Malawi Style Cob Curing.

[Tangwena]

Hi Joey2 good on you for trying mate. The cob unwrapped looks as if a cure might have happened but its hard to tell from the pics. The leaves you used should have been ok to wrap it in.
Does it smell sweet? If the Mexi buds were dry it will not cure properly, but you would be the best judge of that. It would work better with a bigger amount of buds but for a first attempt, not bad. It takes a few goes to get it right, but if it smells sweet while cureing you are on the way.
The test will be the smoking.
Tangwena

 

[joe2]

Thanks Tangwen, id did cure, not much change in scent, way more dence and much darker. Those buds are lime green and on the fluffy side. They were just put in the cureing jar when I saw this thread, so I think I wraped em rite on time. I did 2 mexiairlines the other is back in the vac bag for another week. The unknown sativa is still in the vac bag, it may have been to dry. The scent of the grape leaf is strong on the bud, reminds me of good food, some may not like that im gonna use corn husk this fall. I wish I was growing some malawi

 

[Tangwena]

High Joey2 Those buds will do fine and make a good cob, if you can use at least an ounce and a half of buds if you have them. The thicker the cob the better, it seems to cure easier
I would say it has worked so you should be able to taste the difference once it has dried.
Good on you mate for trying something new, respect brother.
Tangwena

 

[joe2]

Yea man, I tried to show the contrast of the dried bud to the cob cured but the camera didn't do it justice. I checked the unknown sativa and it was lookin way different. Im gonna wait till the two week date to open again. Ive been smoking the unknsat bud and its ok for first of the day smoke so I hope for a vast improvement. Tangwena I see what u mean from potency through concentration those buds were thicker then my thumbs now there little pencil cobs. Like a rough hash so to speak. I gotta get me some Malawi and do it legit. NE ways Tangwena nice technique with the vac bag cob, burying my harvest was not on my list of things to do

 

[Tangwena]

2 weeks cob cured nev haze

2 weeks cob cured nev haze

Hi Guys, I have taken the nev haze cobs out of the vac bag and will now allow them to air dry in a cool, dry, dark place for a few weeks before re sealing them in a vac bag for long term storage.
They are very strong but I dont like the Haze type of high so it will become Christmas presents for some friends.
The cobs still smell very sickly sweet, but when smoked its just a sweet dense slightly pine flavor , a bit too stoney for me I kept bumping into things not my type of high.


Tangwena

 

[Ziggaro]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgQ0kTvU5-s

Did anybody else notice that the cob he opens around 3:30 is filled with mold? He doesn't even seem to notice or care, just closes it back up. Yuck!

 

[tea_is_back]

great thread. thx for sharing

 

[joe2]

The unknown sativa was kinda a bust, must have been too dry when I wrapped it, the other mexiairline cob is drying, the first mexiairline was darker but maybe not fermented enough because not much scent or flavor change. I hope the one drying is better it went a week longer. Ill try with more quantity this fall. Tangwena, your smoke stash must be epic! I got some old Skunk#1 X kerala seeds im gonna pop for the indoor cold season I got cob on my mind for that...

 

[Betterhaff]

Banana leaf...hmmm.

Do you think the wrapper has any bearing on the finished product?

 

[Tangwena]

Betterhaff the cobs in Malawi are made from 2 types of wrapper banana tree bark and maize.
The two wrappers do produce different cures, but either are good. I dont know for sure why but I prefer the maize wrapped cobs and always have.
I have bought them wrapped in thick brown paper as well, but I suspect the buds had been cured already and just wrapped in paper for sale.
The maize produces a dense hard sweet cob, the banana bark (not leaf) produces a compacted dense cob less sweet in taste but just as strong.
The wrapper depended on the area the dope was grown in and what was available there.
Tangwena

 

[Betterhaff]

As joe2 mentioned, he used grape leaves, thus the question. Banana bark? Isn’t banana bark the petioles? j/k…busting your balls.

Seriously though, there may be something to the fermentation process. When you vacuum seal do you do them individually?

 

[Tangwena]

cureing

cureing

Hi Betterhaff I just seal them all together how ever many I make in one run, I also seal up any remaining loose bud along with the cobs, it speeds up the cure of the buds.
I also jar cure buds but i find it takes at least 6 to 12 months before they are any good.
The close up of identical buds one cob cured and one just sweat cured for 2 weeks in the same bag shows how the cob changes the resin.
I think it matures the resin, it definatly changes the taste, smokes a lot smoother and the high is different more trippy, the way i like.
From starting smoking in Africa i like to get high as a kite, I find the indica or low class sativas too stoney. I guess its just what you get used to and your personal preference.
Tangwena

 

[mack 10]

great thread. I'm going to give it a shot at harvest.

