Malawi Style Cob Curing.

[Dave Coulier]

24mp dslr, 40mm macro lens, speedlite flash, tripod and computer trickery to stack the slices that are in focus together, make the shadows brighter and the overall colour more natural.

If you want specifics the exposure time was 1/200 of a second, the iso set at 100, the aperture was set to 10, the flash to 1/16 strength and I manually focused the lens

Sounds like the only thing you are missing is a remote trigger . Are you shooting in j-peg, or raw?

 

[seeded]

Sounds like the only thing you are missing is a remote trigger . Are you shooting in j-peg, or raw?

I should have mentioned I use a remote trigger because at such small scales they're a necessity. I also shoot in jpeg+raw mode to make browsing through the pics on the pc faster which gets me to editing the raw files much sooner too.

 

[Snook]

24mp dslr, 40mm macro lens, speedlite flash, tripod and computer trickery to stack the slices that are in focus together, make the shadows brighter and the overall colour more natural.

If you want specifics the exposure time was 1/200 of a second, the iso set at 100, the aperture was set to 10, the flash to 1/16 strength and I manually focused the lens

O

.. was hoping for a simple answer..

 

[Dawn Patrol]

OView Image.. was hoping for a simple answer..

Yeah, I been lookin for that through 6 cameras and 10 years mate

For the longest time there were simple photo editors with soso results and then the jump to Adobe photoshop which was a bitch to learn. Even elements was not anything I wanted to spend time with.

Used ACDSee for years and it worked well for lower resolution photos, now using GIMP as best I can.

I'm figuring out the lens/camera/light work but it's stupid to ignore the software element at this point.

Thanks for the tutorial seeded, you went way beyond what I requested

 

[canna.ballistic]

Seeded ... loved your photos, as well as your description on how you shot and processed to bring that great detail out in them.

"From mold to gold" ... classic.

Mold ... what you don't want to see during the cure !!
Gold ... where the magic is, when it all goes right !!

The other very important thing which Tang has shared with us (other than cobs) is the importance of the vacuum sealer (I hope he gets a commission from the company which makes them, as he has certainly helped them sell many extra machines and bags). Without the vac bags, I suspect there would be a very high failure rate with cobbing due to mold, as a result of the high humidity and moisture conditions for an extended period of time during the sweating and curing phases.

 

[cravin morehead]

Just thought I'd pass this along. I process alot of fish and game meat. I vaccum seal almost all of it. I've found a good price on real quality bag material rolls. I buy the 11"x50' and go through about 6 a year. They have worked great for me and are tough so no punctures ruin what lies within.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Vacuum-Bag-Bulk-Roll-with-Cutter-Box/1579700.uts
Hope one of you guys finds these helpful.
Still waiting on my cobs, absolute friggin torture. The bud and bubble I made from the same plants is absolutely awesome. Soaring clear very up high, with incredible flavor. I bet these cobs are going to be very interesting. I'm dying to find out...

Cm

 

[Tangwena]

tester buds Golden Tiger and Zamaldelica

tester buds Golden Tiger and Zamaldelica

Here are some tester buds from my cobs I made in January 2017.
These are some of the loose buds I chuck into the bag with the cobs.
When these turn on I know its time to stop the cure/aging on the cobs.
Dry them and store them in sealed but not vacuumed bags to let them breath and let the aromas develop.

The buds on the left are Golden Tiger and the buds on the right Zamaldelica. Its been 4 months but they are just starting to hit their stride. I tried the GT today and its right up there with the best and will only get better from here 5 star weed.



Tangwena

 

[Dave Coulier]

Those look mighty nice Tang. I wish I was there to try em!

Could you do me a favor and recommend a brand of yogurt maker. Perhaps one available on amazon if you have shopped there. I wasted a whole day recently trying to find a yogurt maker in town, and struck out at all the usual suspects. Im ready to make some more cobs again, and I really want to try regular buds in the yogurt maker too and see how that affects these Thai buds Ive got. I want to see the effects of before and after really badly. Im jonesing man!

