Tangwena's Malawi-Style Cob Cure: Fermented Cannabis

[FelipeBlu]

Greetings fellow Fermies!

I haven’t read all the way through the thread yet (still around page 160), but I recently entered the world of fermented cannabis with some of this year’s harvest - 9 naked “cobs” (11.8 oz).

I have a feeling that I over-sweated them - they came out dark green with muted colors, and have a kind of sweet, “cooked” taste - not much in the way of the wonderful terpenes that the jar-cured buds retained.

Despite being wrapped in several layers of towels - on top of the crockpot lid (which was set on warm) - the max/min thermometer got up to 140F during the initial sweat. Not really my goal, but it apparently happened while I was at work.

So far, my samples have indicated a rather stoney high - without much motivation. No tripping with chewing (0.65g of GLGA) - but a warm feeling and nice closed-eye visuals.

I am wondering - if my goal is to preserve as much of the colors, terpenes, and a euphoric high, as possible - what is the lowest sweat temperature that will initiate fermentation?

In fact, is a low and slow fermentation possible without a sweat - just roll up the buds, vacuum, and leave wrapped up on top of the cable box (80-85F)? Opening weekly to check/sample, of course!

I am looking at this tek as an alternative to jar-curing (fewer jars) - but want the final product to be very close in terms of smell, taste, and high (well, the high can be enhanced ).

 

[nivek]

@FelipeBlu ,,

re, without fermentation. experimentation will tell all, but tang developed this over many years

re, over sweating,, one knows for sure it has over sweated when there is an ammonia smell,, very distinct,, i know this well, tho not for a while now

re, retaining colours and terps etc,, def does not retain colours,, will be dark brown to near black, as you ca see with yours,, and it will have near no smell at all when finished,, and will be a much smoother smoke and i think a bit enhanced somehow. a bit is so small, who knows

 

[FelipeBlu]

Nope - no ammonia (whew!)

Thanks for the quick reply nivek!

 

[tangwena]

Greetings fellow Fermies!

I haven’t read all the way through the thread yet (still around page 160), but I recently entered the world of fermented cannabis with some of this year’s harvest - 9 naked “cobs” (11.8 oz).

I have a feeling that I over-sweated them - they came out dark green with muted colors, and have a kind of sweet, “cooked” taste - not much in the way of the wonderful terpenes that the jar-cured buds retained.

Despite being wrapped in several layers of towels - on top of the crockpot lid (which was set on warm) - the max/min thermometer got up to 140F during the initial sweat. Not really my goal, but it apparently happened while I was at work.

So far, my samples have indicated a rather stoney high - without much motivation. No tripping with chewing (0.65g of GLGA) - but a warm feeling and nice closed-eye visuals.

I am wondering - if my goal is to preserve as much of the colors, terpenes, and a euphoric high, as possible - what is the lowest sweat temperature that will initiate fermentation?

In fact, is a low and slow fermentation possible without a sweat - just roll up the buds, vacuum, and leave wrapped up on top of the cable box (80-85F)? Opening weekly to check/sample, of course!

I am looking at this tek as an alternative to jar-curing (fewer jars) - but want the final product to be very close in terms of smell, taste, and high (well, the high can be enhanced ).

Haven't been here for a while here are some pics of how a terpy, tasty cure is made.
Buds 3 day dry
Roll them up. Sweat them for 18hrs at 40c.
Touch dry them and reseal to cure.
After one month opening and touch drying weekly.
After 12 months ageing vacuum bagged.
This is Panama x Honduras by Ace seeds its super euphoric crazy trippy chewed. Tastes of fruity skunky hashish and stinks a room up big time when the new bag is opened.

 

[FelipeBlu]

¡Muchas gracias tangwena!

 

[tangwena]

¡Muchas gracias tangwena!

Because yours have been well fermented better to fully dry and seal up to age they will still be good dont worry.
Of course that is if the buds used were strong of course the dark cobs can be very strong even if a little lacking in flavor compared to the more lighter cobs once aged.

 

[FelipeBlu]

Oh yes, the source buds are indeed pretty strong - and I am pleasantly surprised at the degree of sativa effect from the Berry Bombs (when vaped). I thought they would be mostly indica.

I haven’t tried one of the BeBo cobs yet, but the GLGA (Gold Leaf x Grape Ape) cob that I sampled at 3 weeks was more of an indica stone than I expected. Not a bad thing - I just was anticipating more sativa from it - based on past grows. But after vaping some jar-cured buds, I see that this year’s pheno was indeed more indica.

Bottom line - I think I didn’t let the buds dry enough before the sweat. Most of them were rolled/vacuumed the day of - or the day after harvest - and were quite wet. That was probably a mistake.

After drying the cobs some more (left out for about 8 hours), they have lightened up some (showing more variation in color), and they sparkle all over! I am really looking forward to sampling them again as the cure proceeds.

@tangwena - Thanks again for the reassurance - and the advice for producing tasty terpy cobs! You are indeed a loving human!

 

[ColaCalyx]

Zamaldelica cob cigarillo. I've made a few for some parties. Can smoke 100% asis for the pure experience.

 

[tangwena]

Zamaldelica cob cigarillo. I've made a few for some parties. Can smoke 100% asis for the pure experience.

F---k me thats going to go down well.

