Malawi Style Cob Curing.

MedBelgUsr · Dec 31, 2020

Hi Tangwena & Repuk, :bis:

With the Malawi cob curing method being slightly adjusted over time, I thought it was getting confusing for my autistic brain to follow or remember all the steps involved.

As a result, I have condensed a process which seems to be good for my needs ( long and slow curing ) to reach a well balanced "overwhelmy trippy effect".

But as I'm no expert, would it be possible to get an advice if "my cob curing recipe" is doomed to fail or if, on the contrary, it should be fine ...

Thanks all for your help !

Tangwena · Dec 31, 2020

MedBelgUsr said:
Hi Tangwena & Repuk,

With the Malawi cob curing method being slightly adjusted over time, I thought it was getting confusing for my autistic brain to follow or remember all the steps involved.

As a result, I have condensed a process which seems to be good for my needs ( long and slow curing ) to reach a well balanced "overwhelmy trippy effect".

But as I'm no expert, would it be possible to get an advice if "my cob curing recipe" is doomed to fail or if, on the contrary, it should be fine ...

Thanks all for your help !

View Image

Of course please feel free to post your recipe.
I'm sure my good friend Repuk would also be happy to see it and give his take also.
Its not so much that it has changed more evolved over time.
There are lots of different styles of cob cured buds in Africa it varies a lot from person to person but the basic recipe is much the same.
Like baking a cake same basic procedure but many different outcomes.

MedBelgUsr · Dec 31, 2020

Tangwena said:
Of course please feel free to post your recipe.

It's done : it's the attachment from the previous post ... but with the resize, it might be tough to read ...

Let me know if you can read it, otherwise I'll post it elsewhere with a link here.

Happy New-Year 2021 !

Hopefully with less deaths and no more pandemies.

Tangwena · Jan 1, 2021

MedBelgUsr said:
It's done : it's the attachment from the previous post ... but with the resize, it might be tough to read ...

Let me know if you can read it, otherwise I'll post it elsewhere with a link here.

Happy New-Year 2021 !

Hopefully with less deaths and no more pandemies.

Its not working for some reason it comes up as invalid link or something.
Maybe better to just type it out in the post.
Easiest for the first time is dry buds for 2 to 3 days.
Roll them up like a giant joint as tight as possible.
Vacuum seal them and you can either sweat them for 12 hrs at 40c
OR just leave the vacuum bag in a warm place 36c to 40c for 3 or 4 days.
Watch the bag to see if beads of perspiration form inside the bag, when they do remove the buds and dry the water off with a paper towel then reseal them in the vacuum bag for a week. After that dry the cobs until they feel dry on the outside then vacuum seal them for another week.
Repeat the above weekly for 3 or 4 weeks once they start to smell sweet then they are done curing and need to be dried again and resealed to age for 1 to 6 months and presto they are done.

MedBelgUsr · Jan 1, 2021

Hi Tangwena,

Let me try again attaching the image as, after reading your comments based on timing to get a more stoney or trippy effect, I had slightly deviated from the main guideline.

Easiest for the first time is dry buds for 2 to 3 days.

That's exactly the timing I had planned ...

So in case you still cant open the attachment, I will write it down here.

I have made a plan based on 3 main steps : sweating, fermenting/curing, aging/storing ( each step is a sequence of tasks )

Step 1 : Sweat
- Create and seal cobs, wrap with 2 cotton bags ( unprocessed cotton bags that can be boiled, used to filter soup, etc )
( +/- 50 gr wet per cob ), tie and vacuum seal
- Put the sealed cobs in yoghurt device for 24h min - 36h max at 40-45 C

Step 2 : Ferment & Cure
- Take the bags out of the yoghurt device, open sealed bags, remove the wet from cobs, replace external soaked wet cotton bag, dry up to 80 %, retie strings if required
- vacuum seal the cobs again , leave for 3 months at room temp ( slow fermentation )
- check daily ( mainly in the beginning of the 3 months ) that no droplets are appearing inside ( or mold ) : if they appear, open the sealed cob and remove the water, reseal right after

Step 3 : Age & Store
- open vacuum sealed bags, remove all cotton bags, keep in dry cold dark at room temp for at least 2 weeks ( around 3 weeks )
- Vacuum seal cobs, keep in freezer ( stabilize ) or at room temp ( slow aging )

So, let me know : is it a good starting point ?