 

[Tangwena]

Hi Dave the yogurt maker I bought from ebay was a chinese cheapie about $60.00
Its not too hi tech but does the job.
Something I find awesome is putting buds in a small mason jar and removing all the air with an attachment I bought for my foodsaver vacuum sealer.
It allows you to vacuum the jar. Then put the jar in the yogurt maker at 40c within 24hrs you can watch the buds sweat, shrivel and change color before your eyes.
They literally sweat out the moisture in them and shrivel and change color before your eyes.
The water collects in the bottom of the jar and the resin changes color as it cures.
The buds then need to be slowly dried and the buds aged as usual, the buds are amazing and smoke smooth and you can halt the sweat at any time when you see the color and form you want.

 

[Dave Coulier]

Yeah, that sounds fucking amazing and its what I want to do!!!! I can't wait to try it out.

Ill pick up the attachment soon and give it a go. Expect pics of course

 

[seeded]

Those look mighty nice Tang. I wish I was there to try em!

Could you do me a favor and recommend a brand of yogurt maker. Perhaps one available on amazon if you have shopped there. I wasted a whole day recently trying to find a yogurt maker in town, and struck out at all the usual suspects. Im ready to make some more cobs again, and I really want to try regular buds in the yogurt maker too and see how that affects these Thai buds Ive got. I want to see the effects of before and after really badly. Im jonesing man!

Mine is Luvele. It cost about $60 and has three temperature settings unlike most of the cheapies that just have one.

 

[cravin morehead]

I had a yogurt maker from before I learned of cobs. I got it on Amazon. It's called a VonShef, digital controls, with a timer to shut itself off at a desired time. Came with 6 jars too. It works great for cobs and yogurt. Best part $33
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IR2ZISG/ref=psdcmw_16012141_t1_B00N2ZVKNG

Cm

 

[Tangwena]

Sweet day in Paradise

Sweet day in Paradise

Today I part dried some GT cobs that have been aging for 3 months. This is a very aromatic cure I did on these and the house smells big time like a sack of menthol/pine hashish.
The high on the loose cured bud was strong, but nowhere near as pungent an odour as these cobs.
I reckon they would sell on the smell alone ha ha. I really got lucky with this batch, luckily I diligently wrote the exact recipe on each batch.
I haven't tried the cob yet maybe tomorrow I know its going to send me into inner space ha ha. It cant smell that good and not kick my butt.
While I was checking them out I took 0.5g of Swazi as I have some painting to do, then a bit fell off a Mulanji cob so I had a bit of that and then a piece fell off the Zamaldelica cob and that was so good it was like a fruit salad in my mouth amazing cob as well.
So now the painting has gone on hold ha ha I have got a bit lost.

 

[RRResin]

Hey Tangwena......I smoked my first successful cob a few days ago and with this particular plant, the cobbed buds give a high that is deeper, stronger and trippy-er compared to the same buds that were dried and bottle cured.

You mentioned previously that you are unable to smoke anymore, have you tried vaping? I think you will find vapor much easier to inhale. Most recent herb vapes around now work quite well.

By the way I didn't use a vacuum sealer and instead used the "dip the resealable sandwich bag in hot water method to "ghetto vac" seal it and later wrapped the cobs tightly in PE wrap..and it worked. The cobs were tightly tied and the result was almost as solid and heavy as hash and it's smell is closer to hash than bud. It sounds like wood when it is dropped on a hard surface.

Why does this happen? My theory is the combination of Co2 produced during the fermentation process along with the fact that the terpenes are unable to escape produces the difference in the high?

 

[Tangwena]

Hey Tangwena......I smoked my first successful cob a few days ago and with this particular plant, the cobbed buds give a high that is deeper, stronger and trippy-er compared to the same buds that were dried and bottle cured.

You mentioned previously that you are unable to smoke anymore, have you tried vaping? I think you will find vapor much easier to inhale. Most recent herb vapes around now work quite well.

By the way I didn't use a vacuum sealer and instead used the "dip the resealable sandwich bag in hot water method to "ghetto vac" seal it and later wrapped the cobs tightly in PE wrap..and it worked. The cobs were tightly tied and the result was almost as solid and heavy as hash and it's smell is closer to hash than bud. It sounds like wood when it is dropped on a hard surface.

