Malawi Style Cob Curing.

Tangwena · Aug 6, 2022

xet said:
Tsk tsk tsk, all your seeds and no CBD strains

Its a pain I know but I'm so short on space time and everything that goes with.
I may have to beg steal or borrow some from some friends I think I know a guy close by.
The only problem is Acapulco Gold x Demon latcher, and Vietnam black x Lieu Han are begging to be grown first.
Not to mention all the African crosses I have. I fear they will always win.
Just out of interest though are there any strains you would recommend preferably something authentic like Lebanese or Pakistan Hash types.
I dont think I could get myself to grow any of the crazy named modern hybrids.

Tangwena · Aug 6, 2022

Here are some pics of an ugly cob of Mulanje its hard as a piece of wood and doesn't smell of much until its broken open.
Then its sinus clearing menthol ha ha I'm going to try some today I'm expecting to be sitting on the nose of a rocket ha ha.
Compared to my regular cure thats full of terps and hell strong and energetic.

xet · Aug 6, 2022

Tangwena said:
The only problem is Acapulco Gold x Demon latcher, and Vietnam black x Lieu Han are begging to be grown first.
Not to mention all the African crosses I have. I fear they will always win.

Hehe no me getting in the way of that rocknroll.

Tangwena said:
Just out of interest though are there any strains you would recommend preferably something authentic like Lebanese or Pakistan Hash types.
I dont think I could get myself to grow any of the crazy named modern hybrids.

As far as the landraces go I do not hear of them testing much higher than 5-10% CBD.

I know Jollypond has excellent testing and his CBD hemp strain is testing 20% CBD every year across his whole field and the cross came about through a series of crossing old world hemps to get a high CBD, low THC stabilized strain.
{Boax X Cherry Blossom}

Seeds – Jolly Pond Farm

jollypondhemp.com

I have smoked that cross and it was really lovely and unique. A real soft and gentle and brightening experience. Very cherry flavor.

Mr. Jollypond and his friend with his high CBD plants fed pure natural ingredients and pond water

xet · Aug 6, 2022

Tangwena said:
Here are some pics of an ugly cob of Mulanje its hard as a piece of wood and doesn't smell of much until its broken open.
Then its sinus clearing menthol ha ha I'm going to try some today I'm expecting to be sitting on the nose of a rocket ha ha.
Compared to my regular cure thats full of terps and hell strong and energetic.

View attachment 18741198 View attachment 18741199 View attachment 18741200 View attachment 18741201 View attachment 18741197

Yeah she looks like she has got about 1500 horsepower under the hood

Onboard · Aug 6, 2022

Mallitlahuani said:
Hey man, this is a cross I made between jack herrer and Jamaican, it’s a shorter more Jamaican dominant pheno. I like my cobs a bit more humid because they ferment faster that way, so they tend to change colors pretty dramatically after a month or so. I also don’t use temps higher than 32 or 34 at most, the wrapper is a banana leaf that has been dryed. In my opinion the banana leaf contributes different yeasts or bacteria which affect the smell and over all cure. Bamboo leafs are very interesting also. Here is one more cob that was cured with banana leaf, it was a more sativa leaning jack herrer pheno

View attachment 18741080

Thank you very much for sharing your expertise! And what a killer selection you are working with! Those colours really do speak to me! :canabis:

That is very interesting, it makes sense that the material could handle higher humidity levels at milder temperatures, i think. Definitely something I look forward to trying myself!

Also thank you for sharing your experience of different wrapper leaves, too!
The corn husks that I get are very dry, but I still like whatever they are doing, as I get the impression that they also take part in the process somehow, in a good way. I notice within the first week that the consistence changes, and I don't think it is just a simple matter of rehydration.

I have also been playing with the idea to somehow aid the starting microbial culture, by either my own hands (like charas rubbing), or maybe a splash of some lactic acid-type starting culture of some sort?
(EDIT: Like for yoghurt or kefir maybe? Or perhaps just a drop of raw milk?)