Tangwena · Jan 1, 2021

MedBelgUsr said:
Hi Tangwena,

Let me try again attaching the image as, after reading your comments based on timing to get a more stoney or trippy effect, I had slightly deviated from the main guideline.

That's exactly the timing I had planned ...

So in case you still cant open the attachment, I will write it down here.

I have made a plan based on 3 main steps : sweating, fermenting/curing, aging/storing ( each step is a sequence of tasks )

Step 1 : Sweat
- Create and seal cobs, wrap with 2 cotton bags ( unprocessed cotton bags that can be boiled, used to filter soup, etc )
( +/- 50 gr wet per cob ), tie and vacuum seal
- Put the sealed cobs in yoghurt device for 24h min - 36h max at 40-45 C

Step 2 : Ferment & Cure
- Take the bags out of the yoghurt device, open sealed bags, remove the wet from cobs, replace external soaked wet cotton bag, dry up to 80 %, retie strings if required
- vacuum seal the cobs again , leave for 3 months at room temp ( slow fermentation )
- check daily ( mainly in the beginning of the 3 months ) that no droplets are appearing inside ( or mold ) : if they appear, open the sealed cob and remove the water, reseal right after

Step 3 : Age & Store
- open vacuum sealed bags, remove all cotton bags, keep in dry cold dark at room temp for at least 2 weeks ( around 3 weeks )
- Vacuum seal cobs, keep in freezer ( stabilize ) or at room temp ( slow aging )

So, let me know : is it a good starting point ?

Love the attachment I managed to open it without a problem.
You have obviously thought this out well.

I dont see a problem using the cotton bags the 24hrs sweating will produce dark cobs quickly especially if the moisture content of the buds is on the high side.
It will all hinge on the % drying of the buds I would try one lot at say 2 days dry and another at 3 days dry that way you will see a big difference in the end product.

Step 3 is the big departure cool temps will slow or stop any fermentation/cure and freezing def stop anything from happening.
IMO more benefit can be gained from slow curing than aging.
It will be an awesome experiment and judging by your attention to detail (Your not Spanish are you?) ha ha.
Repuk would def be interested in your approach fingers crossed for you and please post pics ect so we can all share in the adventure.

I will be cobbing 3 nice plants in a few weeks time so it should be an action packed month.
Hats off to you my friend and the best of luck.

MedBelgUsr · Jan 1, 2021

Yeah, I thought about it a lot ( probably too much )

It will be an awesome experiment and judging by your attention to detail (Your not Spanish are you?) ha ha.

LOL ... nope, not Spanish but I really have an autistic spectrum syndrome, so details ARE my cup of tea ...

Tangwena · Jan 1, 2021

MedBelgUsr said:
Yeah, I thought about it a lot ( probably too much )

LOL ... nope, not Spanish but I really have an autistic spectrum syndrome, so details ARE my cup of tea ...

I thought your attention to detail especially your flow chart was very impressive sought of like Repuk's work.
I wish I could put stuff down like that I'm a very untidy person its my ambition to get it together like you guys but I just give up too quick ha ha.

Sertaiz · Jan 1, 2021

only reason i might not go with cotton, correct me if im wrong people, but i notice a good bit of seeping thc liquid that seems to crystallize later..... into the drying process. so even just vacuum seal by itself will leave more goodness, but the corn husk has a natural shinyness that releases perfectly without sticking. i am lazy and have been making bricks vacuum sealed, but the sticks are way better because of the second binding or re binding, after a few days, which squishes said juices into each other even more.

edit, nice chart i took a screenshot to show people who ask

Tangwena · Jan 2, 2021

Sertaiz said:
only reason i might not go with cotton, correct me if im wrong people, but i notice a good bit of seeping thc liquid that seems to crystallize later..... into the drying process. so even just vacuum seal by itself will leave more goodness, but the corn husk has a natural shinyness that releases perfectly without sticking. i am lazy and have been making bricks vacuum sealed, but the sticks are way better because of the second binding or re binding, after a few days, which squishes said juices into each other even more.

edit, nice chart i took a screenshot to show people who ask

Hi brother thats why i use the corn husks initially then remove them.
You make a good point.

The waxy leaves have a natural teflon like effect.
The bloom which is what you refer to is in my opinion the salts, terp oils and thc crystals and when I see them I to get very excited.
Once aged the bloom elevates the high IMO i always get a trippy high on cobs that look like that.

