Malawi Style Cob Curing.

[Calle Minogue]

Ok that was exactly my intention. Reseal for max 2 days and then dry further.

It was like dry to the touch but don’t know if it’s with your fingers or mine measured

SBR x UEL 35h

 

[Deleted member 534625]

I’ve been reading this thread for around three months now excitedly waiting for my next harvest to be done (2ish weeks). The allure of a smoother smoke has led me to attempt cobbing the marjority of my harvest, and so I’m gathering equipment currently for the big day.

Anyways, I’ve read this thread through a few times but haven’t really seen any consensus on hygrometers. I’m guessing the little puck ones would be the most useful so does anybody have any favoured brands? Or types?

 

[Hombre del mont]

Ok that was exactly my intention. Reseal for max 2 days and then dry further.

It was like dry to the touch but don’t know if it’s with your fingers or mine measured

SBR x UEL 35h
View attachment 18901155

Looks really nice. How's the smell?

Judging for the colour of that cob, I think you'd be fine just sealing it up and leaving it for several months, although for "peace of mind", it might be better to check for moisture in a week or two.

It looks to me as if your taken to it intuitively. I'm looking forward to seeing your work in a few months time.

 

[Tangwena]

Ok that was exactly my intention. Reseal for max 2 days and then dry further.

It was like dry to the touch but don’t know if it’s with your fingers or mine measured

SBR x UEL 35h
View attachment 18901155

Thats a beautiful color my friend. Hombre is spot on with his advice.
Thats going to cure very nicely from here on in.
When I see mine looking like that I get very excited for the finished cob.

 

[Tangwena]

I’ve been reading this thread for around three months now excitedly waiting for my next harvest to be done (2ish weeks). The allure of a smoother smoke has led me to attempt cobbing the marjority of my harvest, and so I’m gathering equipment currently for the big day.

Anyways, I’ve read this thread through a few times but haven’t really seen any consensus on hygrometers. I’m guessing the little puck ones would be the most useful so does anybody have any favoured brands? Or types?

Post up your cobs my friend with the advice on this thread you cant go wrong.

 

[Tangwena]

Yesterday I took half my usual dose of my Mulanje 2021 cob and got waaaay higher than on twice as much!
Either I'm getting really weak in the head or taking larger doses is killing the effects.
I took less because I had a lot of things to do ha ha.

At one stage I was tripped out couch locked listening to music, each track tripped me out inside my head.
After each track I tried to get up but once the next track started I slipped back into trip mode and I mean really tripped out it was amazing.
It lasted about an hour then I broke free and was full of go and refreshed mentally.

I cant figure it out the only thing I can think off is. On larger doses other effects overpower those effects and they dont happen ha ha.
I will try it again in a few days and see if I can reproduce those effects.
AND I'm growing seeds from the plant that made that cob yeeha!

 

[blondie]

Hey tangwena. Prior to ingesting, you happen to ingest something that required your liver to work? Pills maybe? Possible something was keeping your liver busy while THC had its way with your body. Lucky you!

On another note, I opened up two of my cobbs from a few months ago and have been enjoying them. Both are smooth uplifting sativa effects.

 

[Tangwena]

Hey tangwena. Prior to ingesting, you happen to ingest something that required your liver to work? Pills maybe? Possible something was keeping your liver busy while THC had its way with your body. Lucky you!

On another note, I opened up two of my cobbs from a few months ago and have been enjoying them. Both are smooth uplifting sativa effects.

No nothing different just the dose.
I chew some cob everyday around the same time the only thing that changes is the cob or the dose.
I would have thought my tolerance would have built up to the point that i would have got less effect.

Normally i dont get that couch lock effect on this cob its very euphoric and motivational.
But yesterday as soon as the music started I just flew off into my head. It was very pleasant and once it had passed I was reborn active and high as a kite ha ha.

I have some very nice highs in the Mulanje and Mulanje Gold cobs I made in January. I am concentrating on making more and growing those plants again lightly seeded. I have found what I have been looking for.
Motivational, energetic and euphoric all the things I like in my pot.