Why does this happen? My theory is the combination of Co2 produced during the fermentation process along with the fact that the terpenes are unable to escape produces the difference in the high?

Firstly congratulations on your result and well done on using the method you chose.
Beware though you may get mold starting without a proper vacuum seal.
How it does what it does I have no idea, the Malawians have been fermenting and cobbing their bud for ever using more rudimentary methods for ever.
To tell you the truth I dont really care why it works only that it does. If you are getting the results you desire whats not to like I say understanding the science behind the change is not important to me, I will leave that to the scientists among us. I am too high to care ha ha.
if you get the cure right the smell changes as you have found already, the high changes for the better and the taste is better when smoked.
I have tried vaping and it wasn't effective enough for me.
I find chewing a well aged piece of of GT or Panama cob gets me higher than smoking for a lot longer. The high is not as fast onset as smoking but lasts a hell of a lot longer, its just important to get the dosage right 0.5g or less or you overdose easily and just get knocked out ha ha.
Much respect my friend you will find after a couple of dozen attempts like any thing else you will get better and better and the results will amaze you. You will be able to fine tune your cure to bring out incredible smells and highs its a lifes work.
Tangwena

 

[kerberos]

Hello as my first malawi is near harvest i want to try this method of curing with some good bads,but it is hard to find Maize in my place this time of the year, do you ever try cobs other than maize?

 

[McKush]

Yes, something other than husk can be used. I dont think the husk itself adds a componet to the effects, its just that corn husk works so well as a binder for this cure and it is the traditional method.

I make what i call brown bag bud along with my cobs. It serves as my "canary" as i monitor the sweat cure. I vacseal loose buds or sometimes i compress the bud but do not wrap and just vacseal.

I can make cobs and my canary bud is then my brown bag bud that i can dry and smoke. So a week to 10 days from harvest my bb bud is smokable and has a good cure. Just needs a couple days to dry out after the sweat... or you can slowly dry it out too just like the cob.

So you dont have to wrap at all. Ive done plenty that way.

 

[Tangwena]

I had to post these pics by Highlighter a good friend of cobbing and along with my friend McKush above one of the gang of cobbing enthusiasts I hang with ha ha

This is a thing of beauty to behold and well worth sharing with fellow enthusiasts here. Enjoy!


tangwena

 

[McKush]

Nice picsTang n Highlighter! The loose packed cobs like that are the best looking imho.

Yeah brother Tang, we do have fun dont we? Lol. The cobs bring it out in us... tokaloshe and whatever the opposite of a tokaloshe is as well... lol. I havent dabbed rosin in six months... the cobs i make are way stronger.

 

[Tangwena]

Nice picsTang n Highlighter! The loose packed cobs like that are the best looking imho.

Yeah brother Tang, we do have fun dont we? Lol. The cobs bring it out in us... tokaloshe and whatever the opposite of a tokaloshe is as well... lol. I havent dabbed rosin in six months... the cobs i make are way stronger.

So I've heard ha ha I dont know how you manage to function at all my friend your an enigma to me one off.
Today I dived in and tried a weighed 0.5g of my newest GT cob, that weight was slightly moist still so a bit less if it was dried.
I wont do that again ha ha. I think 0.35g will be the sweet spot.
I missed a lot of what was going on trying to climb a never ending ladder. The lower doses and your much more in control of yourself.
I like to be present especially as someone else, I'll try the lower dose later, but I had a sweet trip on an unmeasured dose the other day probably around the 0.35g mark from past experience.

So you are coming around to the looser cobs now, pray tell. I like the loose cobs buds they are more aromatic and the high is more a rave type high my GT Thai pheno buds cured that way are like taking a line of coke followed by a double shot of mezcal it puts hairs on your chest ha ha.

But you def need somewhere to go after you chew that baby its a "wheres my hoss?" kind of high ha ha
Shit I will still be high tomorrow morning I can tell, its going to be one of those wake up laughing in the middle of the night sort of days. God I love this stuff wheres Alice at?
Tangwena