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Malawi Style Cob Curing.
- Thread starter Tangwena
- Start date
Yes all the air is removed with an attachment you can buy for around $30
The usual cure of drying the buds then leaving them in jar to age is just aging not curing.
This is a fermentation cure like is done with tobacco totally different taste and effects to the old green dried buds in a jar.
You can ferment the buds with them still green straight from the plant in a vacuumed jar as the heat shrivels and removes water within 24hrs. The buds change from green and wet to orange/golden brown but then need slow drying and aging to bring out the full power.
I prefer to dry them for a day or two first but I have tried it with green fresh buds and it works fine.
This cure is not about looks or taste its about the high and improved effects. If you can manipulate the cure to get the best taste and looks that is up to the individual. But its the changed high that I am after I dont give a hoot how it looks or smells.
As long as its vacuumed whether in a bag loose, a jar or in a compressed cob you will never get mold. Once removed from the vacuum they will need to be dried as normal for use or further storage.
Tangwena
Thanks for the input my friend. The dosage will depend on your tolerance of course but mostly on the strength of the strain used. My cobs only need 0.1 to 0.5g to trip. I find 0.25 very strong on some strains and 0.5g strong on others.
My dark Panama and gold Panama only need 0.1 to 0.25g for a 10hr ride that just keeps coming in waves anything over that and I spend the first 2 or 3 hours laying on the floor tripping in my head and rolling around in ecstacy before being able to get up and walk for the remainder of the 10hrs. Golden Tiger is another one thats just as strong and you need to get the dose right if you want to be able to function.
Tangwena
canna.ballistic
Active member
The usual cure of drying the buds then leaving them in jar to age is just aging not curing.
... the penny finally dropped after reading this statement ... yep, I'm a slow learner !! Just because everyone calls it 'jar curing' doesn't mean it is actual 'curing'. I've been incorrectly equating the 'jar curing' as just a different form of your fermentation processes. Calling it 'jar aging' makes a lot more sense, and separates the intent of both processes, which I now see as being very different. That one sentence is gold ... thanks.
After reading your post, I took 2/3 of the remaining buds out of the 'burping' jar (at about 68%), sealed them in a vac bag (no cobbing) and placed them into the yogurt maker to ferment at 40C.
It is time to experiment experiment experiment with fermentation !!
All cool my friend as your buds are a little dry you may need 48rs to get color change but it should work fine, just remember once the buds have sweated and changed color you need to remove them from the heat source and partially dry them before resealing them still slightly moist to age for at least a month.
After a month or so remove them and slow dry them to a smokeable state. After they are dried you will be safe to keep them without vacuum. But I usually keep them vacuumed it helps to preserve them for long periods.
You should find them a lot smoother smoking and the high should be very clear and trippy.
Tangwena
canna.ballistic
Active member
Some photos of 3 day cobs.
Left to right :
1. bud from burping jar (at about 68% rh)
2. bud in vac bag (~95% air removed) for low temp ferment (low 20s)
3. cob in vac bag for low temp ferment (low 20s)
4. cob in vac bag for moderate temp ferment (mid 30s)
Left photo : Prior to opening bags
Right photo : After opening bags and cobs
Buds were allowed to dry for about half an hour, and then resealed so they could continue the ferment process. Will re-open in 2 to 3 days to check again.
Left to right :
1. bud from burping jar (at about 68% rh)
2. bud in vac bag (~95% air removed) for low temp ferment (low 20s)
3. cob in vac bag for low temp ferment (low 20s)
4. cob in vac bag for moderate temp ferment (mid 30s)
Left photo : Prior to opening bags
Right photo : After opening bags and cobs
Buds were allowed to dry for about half an hour, and then resealed so they could continue the ferment process. Will re-open in 2 to 3 days to check again.
canna.ballistic
Active member
Close-up of cobs after 3 days
The low temp cob was a lot wetter when opened. The tightness of the vac seal around the cob had been lost, although there didn't appear to be anything wrong with the bag itself. It appeared as if the fermentation process had caused a gas or water vapour release. It didn't smell as nice as the moderate temp cob, but it didn't smell off either. It was almost as if it had gone through a different fermentation process.
The moderate temp bud was moist inside (but not wet), and relatively firm (almost felt like stiff plasticine). Smelled nicer than the low temp cob, although it is an unusual smell ... hard to describe.