Unfortunately I have zero experience in fermentation of foods, so I would be shooting pretty much in the blind. And frankly, I dont like to get my hands stickier than necessary, so I mostly use gloves.

But I do try to massage and hand press my cobs as much as I can, prior to wrapping and tying them down. Because I like the idea of adding that little aspect of mechanical friction to it all (in addition to heat and static pressure). Maybe as a way of paying homage to the hash rubbing tradition, if nothing else! :smoke:

Tangwena · Aug 6, 2022

Onboard said:
But I do try to massage and hand press my cobs as much as I can, prior to wrapping and tying them down. Because I like the idea of adding that little aspect of mechanical friction to it all (in addition to heat and static pressure)

Amen brother I know some of the cobs I bought in Africa were very special in that department.
Made with love and craftman ship by very experienced hands.
Guys like you and the other members on this thread will all evolve unique takes on this cure.
Each and every practitioner will be unique and some will be very sort after mark my words.

Mallitlahuani · Aug 6, 2022

Onboard said:
Thank you very much for sharing your expertise! And what a killer selection you are working with! Those colours really do speak to me!

That is very interesting, it makes sense that the material could handle higher humidity levels at milder temperatures, i think. Definitely something I look forward to trying myself!

Also thank you for sharing your experience of different wrapper leaves, too!
The corn husks that I get are very dry, but I still like whatever they are doing, as I get the impression that they also take part in the process somehow, in a good way. I notice within the first week that the consistence changes, and I don't think it is just a simple matter of rehydration.

I have also been playing with the idea to somehow aid the starting microbial culture, by either my own hands (like charas rubbing), or maybe a splash of some lactic acid-type starting culture of some sort?
(EDIT: Like for yoghurt or kefir maybe? Or perhaps just a drop of raw milk?)

Unfortunately I have zero experience in fermentation of foods, so I would be shooting pretty much in the blind. And frankly, I dont like to get my hands stickier than necessary, so I mostly use gloves.

But I do try to massage and hand press my cobs as much as I can, prior to wrapping and tying them down. Because I like the idea of adding that little aspect of mechanical friction to it all (in addition to heat and static pressure). Maybe as a way of paying homage to the hash rubbing tradition, if nothing else!

Me and my family have a farm so we make all kinds of dairy products and I have been around fermentation since I was a kid so applying it to cannabis just feels right.

I love the unique artesanal aspect of the cobs, it really gives a different character to the high of each one.

They definately can handle higher humidity at lower temps, and sometimes when using really dry corn husks I try to cob the buds when they are more humid because I know that the vacuum in the bag will migrate the humidity out from the cob into the dry corn husk, and in fact I have done some experimenting with drying the cobs by periodically removing the humid corn husk after some time on the cob, replacing it with several layers of dry corn husk and sealing it up, this actually dries the cob in a very different way than air drying it and adds another variable to the cure.

Once I made a cob specifically for eating and I sprinkled some powdered probiotic culture on the buds before compressing, temps were 37 to 40 because those are the temps the bacteria I used like it at. It was a trial so I diddnt make a full sized cob.

When I tried it after a month and a half i can’t say it got me super high but I diddnt feel like smoking anything that day either, I unfortunately didn’t take any pics of that one though

revegeta666 · Aug 6, 2022

Calle Minogue said:
Step 1

View attachment 18740314

LETS GOOOOO

I pulled the trigger as well. To be honest I bought it primarily for storing weed long term, but now I have no excuse to not try the cobs really. As long as there are no natural disasters before I harvest haha

Onboard · Aug 7, 2022

Mallitlahuani said:
Me and my family have a farm so we make all kinds of dairy products and I have been around fermentation since I was a kid so applying it to cannabis just feels right.

I love the unique artesanal aspect of the cobs, it really gives a different character to the high of each one.