I too love that trippy buzz.

 

[Dirk907]

This definitely looks like it's worth a try. Thanks for posting Tangwena.

 

[joe2]

The flavor of grape leaves was overpowering, ill use corn husk next time

 

[SpaceJunkOG]

Tangwena! you are like a village elder passing down traditions here. we appreciate it. you've inspired me to try my first cob cure.

if you would be so kind i wanted to ask you a couple questions first as you said you've been doing this 30 years so who better to ask...

1) If I've already dried the plant (mostly) and trimmed / manicured it, but it's still slightly wet, no snapping stems, 65%RH in the jar after about a week, basically meeting all the criteria you described, can I start a cob cure at this point? (gonna use corn husk and tie with hemp string made from a stem)
2) What temperature do you recommend for storage for the vac-sealed cobs? You mention them sweating, so I assume the usual "cool temperature" for curing is not applicable here, maybe something warmer, but how warm?

I'm only gonna be doing this with 1 strain - the Swazi Gold pheno with crazy foxtails, it's like your Malawi and I think it's just begging to be compacted in a cob due to how airy it is (i already vac sealed the buds to make them more dense before putting them in the jar to cure, which only made me realize I shoulda just gone all the way and done cob-style).

I knew you had a tutorial on here about how to make cobs, then I just saw this thread in here and BAM, it was meant to be. Thanks again.

 

[SpaceJunkOG]

Most people I give it to agree with me on the taste and power and use this technique on their personal stash.

last question, sorry dude:

Have you heard of any of your friends doing this on already-dried bud, by re-wetting (using whatever - orange peel, Boveda, etc) and then Cob-curing the re-hydrated buds?

it's a lil different than my previous question because my Swazi stuff isn't cured or dry yet, but I have some mid-grade Power Plant that didn't turn out well, a couple oz's of it, already dried & cured, i was gonna make it into cookies but I'd rather smoke it, it's just really harsh, shitty tasting and weak, lotsa seeds cuz i was pollen chucking. You think it's worth a try?

again, many thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Tangwena]

Hi mate the swazi is in prime condition to make a cob, the power plant unfortunately is too dry and rehydrating will rot them unfortunately.
The cobs need to be stored in a cool dry place, not warm, the sweating is caused by microbial action i think i am no scientist. but it definately gets wet in the cure process.
the first few times you attempt a cob cure you will need to keep an eye on the process.
I usually open the vac bag after 7 days, by then they should be well on the way to cureing.
If you have a fat cob 1 to 2 ozs weight going in, then a further 7 days revacced in the bag will finish it well, if less than an ounce 7 days will be fine.
After removing from the vac bag leave the cob to dry out in the air in a cool dry dark place and you should get the cob cure right.
after a further 4 or 5 days drying the cob will be ready to test, the buds should be spongy and solid like a piece of good hash. As they dry they will become hard like beef jerky and need a knife to cut slices off and break into rocks. They smoke really easily and should taste refined and very smooth and get you more higher/stoned than the same buds jar cured.
Good on you for giving it a go, as you practice with different states of dry bud going in you will find you can vary the end products consistancy to the point that people you give it to will not believe its cannabis only by smoking it will they believe you. The high is so refined and smooth you will always want you buds cured this way.
Please let me know how you get on, the buds you have will give you a true authentic African taste once cured this way.
Regards Tangwena

 

[woolybear]

Makes me wonder how they figured out how do this in the first place. I guess if you live in the deep bush ingenuity is necessary

I would love to try this out some time! Corn season is in effect in my area, cheap cobs!

Wonder how long 1/4 ounce would take.

 

[SpaceJunkOG]

^^^^ thanks man! Just in time too, I got so excited about this shit last night I went to the grocery store, bought corn, and did it.


sounds like putting em in my normal drying closet which maintains ~70F constantly is the proper place for this cure (not the bag of FFOF I buried them in in my garage last night while on a good one, lol).

I used just slightly over an ounce for the cob, and left the other half (another ounce) to do a jar cure, for a nice side-by-side comparison. Gonna take em out in probably in 5 days just to be safe, re-seal, then do another 5 or 7 days as you say, since it's over an ounce. here's the beginning of the journal, as you see I got lazy and used some string from a reflector hanger (didn't have any skeletons laying around to pull hemp string from). Super excited to see the results!!