I was surprised at how significant a change had happened over just three days, especially as I was applying lower temperatures than a lot of other people have. It will be interesting to see how the textures, colours and smells evolve over the next couple of days.
Low temp cob (low 20s)
Moderate temp cob (mid 30s)
The low temp cob was a lot wetter when opened. The tightness of the vac seal around the cob had been lost, although there didn't appear to be anything wrong with the bag itself. It appeared as if the fermentation process had caused a gas or water vapour release. It didn't smell as nice as the moderate temp cob, but it didn't smell off either. It was almost as if it had gone through a different fermentation process.
The moderate temp bud was moist inside (but not wet), and relatively firm (almost felt like stiff plasticine). Smelled nicer than the low temp cob, although it is an unusual smell ... hard to describe.
I was surprised at how significant a change had happened over just three days, especially as I was applying lower temperatures than a lot of other people have. It will be interesting to see how the textures, colours and smells evolve over the next couple of days.
Low temp cob (low 20s)
Moderate temp cob (mid 30s)
led05
Chasing The Present
I have those strains also... I was more saying it's amazing how little of a cob can do vs. other options and how clean / nice the overall effect is...
The genetics, the grower, the sweat & cure, patience etc all are definitely at play, each individuals tolerance is also a key factor but main point, amazing how nice for how little !
Cob on
Levitationofme
Well-known member
That would be a negative...
Process is well worth researching, much of the best info to be found in this thread.
Once you wrap your head around it, and try making a couple it is really a great thing.
Peace
Process is well worth researching, much of the best info to be found in this thread.
Once you wrap your head around it, and try making a couple it is really a great thing.
Peace
led05
Chasing The Present
I worried about the same thing, experience says even the dankest don't stick to corn cobs or parchment paper for that matter, which also works very well and can be re-used as well and is available always, everywhere
seeded
Active member
At all? yes. Worth mentioning though? not really because only a small amount of the surface area of the buds actually touch the husk and as the buds sweat out some moisture they shrink away from the husk a little further reducing contact.
Honestly unless you're rough as guts with them you're going to be hard pressed to lose more than 1-2% of the trichs and I'd put it at well under 1% if you're gentle and take your time with them. You probably lose more trichs to the jar every time you move around normal cured buds than you do cobbing them in a husk especially since they're basically glued together afterwards as that lack of movement preserves all the inner goodness which you don't get with loose buds.
So yeah it technically happens but it's not really worth worrying about at all.
canna.ballistic
Active member
Ace's NepJam ... https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7880851&postcount=823 . She was the first plant harvested for the season ... pineapple aromas, probably only moderate strength (I expect her to be a fun social smoke), so probably not the best suited strain for strong cobbing effects. However, I decided to sacrifice her in the name of cob science !!
I also took down my First Lady (Delicatessen Seeds) yesterday, which is currently being dried ... https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7882176&postcount=53 . She has old school strong sharp woody smells, and should be more intense and trippy. I will also try various fermenting methods with her to see what can be done and what I like.
canna.ballistic
Active member
Thanks seeded ... I have also been enjoying reading your posts on cobbing and fermentation as I've worked my way through this thread. Your mind appears to have been running all over the place like mine, trying to work out different experiments to understand the effects of Tangwena's cobbing process at different temperatures, durations, etc.
However, you are a bit further down the road than me ... I'm yet to finish my first cob !!My 'cool temp' cob was placed in a bookcase in the back corner of a room, where temperatures were pretty consistently in the low 20s day and night. The 'moderate temp' cob was placed on my UPS battery for the computer, which was also consistently in the mid 30s.
My control over temperatures was pretty lax, other than checking with a thermometer from time to time to see what was going on. I have since stolen my wife's yogurt maker (she doesn't know yet !!) to improve my control over the temperature for future batches.