Now I have to additionally investigate this crazy effect on lower doses. Of course it might just be my brain finally succumbing to years of abuse. If so I like it ha ha.

 

[Tangwena]

Flying Malawi airlines first class you know its first class because economy is next to the wings and has a first class view of the rivets rattling loose on the wings ha ha.
This is Mulanje from January this year dry no sweat cure.
T

Tastes a bit sour and peppery with this dried unsweated cure.
Instant smash you in the face up high super euphoric energetic and feel so damn good high.

And some Colombian Gold x DL cured the same way.
Just as energetic but less euphoric but still a good pick me up any time of the day.

 

[Sweatloaf]

Greetings all. My sincere thanks goes out to you Tangwena for doing what the best community elders do: share knowledge and information that helps others in said community.

I have not read all 300+ pages but I've started a small cob cure. I'm at the following stage:

I've dried freshly harvested buds until the stems are bendable but don't break. I've wrapped and laced them very tightly in corn husks and I've vacuum sealed them. I've also done an initial sweat of the vacuum sealed bags in a food dehydrator set on 100 degrees F for 24 hours. The outside of the husks were not wet, but they are moist and the inside of the vacuum bags just around the husk have a very small amount of condensation. I believe your initial instructions say that this point to take the cobs out of the bags and dry the cobs until "80% dry".

My question: How do you know when they're "80% dry"? Generally how long after the hot sweat for the 24 hours until they're "80 % dry"? I realize this will depend on room temp and humidity, but again, roughly how long? Or, do you just dry after the sweat until the husks are dry to the touch (knowing the tightly compressed buds inside the husks still have moisture in them)? Then, once they're "80% dry", that's when they're vacuum bag sealed again and then left at room temp to cure for the months, correct?

I've read quite a few pages of this thread and perhaps it's been brought up before in relation to the type of high the well cobbed buds yield (e.g. narcotic, best for at night, couch lock, trippy, golden rather than clear or cloudy trichs, etc) but it sounds to me like the change in the buds and their effects would be attributable to a significant amount of the THC being converted to CBN? I haven't seen anyone in this thread report that their cobbed weed vs. jar cured results in an increase in having the munchies but CBN is responsible for that if I recall correctly.

Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to being able to partake of the fruits of my labors in this specific way.

Peace.

 

[sneezydog]

Welcome!!!! Coming with a cob name too! Too cool. Sweet leaf. Meat loaf... sweat loaf hehe

 

[Taima-da]

Colour change and smell are the best things to go by.

Only"80%" dry if you are close to your desired cure. 80% is just a way of saying dry it out to stop ferment when it's near the place you want. You can always check again later if you're unsure about it's stability, and dry it a bit more.
Otherwise, if its going at a nice slow pace, just dry it so it feels dry to touch and reseal. Some moisture will still be held within and the process will continue, with less chance of spoilage due to excess moisture or introducing airborne spores on inspection.

They dry slow when squashed up in a cob. I think that's the nub of it. Best dry cure is a slow process and cobbing is just like a regular dry /cure but stretched out real slow, without air exposure to spoil it.
In a low oxygen environment the ferment starts breaking stuff down (like chlorophyll) and you get the cob X factor. I'm fairly certain the THC remains intact for quite some time, at least for the very most part. There are some analysis further back in the thread.

 

[Sweatloaf]

Thanks for the replies. So if I understand correctly, sweat the vacuum sealed cobs in the dehydrator for 24 hours like I did, then take the cobs out of the bags and dry the cobs a bit. Until the husks feel dry and then re-bag them vacuum sealed and cure them in the sealed bags for however many months.

Is there anything in the above that I'm getting wrong, doing out of order? I've taken the cobs out of the bags just today after the 24 hour heat/sweat and I'm drying them in a room that currently has temps of about 70 degrees F and Rh of 47%.

 

[Sweatloaf]

Welcome!!!! Coming with a cob name too! Too cool. Sweet leaf. Meat loaf... sweat loaf hehe

Thank you for the welcome. Actually my screen name is in reference to a Butthole Surfers song which is their version of covering the Sabbath tune.

