Tangwena's Malawi-Style Cob Cure: Fermented Cannabis

[Wandada]

It’s thrilling to get your perspectives on the challenges of drying under less-than-stellar conditions. Cobbing seems a perfect solution. It’ll be interesting to see how you modify things to meet your needs. Most of us cob for our own consumption, so things like standardization of product and appearance aren’t a priority. I’m not sure they’d be in your situation either. Will your cobs be for personal or community pleasure?

The material I used .
You’re so right SweetSue about this being the solution to drying needs. This first stuff I used was a bit too dry but I used it anyway. Done the 7 day check. Smoked some and noticed a subtle/positive difference in the high. I’m expecting some more material by mid Jan and I’ve been promised semi dry so looking forward to that. Thanks to all for your input and have a very happy new year.
Will post update. Bless

 

[Schnookie]

When the cob is ready for final cure and you gave dried it to your specification, if you are jarring and not vacuum sealing, what humidity should it be stored at? I thought mine was dried and ready for long term cure, but I can't get the moisture down under 65% without keeping the jar open. The rest of my place is currently at 50-55%.

 

[SweetSue]

When the cob is ready for final cure and you gave dried it to your specification, if you are jarring and not vacuum sealing, what humidity should it be stored at? I thought mine was dried and ready for long term cure, but I can't get the moisture down under 65% without keeping the jar open. The rest of my place is currently at 50-55%.

Cobs don’t play by the same rules as buds. The RH factor has less significance. I store mine in canning jars without any problem. They don’t seem to dry out completely, so I haven’t worried about them.

For long-term storage vacuum sealing would be best, IMHO.

 

[Tony Urban]

I have stored one in a canning jar no issues. I have stored some in the fancy metal weed containers with no issues. But I agree with Sue, the vacuum seal is the ideal long term storage solution.

 

[tangwena]

I agree as well vacuum sealed just take out what you will use in a month the rest sealed up for freshness there is nothing like the smell you get from a bag that has just been opened.
The smell of the empty bag is the essence of the cob smell. The aroma of the cob is misleading its the bag after it has aired for 10 mins that is the real smell just bliss if you got it right.

 

[Tony Urban]

Here is a little future cob update. It's closer now than ever. This is week 10 for these Mulanje x Swaziland. I will have to run these again.

mulanje x swazi wk 10.jpg

• Tony Urban
• Dec 29, 2019
• 4

mulanje x swazi week 10.jpg

• Tony Urban
• Dec 29, 2019

 

[SweetSue]

Here is a little future cob update. It's closer now than ever. This is week 10 for these Mulanje x Swaziland. I will have to run these again.

mulanje x swazi wk 10.jpg

• Tony Urban
• Dec 29, 2019
• 4

mulanje x swazi week 10.jpg

• Tony Urban
• Dec 29, 2019

Ooooo..... dang!

 

[Schnookie]

Latest cob beginnings... skunk#1 again with 63g wet bud dried to 18g (minus some stem) so ready for curing...

 

[Schnookie]

Heres some Mulanje buds I experimented on with lots of different sweating techniques.
The second pic is the result of 2 of those experiments a slice off of a cob and some canary buds all 5 days since harvesting.

They now need aging the early taste I had yesterday faded fast something that wont happen once aged I cant wait for the extended play version.

Are you doing the short 12hour initial sweat on these to keep the color lighter? What temp are you running it at?

 

[Schnookie]

Here goes nothing! Hard to describe the taste...kinda minty, a little bitter. Weedy!

The hairs/fibers below are embedded in the paper...they are NOT all over my cob!

 

[tangwena]

Are you doing the short 12hour initial sweat on these to keep the color lighter? What temp are you running it at?

Yes I want to start the cure with a lighter product coming from the sweat at least on some of the cobs.
The sweating temp is 40c the unsweated cobs are curing at an average of 36c in my attic so the temps vary a lot night and day.
I have varied 12,9,6 and no sweat as well as 1,2 and 3 day dries along with maize skin and no maize skin so you see there are lots of possible variations to be had after the enforced 10 day cure period at 30 to 36c due to me being away on holiday for 10 days.
When I get back all will be opened dried as required and re sealed to age.