My main problem has been I was only part way through the thread when I prepared my cobs. As I've kept reading the thread, more explanations and refinements in the method have been discussed, making me realise my initial ideas about cobbing were not correct (e.g. I was generally aiming for cooler temps, similar to the jar burping method). So every couple of days, I have had to keep adjusting my ideas and approaches with the fermentation process ... this batch should be fine, but I'm looking forward to the next batch as I now have a better idea on what I'm trying to achieve and where I'm trying to head.
led05
Chasing The Present
I tried getting away from chewing by stuffing gel caps full of cobbed bud and it's just not the same. You miss something by not chewing it and once you go back to having a chew you'll stop taking the capsules and put up with any tastes or discomfort because of the difference in quality. Honestly it's night and day so I can't wait to hear how you go having a chew on that delicious looking cob you've cooked up as it already sounds damn near lethal
seeded... So I was chewing on some cob today and totally forgot I was doing it and popped a couple pieces of gum, strong Peppermint kind and after mixing in with the gum most of the taste was gone...
I personally like the taste, those who don't might want and give it a go... The gum did also improve the texture of the cob once mixed in with it and chewing gum certainly gets the saliva working more than just the cob so it seemed to aid in absorption.
I imagine someone else has already done this but though I'd pass along
seeded
Active member
Thanks for sharing and now that you've upgraded to a stolen yogurt maker (she's not getting it back once you've tried a fully cooked cob) your results are going to be even better. It's going to be great to see so I look forward to seeing your results.Thanks seeded ... I have also been enjoying reading your posts on cobbing and fermentation as I've worked my way through this thread. Your mind appears to have been running all over the place like mine, trying to work out different experiments to understand the effects of Tangwena's cobbing process at different temperatures, durations, etc.However, you are a bit further down the road than me ... I'm yet to finish my first cob !!
My 'cool temp' cob was placed in a bookcase in the back corner of a room, where temperatures were pretty consistently in the low 20s day and night. The 'moderate temp' cob was placed on my UPS battery for the computer, which was also consistently in the mid 30s.
My control over temperatures was pretty lax, other than checking with a thermometer from time to time to see what was going on. I have since stolen my wife's yogurt maker (she doesn't know yet !!) to improve my control over the temperature for future batches.
My main problem has been I was only part way through the thread when I prepared my cobs. As I've kept reading the thread, more explanations and refinements in the method have been discussed, making me realise my initial ideas about cobbing were not correct (e.g. I was generally aiming for cooler temps, similar to the jar burping method). So every couple of days, I have had to keep adjusting my ideas and approaches with the fermentation process ... this batch should be fine, but I'm looking forward to the next batch as I now have a better idea on what I'm trying to achieve and where I'm trying to head.
The taste grew on me over time due to stockholm syndrome and positive reinforcement. There's some discomfort and even some burning when the real sticky stuff gets stuck in my teeth but boy oh boy are those cobs the shit. Speaking of which I've had gum after a cob and it burned the taste out pretty well but it was also very effective at getting those tricky bits of cob stuck in my teeth as well. Can't really say the studded gum was very enjoyable though
canna.ballistic
Active member
Some photos of 5 day cobs.
Left to right :
1. bud from burping jar (at about 68% rh)
2. bud in vac bag (~95% air removed) for low temp ferment (low 20s)
3. cob in vac bag for low temp ferment (low 20s)
4. cob in vac bag for moderate temp ferment (mid 30s)
Left photo : Prior to opening bags
Right photo : After opening bags and cobs
Cobs were allowed to dry for about a day, and then resealed so they could continue the slow ferment at room temperature for a month.
After further reading of this thread, the loose buds from both the burping jar and the cool ferment vac bag were resealed and placed in a yogurt maker for 24 hrs at 40C. This darkened and browned them up, and they have now been dried to about 64%, resealed and are currently also doing the month-long slow ferment.
Left to right :
1. bud from burping jar (at about 68% rh)
2. bud in vac bag (~95% air removed) for low temp ferment (low 20s)
3. cob in vac bag for low temp ferment (low 20s)
4. cob in vac bag for moderate temp ferment (mid 30s)
Left photo : Prior to opening bags
Right photo : After opening bags and cobs
Cobs were allowed to dry for about a day, and then resealed so they could continue the slow ferment at room temperature for a month.
After further reading of this thread, the loose buds from both the burping jar and the cool ferment vac bag were resealed and placed in a yogurt maker for 24 hrs at 40C. This darkened and browned them up, and they have now been dried to about 64%, resealed and are currently also doing the month-long slow ferment.
brown_thumb
Active member
Is this curing process largely or completely anaerobic? Is there a concern about growth of clostridium bacteria such as botulism? Would heat prevent it? What temperature?