They definately can handle higher humidity at lower temps, and sometimes when using really dry corn husks I try to cob the buds when they are more humid because I know that the vacuum in the bag will migrate the humidity out from the cob into the dry corn husk, and in fact I have done some experimenting with drying the cobs by periodically removing the humid corn husk after some time on the cob, replacing it with several layers of dry corn husk and sealing it up, this actually dries the cob in a very different way than air drying it and adds another variable to the cure.

Once I made a cob specifically for eating and I sprinkled some powdered probiotic culture on the buds before compressing, temps were 37 to 40 because those are the temps the bacteria I used like it at. It was a trial so I diddnt make a full sized cob.

When I tried it after a month and a half i can’t say it got me super high but I didchangesdnt feel like smoking anything that day either, I unfortunately didn’t take any pics of that one though

That's really great to hear! With that background and prior experience of dairy farming and fermentation, your nose surely knows whats up! :smoke:

Will be following your progress closely, with great interest!

Maybe also let me tell you that I am big lover, almost advocate, of unpasteurized dairy myself. I drink more than a litre of milk every day, bought directly from my neighbours' small farm. I just love it, it is so above and beyond the pasteurized store bought stuff! And over the years, I have become good friends with the farmers too!

xet · Aug 7, 2022

IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE have any of you used a cob(s) as their growing medium for magic mushies?

H e d g e · Aug 7, 2022

Tangwena, wow! Thankyou!! You are an inspiration, I’m converted!

I have a thermostat that can be set with different day and night temperatures, do you remember what the high and low air temperatures were where the golden aromatic cobs were being processed? I figure It’ll sustain a wider range of microbiology during the cure with a fluctuating temperature.

Tangwena · Aug 8, 2022

H e d g e said:
Tangwena, wow! Thankyou!! You are an inspiration, I’m converted!

I have a thermostat that can be set with different day and night temperatures, do you remember what the high and low air temperatures were where the golden aromatic cobs were being processed? I figure It’ll sustain a wider range of microbiology during the cure with a fluctuating temperature.

Thank you I hope you find it to your liking.
In my experience the more golden cures are obtained by drier buds rather than the moister buds used in the darker cures.
Temps in the 30 to 36c range are best.
The cure takes longer with drier buds and lower temps so be patient, it can take up to 3 months to get a color change its a different technique to sweating at 36 to 40c.
I personally dont have much experience with this technique but I'm sure some of the other cob club members have.
But I will be aiming for just this cure with my seeded buds after removing the bulk of the seeds lets see how it goes ha ha.

H e d g e · Aug 8, 2022

It makes sense that if the sun dried cobs were lower quality then the better ones were probably made over a longer period in the shade.
Temperatures seem to vary quite a bit depending on where you are on the lake, gets pretty cold in places.

Onboard · Aug 8, 2022

100% Agreed, @H e d g e !
A complete convert myself, after reading just a few posts in this fantastic thread! And now, a year or so later, even more so :smoke:

And thank you a bunch for asking your question about dual temperatures!
For one, I think it is a very interesting question, and secondly because of the brilliant information shared by @Tangwena in his reply:

Tangwena said:
Thank you I hope you find it to your liking.
In my experience the more golden cures are obtained by drier buds rather than the moister buds used in the darker cures.
Temps in the 30 to 36c range are best.
The cure takes longer with drier buds and lower temps so be patient, it can take up to 3 months to get a color change its a different technique to sweating at 36 to 40c.
I personally dont have much experience with this technique but I'm sure some of the other cob club members have.
But I will be aiming for just this cure with my seeded buds after removing the bulk of the seeds lets see how it goes ha ha.

Thank you one million brother Sensei, what a little nugget of pure gold info! :thank you:

H e d g e · Aug 8, 2022

I’m thinking of making a few of these in different conditions for comparison and remembered Elaine Ingham in an interview mentioning a temperature sweet spot for anaerobic bacteria that she avoided when making compost by not exceeding 55c.
She didn’t say specifically what it was but it could be useful to know if it’s anaerobes we’re after.
Someone mentioned earlier that tobacco companies found a sweet spot at 58c, maybe this is what she was referring to?