I recently found a cob that I had dried and aged very soon after the sweat. Compared to a cob from the same plant same sweat but that had been allowed to cure and then age it was weak.
It had smelt great and I thought to dry it at that stage (still had green in some leaves) to halt any further changes due to fermentation.
A similar cob from the same plant I surface dried and cured and aged as normal and then chewed (not smoked). This second cob is hands down much more potent than the still green in places cob that was fully dried.

 

[Schnookie]

I did the cob a little differently this time. The skunk cob after the 13 hr sweat didn't look like it changed much and I didn't see any moisture (as I thought, it may have dried too much before this sealing). I took it out after it cooled and put it on the router for day with also no change (temp was about 78F). Put it into the sous vide with the other cob for an additional 8 hours at 40C. Still hadn't changed much, but one side was darker, so I know something occurred:

I'm going to let it dry/hydrate (my RH today is like 70%!) an hour and vacuum seal back up for a long time. Smells minty mostly...not much ferment.

 

[Schnookie]

I also took out the girl scout cookie cob. After sweat of 20ish hours it had only changed a little on one side and was darker on other. I took this and the skunk cob, still in their packages, and put on the light (75F) for 12 hrs and then the router (86F) for another 12 hours. Nicely colored now, though one is darker (this is the side that faced "up" when it was being heated). She will dry 2 hours I think (was higher moisture content going in) before vacuum sealing back up for a week.

I've got an early harvest white widow cola I plucked the other day as well which will become cob next week.

 

[Schnookie]

Question - will the final weight of a selected equal weight harvest of bud vs cob (fully dried/cured) be the same or does cob hold more moisture when fully cured?

 

[tangwena]

Question - will the final weight of a selected equal weight harvest of bud vs cob (fully dried/cured) be the same or does cob hold more moisture when fully cured?

Its the same organic material no matter how its cured give or take a gram so it just looks smaller in size but the weight should be the same.
Even temp distribution is important during the sweating to get even results.
I think the buds are a little too dry going in but sealed up and given 3 months aging they will change unless they were completely dried going in it just takes longer the drier they are.
The results can still be interesting if you give them time to age.

 

[Tony Urban]

Used up everything but the main cola from my CB Dream plant to make a cob. Let it dry a bit too much trying to get it perfect. But been here before, its not too dry, and will still make for a nice experience. I suspect it will be a great sleep aid.

6% CBD, 6% THC

View media item 1741466
View media item 1741467
When I opened up the bag to check on the sweat the terpenes kicked me in the face. This is going well.
View media item 1741469
View media item 1741468
View media item 1741470
I wrap my cob in a sweater or towel. Wrap that in the seedling heat mat. Its pretty close to 40 if not slightly higher. I re-wrapped the cob to extend the sweat a bit. Getting the hang of this lol. This is just the pre-show to the main event...the Muanje x Swaziland.
View media item 1741471

 

[tangwena]

When the smell sits you on your ass your in the game my friend its always obvious when you get it right isn't it?
Use this knowledge on the Mulanje and your going to score big time.
That half dried cob pic is a beauty curing really nicely you can tell.

 

[tangwena]

Mulanje 4 weeks from harvest cured 3 ways opening the cobs I made at Christmas next week cant wait to see what Santa brought me ha ha.
Trying about 0.1g of the pointy one now really trippy anyone seen Alice she told me to come see her?

 

[tangwena]

Mulanje now touch dried and resealed for aging 3 to 6 months.
These have all been curing since 22 December.

 

[Schnookie]

Mulanje 4 weeks from harvest cured 3 ways opening the cobs I made at Christmas next week cant wait to see what Santa brought me ha ha.
Trying about 0.1g of the pointy one now really trippy anyone seen Alice she told me to come see her?

Christmas is right! Those look like amazing things to do a weekend taste test with!