 

[Taima-da]

If you open the wrapper, snap and post a pic we might be able to help more.

For your first run I'd be tempted to open and inspect the cob(not the wrapper) something like once a fortnight until you're comfortable that your cob is stable, ie. Not getting too dark or staying very wet.
When it smells and/or looks good, dry it well and reseal for longer term curing/storage. You won't hurt the product by opening and looking, and you'll gain a feeling for future runs

 

[CDNINCA]

Flying Malawi airlines first class you know its first class because economy is next to the wings and has a first class view of the rivets rattling loose on the wings ha ha.
This is Mulanje from January this year dry no sweat cure.
T View attachment 18901920 View attachment 18901921 View attachment 18901919 Tastes a bit sour and peppery with this dried unsweated cure.
Instant smash you in the face up high super euphoric energetic and feel so damn good high.

View attachment 18901918

And some Colombian Gold x DL cured the same way.
Just as energetic but less euphoric but still a good pick me up any time of the day.

Hey @Tangwena, those are some nice looking morsels of goodness you have there, love the colors, texture, and from the sound if it the effects are something else altogether! Nice!
The Mulanje version looks like it has some really healthy looking seeds in it too, the next crop is ready to go!

Thanks for sharing the images, always nice to see! Cheers!

 

[Tangwena]

If you open the wrapper, snap and post a pic we might be able to help more.

For your first run I'd be tempted to open and inspect the cob(not the wrapper) something like once a fortnight until you're comfortable that your cob is stable, ie. Not getting too dark or staying very wet.
When it smells and/or looks good, dry it well and reseal for longer term curing/storage. You won't hurt the product by opening and looking, and you'll gain a feeling for future runs

I'm going to copy and paste your last two posts every time brother. I could not have explained it better.
Especially this

snap and post a pic we might be able to help more.

A picture speaks a thousand words and its all visual and aroma based for sure.
Nature is at work here all we can do is observe and try and control it to get our desired result.
@Sweatloaf Taima-Da is an artist as are we all here. All you can do is become an artist too, its not hard but guidance is available here on this thread.

 

[Tangwena]

Hey @Tangwena, those are some nice looking morsels of goodness you have there, love the colors, texture, and from the sound if it the effects are something else altogether! Nice!
The Mulanje version looks like it has some really healthy looking seeds in it too, the next crop is ready to go!

Thanks for sharing the images, always nice to see! Cheers!

I've been trying to reproduce cures I found while in Africa. That seeded one is spot on.
This next crop of Mulanje and Malawi is going for another result all different all good and all just variations on the same technique.
Just varying moisture content, sweating, curing time and aging.

 

[Sweatloaf]

If you open the wrapper, snap and post a pic we might be able to help more.

For your first run I'd be tempted to open and inspect the cob(not the wrapper) something like once a fortnight until you're comfortable that your cob is stable, ie. Not getting too dark or staying very wet.
When it smells and/or looks good, dry it well and reseal for longer term curing/storage. You won't hurt the product by opening and looking, and you'll gain a feeling for future runs

Thank you for your suggestion. Here are some photos. They've been drying out of the vacuum bags with the other non-cobbed buds since this morning. When I peeled back the corn husk, the husk is definitely already dry and crackled a bit rather than being as pliable as it was when I vacuum sealed it and heated it for 24 hours in the dehydrator:

Should I re-vacuum pack them right now and start the long term aging process? If the husks are dried out like that already, are they going to be too dry to properly cure/ferment over time?

I should mention the buds were harvested four days ago and have been drying since then. Stems were still fairly pliable and definitely didn't snap when I tested them.

 

[alvin88]

Man you guys have got me really interested in trying this method. I'm gonna try it on some of my outdoor coming down this week.

Can someone point me to a post # or be willing to give a quick breakdown on what the latest agreed on best method is??

Also I've noticed most of yall are doing this with sativas. That'll be another month before harvest, but it is it worth trying with modern hybrids as well??

Thanks guys can't wait to start playing around with this. Seems crazy but the way yall praise it here has me itching to give it a shot!