Sertaiz · Jan 2, 2021

cheers yall.
corn husks have made the best results in my limited experience.
i might try a vaccum bag rolled and tied with no seal, but still tied head to toe. and then seal in another bag, re wrap, etc. i am missing the rewrap with my brick methods. soon to make a dark cob....

but i would avoid cotton as it will only absorb all that "Bloom" goodness as you put it Tang. or just chew the cotton after..... ha.

MedBelgUsr · Jan 2, 2021

I fully agree with the comments about the corn husk being better than cotton if THC is released and stick to it, however, as I couldnt find organic corn husks, choosing between the risk of glyphosphate or few cotton fibers ( not processed, so it can be safely ingested ) ... it is a no brainer.

Maybe in summer will I find shops stocking organic corn husks ? we'll see.

Now, anybody would have another medium to use ? I thought about parchment paper but would it be better ?

Thanks for your comments about the chart : I made it more like a framework, so you can change few things here and there but the steps are in a printable format ( easier for me ).

chilliwilli · Jan 2, 2021

I never tried cob making but i plan to try soon and also have provlems findind corn husk this time of the year. I realy like the idea with the cotton but think that u should start a day early because the cotton will suck up more of the released moisture than corn husk.
I wonder if leaf used for steaming food like banana or taro could work.

Tangwena · Jan 2, 2021

chilliwilli said:
I never tried cob making but i plan to try soon and also have provlems findind corn husk this time of the year. I realy like the idea with the cotton but think that u should start a day early because the cotton will suck up more of the released moisture than corn husk.
I wonder if leaf used for steaming food like banana or taro could work.

I am sure any strong pliable leaf would work.
In North Eastern Zimbabwe near the border with Mozambique my friends and I scored loaves of buds.
They were encased in the outer bark of a fibrous root or bark hollow and tubular about a foot long and 9 or 10 inches diameter.
The buds were stuffed in and the ends sewn up tight.
Banana leaf would be good also.
The two main types used were maize husk and dried bark from the banana plantain.
Once dried its tough like strong cardboard.

Tangwena · Jan 2, 2021

MedBelgUsr said:
I fully agree with the comments about the corn husk being better than cotton if THC is released and stick to it, however, as I couldnt find organic corn husks, choosing between the risk of glyphosphate or few cotton fibers ( not processed, so it can be safely ingested ) ... it is a no brainer.

Maybe in summer will I find shops stocking organic corn husks ? we'll see.

Now, anybody would have another medium to use ? I thought about parchment paper but would it be better ?

Thanks for your comments about the chart : I made it more like a framework, so you can change few things here and there but the steps are in a printable format ( easier for me ).

Some fellow cobbers on another forum used the paper used in baking in the oven with good results.
But you really dont need anything just a vacuum bag unwrapped is just fine.
The cotton will no doubt absorb a lot of the water that sweats out it def wont hurt the buds but as stated before by Sertaiz you may loose some resin and juices.

Tangwena · Jan 2, 2021

Sertaiz said:
cheers yall.
corn husks have made the best results in my limited experience.
i might try a vaccum bag rolled and tied with no seal, but still tied head to toe. and then seal in another bag, re wrap, etc. i am missing the rewrap with my brick methods. soon to make a dark cob....

but i would avoid cotton as it will only absorb all that "Bloom" goodness as you put it Tang. or just chew the cotton after..... ha.

Make sure you post pics brother.
I am thinking of making some candy bar type bricks myself this harvest.

Sertaiz · Jan 2, 2021

Yes i can do that, might be a bit blurry though. I might try Hau bark for both wrapping and binding..... taro might give off some irritation, smoked or chewed oxalic crystals cant be good.
I tried banana leaf, Hau next.

seems like someone could make some cash selling organic corn husks on etsy i cant find anything but generic arts and crafts types.
for tamales, cannabis cob, etc... ha. cheers

MedBelgUsr · Jan 2, 2021

I think that it's easy to find a yoghurt making or a vacuum device ... but it seems to be tough to find corn husk, maize or banana leaves to be ordered online, especially organic.

If someone finds an online retailer, please share the URL : they will sell tons of organic corn husks to stoners :jump:

Sertaiz · Jan 2, 2021

We might need to reach out to organic corn farmers, and make someone rich in the etsy game. someone is sure to have access to an organic corn patch.

DARKSIDER · Jan 3, 2021

Tangwena said:
Make sure you post pics brother.
I am thinking of making some candy bar type bricks myself this harvest.

Now thats something to see Tangwena Candy bar bricks :thank you:

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