Onboard · Aug 9, 2022

H e d g e said:
I’m thinking of making a few of these in different conditions for comparison and remembered Elaine Ingham in an interview mentioning a temperature sweet spot for anaerobic bacteria that she avoided when making compost by not exceeding 55c.
She didn’t say specifically what it was but it could be useful to know if it’s anaerobes we’re after.
Someone mentioned earlier that tobacco companies found a sweet spot at 58c, maybe this is what she was referring to?

Hi Hedge,
After my raving about your interesting ideas, with @Tangwena's very informative comments, I think I'd better add a few cautionary remarks, for context.

I still think it would be very interesting, if somebody fugured out the proper day/night temperature cycles for the true Malawi magic....

But unless you are already a master cobber since many years, it is probably much better if you stick to constant temperatures in the beginning. (Because, until your nose knows what to look for, it will be difficult to interpret the results.)

And, more importantly, if you are new to cobbing, you'll likely be much better off if you stay way below those thermophilic sweet spots!
Because, at temperatures of 40 °C and above, things happen pretty quickly, and many desired aromas tend to fade off fast!

I recently followed @Tangwena's reccomendation to another user:
-Sweat at 40 °C /104 °F for 12hrs. Then re-vac and keep at 30°C /86 °F for several weeks. Check weekly. Let dry to the touch, as needed.
(My starting buds were trimmed and partly de-boned, and around 65% RH after stbilizing in a jar overnight, or longer.)
And this time, just a few weeks in, the aromas are through the roof! Couldn't reccomend this protocol more highly!

In contrast, my first two batches of cobs ( which were sweated hotter, and longer) are dang near odourless in comparison. Leave one of these sitting in the open for ten minutes, it stinks up the room! :canabis:

In my first two batches, I didn't really know what to look for, and I ended up losing most of the wonderful aromas.

You can't really go wrong, it is an infinitely forgiving process. My first two batches are awesome and plenty tasty despite their low odours. But if you start at the suggested 40/30 °C protocol, you really really can't go wrong!

Whichever way you choose, all the best for your upcoming experiments!
And more importantly, congratulations!!! Venturing into cobbing may likely possibly change your life for the better!! :smoke:

Taima-da · Aug 9, 2022

yeah that. Can't agree more.

And I'm still inclined to think that plants are enzymatic creatures and that Ocam's razor would suggest that may well be enough. If there were some magic creatures doing the thing then tobacco companies would have lists of proprietary and patented microbes or funguses, whatever.
Besides, no Cuban drying shed would have reached those temps without killing the workers inside.

By the way HDM, thoughts are with you mate.

Onboard · Aug 9, 2022

Ok maybe a picture to balance out the bla bla blaing from myself lately?

These are blue dream, about two three weeks in vacuum bags. (These were sweated at 40C for 24h, which caused them to lose some aromas compared to 12h. I think.)

And as I said before, they do stink up the room beautifully!

Getting lots of pine this time, which is a first for me. Almost getting an upper from the smell alone! :canabis:

Hombre del mont · Aug 9, 2022

Taima-da said:
yeah that. Can't agree more.

And I'm still inclined to think that plants are enzymatic creatures and that Ocam's razor would suggest that may well be enough. If there were some magic creatures doing the thing then tobacco companies would have lists of proprietary and patented microbes or funguses, whatever.
Besides, no Cuban drying shed would have reached those temps without killing the workers inside.

By the way HDM, thoughts are with you mate.

Thank you Brother.

Tangwena · Aug 9, 2022

Onboard said:
Almost getting an upper from the smell alone

Too right brother my most recent Mulanje and Malawi crossed cobs are so good in that department I'm tempted to look no further.
Quoting a good friend of mine who said on first opening a vacuum bag of his own sativa called Chopper Read.
"As soon as I opened the bag the aroma sat me on my ass" ha ha.
When you hit that sweet spot you sure do know.

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