder if letting it room temp dark air dry for a couple days would help the quality of the cob by getting some extra chlorphyl out of there? Or do i need it wet as possible, fresher the better? Thanks

 

[Hombre del mont]

Thanks, im also going to be using fresh harvested colas...like that same day....
I wonder if letting it room temp dark air dry for a couple days would help the quality of the cob by getting some extra chlorphyl out of there? Or do i need it wet as possible, fresher the better? Thanks

The best cobs are made with buds or colas that are almost dry. When you would normally put them into jars for burping is the right time.
Beginners often make the mistake of using buds that are too damp; they'll still ferment and cure ok but the high will be more spacey and they won't be as terpy.

Using wet buds is much harder to get things exactly as you want them.

Most people seem to prefer the cobs that are made with drier starting material.

 

[mountainoutlaw]

Thanks, in that case ill get close to dry...
Appreciate the input!

 

[Hombre del mont]

Thanks, in that case ill get close to dry...
Appreciate the input!

Your most welcome. It's great to see more and more people doing it. At this rate cobbing will become the norm

My first attempts were to wet but the effects were fantastic. Just a little practice and you'll be banging them out no problem.

 

[Mitsuharu]

I’m using a handheld pasta maker to press the pucks
...
At some point I want to 3D print some discs to press a pattern into the pucks so they come out like Chinese moon cakes, lol

I'm sure everybody here would love to see that!

 

[Asentrouw]

I just wonder how this process differs from (quality) brickweed?

Outside the sweat and considering you leave the wrapper away, I don't see much difference with the brickweed method, which is also compressed, packed airthight and left under simular circumstances.

I think the end result must be quite simular.

 

[ProfessorLefty]

I just wonder how this process differs from (quality) brickweed?

Outside the sweat and considering you leave the wrapper away, I don't see much difference with the brickweed method, which is also compressed, packed airthight and left under simular circumstances.

I think the end result must be quite simular.

My current batch of cobs does remind me a lot of the old-school Mexican brick we’d get back in the day (minus the seeds and stems, lol)

 

[Asentrouw]

My current batch of cobs does remind me a lot of the old-school Mexican brick we’d get back in the day (minus the seeds and stems, lol)

I think next time I just dry excess buds straight to 62% or so, make a nice brick out off it and vacuumseal it. Probably retains more smell and taste then with the wetter/hotter/faster fermentations.

After the initial shrinking reseal. Few months curing and should be good for long time storage in the freezer for times of disstres...

 

[Tangwena]

I just wonder how this process differs from (quality) brickweed?

Outside the sweat and considering you leave the wrapper away, I don't see much difference with the brickweed method, which is also compressed, packed airthight and left under simular circumstances.

I think the end result must be quite simular.

I have never had brick weed from America but if the buds were high quality well matured and left at just the right temp for just the right amount of time it would turn out very similarly.

Personally I dont think mass produced, mass harvested, mass cured weed would have anywhere near as much control over the cure if any.
It would be a lottery some ok some real bad.

The difference here is that we use primo buds, picked at the best time and lovingly sweated and cured by a caring knowledgeable person from start to finish.
Well cured cannabis be it buds or resin from well grown and harvested plants will always be a lot better.
The main problem I see is in rushing, everything has its own rhythm in this cure its all about feeling that rhythm.
With experience you will produce outstanding quality cannabis unlike anything you have ever tried before.

 

[CDNINCA]

I have never had brick weed from America but if the buds were high quality well matured and left at just the right temp for just the right amount of time it would turn out very similarly.

Personally I dont think mass produced, mass harvested, mass cured weed would have anywhere near as much control over the cure if any.
It would be a lottery some ok some real bad.

The difference here is that we use primo buds, picked at the best time and lovingly sweated and cured by a caring knowledgeable person from start to finish.
Well cured cannabis be it buds or resin from well grown and harvested plants will always be a lot better.
The main problem I see is in rushing, everything has its own rhythm in this cure its all about feeling that rhythm.
With experience you will produce outstanding quality cannabis unlike anything you have ever tried before.

Amen to that Tangwena! And..., the lousy "brick weed" that I saw back in the day was always oxidized (brown at best), full of stems and seeds, and was anything but the primo buds we use. It was all that we had at the time, or at least it was easiest to come by, so no complaints here but if you offered me some of that today I'd politely refuse. My memories of it are that it was not that great.

You didn't miss much by not having tried it brother!

Cheers!

 

[Asentrouw]

I have never had brick weed from America but if the buds were high quality well matured and left at just the right temp for just the right amount of time it would turn out very similarly.

Personally I dont think mass produced, mass harvested, mass cured weed would have anywhere near as much control over the cure if any.
It would be a lottery some ok some real bad.

The difference here is that we use primo buds, picked at the best time and lovingly sweated and cured by a caring knowledgeable person from start to finish.
Well cured cannabis be it buds or resin from well grown and harvested plants will always be a lot better.
The main problem I see is in rushing, everything has its own rhythm in this cure its all about feeling that rhythm.
With experience you will produce outstanding quality cannabis unlike anything you have ever tried before.

Ofcourse what is going in, must come out.

I'm sure in Malawi and Congo there are also mass produced, bad quality cobs around, as there is a probably a thriving black market around them. That's the problem with all commodities that are marketed and commercially exploited.

The same goes for brickweed ofcourse. You have bad and good quality.

But if I like the homemade cobs, I probably like the homemade brickweed aswell.

I don't use so much, which means some stash will lie around for ages deteriorating. So it would be a great way to store some stash retaining its qualities. Especially for pure sativa's as they lack the "bag appeal" anyway, but give very interesting effects.

 

[CDNINCA]

I qualify myself as a "lightweight", a little goes a long way in my world.
Years ago, it was a different story. I guess that's what taking a few years "off" indicates? Anyway, I think that you are right, homemade "bricks"- in the style of cobbing, would probably produce some amazing results.
I have some traditionally jared weed that's so old I've started composting it. Yes, it's a sin, but I figure it will go to the next "vintages" product! I find that the weed that I have cobbed will have a much greater chance of holding up over time, and being worth keeping!
And speaking of Sativas... looking epic my friend, thanks!

 

[CaptainLucky]

I qualify myself as a "lightweight", a little goes a long way in my world.
Years ago, it was a different story. I guess that's what taking a few years "off" indicates? Anyway, I think that you are right, homemade "bricks"- in the style of cobbing, would probably produce some amazing results.
I have some traditionally jared weed that's so old I've started composting it. Yes, it's a sin, but I figure it will go to the next "vintages" product! I find that the weed that I have cobbed will have a much greater chance of holding up over time, and being worth keeping!
And speaking of Sativas... looking epic my friend, thanks!

Humidity paks will help keep your buds from deteriorating. CL

 

[CDNINCA]

Humidity paks will help keep your buds from deteriorating. CL

Thanks, and I agree, I use the Boveda 62% packs in my jars, they work really well. I find that after a 2-3 years it's not quite the same. Still has an impact, but....

I think making cobs might be a better (for me) way of preserving? Anyway, the consumption experience is the primary interest
Cheers!

 

[ost]

Not sure what the results will be with this much mold, but for just a little bit, I’ve had some success drying down the cob and adding a little splash of grain alcohol before resealing—definitely killed the mold, but I’m not sure how it affected the cure (yet)

hope the mold didn't make the center of the cob!

 

[Tangwena]

But if I like the homemade cobs, I probably like the homemade brickweed aswell.

For sure its not the shape but how its cured that makes great weed greater.