 

[TriangleCheese]

Finally got my first COB ready for curing. Letting it sit at room temp in new vac. bag now. When I broke the vac. the smell was out of this world folks. I COB'd my recent harvest Pink Kush. This pheno turned out amazing and it is both very frosty, tasty and potent. I can't imagine how this cob will taste like

I'll definately prepare more COB's in the future. Cheers

IMG_1783.JPG

• TriangleCheese
• Dec 6, 2020

 

[Chungo]

Well my interest in fermenting Cannabis started last Oct when I read the first and last posts from this thread. I shortly after cut down my 4 plants and stored them in the usual way in jars but decided to give fermenting a try on the sugar leaves. So I Cobed the leaves in a variation to the instructions and made up equipment to get the fermentation done right. So after 2 months I opened the 3 cobs up just to check on them. One small end broke off to my delight so I gave it a try.
So let me state that the pot I grew AK 47 extreme was nothing special but passable in bud form. The first thing I can confirm is the Cob smoke is milder than anything I have cured in the past so to me it was a win as I am Asthmatic this was a big plus (I know I shouldn't be smoking at all). I don't know if it is stronger or the profile has changed after fermentation but the smell of the cob is totally different from the buds I have harvested. The smoking of the Cob material was pleasant and of the 6 refers and I didn't cough once which was a change from the buds of this variety. So I have convinced myself with what ever I grow next I will Cob at least 50% of the buds and sugar leaves for personnel use......Thanks for starting this thread Sweetsue and all the contributors

 

[nivek]

good for you @Chungo ,, indeed,, the smoothness of the finished product seems to be one of the biggest plusses

i have no issues with smoking but i know a fella, like you, has bad breathing problems, and like you,, he was able to handle the cob without any problems at all

the cob is also very well used as an edible,, did you know that?

tho i am not addicted to consuming that way,, a lotto folks are, including tang,, the cob king

 

[Chungo]

good for you @Chungo ,, indeed,, the smoothness of the finished product seems to be one of the biggest plusses

i have no issues with smoking but i know a fella, like you, has bad breathing problems, and like you,, he was able to handle the cob without any problems at all

the cob is also very well used as an edible,, did you know that?

tho i am not addicted to consuming that way,, a lotto folks are, including tang,, the cob king

I haven't tried eating the cobs as I have resealed them and will give them another month or more. I have a bunch of brownies in the freezer, Coconut oil, and even etoh infused with cannabis. I find the high I get from eating cannabis takes 1 hour to kick in and lasts much longer and is stronger. The ETOH infused with cannabis kicks in much faster and I assume that is because the ETOH carries it much faster to the blood system........I guess I could work on the doing the dosing better of the edibles next....

 

[tangwena]

Ok cobbers heres some gold information from Malawi by a Malawian from the horses mouth check it out.

This report on the Malawi Cob is a result of 30 years of “full blown research” by a Cannabis fanatic and friend of the Dagga Couple in Malawi called Mr Bambo Mbudadenga who wrote this very insightful piece for us:
Bambo Mbudadenga has known the Dagga Couple for many years and met with Jules and Myrtle in Malawi when they went tripping Africa in 2016. When Mbudadenga heard that Myrtle was in Malawi he immediately made a plan to meet with her on the shores of Lake Malawi to personally convey his condolences to Myrtle and the crew for the murder of Jules and discuss the issues with Cannabis (or Chamba as it is known in Malawi) in Africa.

Tracing the origins​

One of the things they discussed was the Malawi Cob which is an old method of Cannabis packaging/storing/curing and transport that has been used by the inhabitants of this part of Africa for centuries or since there was ganja and bananas in that part of Africa, as banana bark is what they use to wrap the buds…( not sure which plant got to Africa first.)
The legendary Franco Loja came across fermented black Cannabis on the strain hunters Malawi Expedition, many years later he contacted Bambo Mbudadenga and asked him to try and find it again. Mbudadenga traveled the length and breadth of Malawi but failed to find the fermented weed or a genuine traditionally cured Cob. He discovered that the fame of the Malawi Gold Cobs had led to its demise, the huge demand for “Malawi Gold” has resulted in a market where any quality can easily be sold. The separation of males, strains and curing methods are no longer required and are all but forgotten. Whatever has a weed leaf in it can be sold, buyers from all over the region queue up before the buds have even matured.

Tourists looking for gold​

The general quality of the weed is now like majat, full of seed and cobbed without curing, for sale to tourists looking for Malawi Gold. However during Mbudadenga’s search he accumulated a wealth of information on traditional curing methods, as he was forced to find the few remaining OGs of a bygone era who managed to survive the HIV pandemic that wiped out most of the OGs – as they had the extra bucks and the extra girlfriends way back when there was no cure.
All his findings and consultations were noted down and placed in a report for Franco, but before the report was ready to be sent Franco died of Malaria contracted in the Congo.
Bambo Mbudadenga in dedication, remembrance and gratitude to Jules and Franco chose to give Myrtle the unpublished report and additional research on the Malawi Cob and other traditional curing methods. He also sent someone in SA to the Hotbox show to deliver some Cobs to go with the report! Apparently they are not the real thing as they have not been cured in the traditional method, but they are the best he could organize at short notice.

Traditional practice​

Back in the day when there were no plastic bags or tin roofs, dealing with the harvest, drying and keeping it mold free was a huge problem. So the tribes tried many different ways using naturally occurring and common materials in the tropical environment to ensure their bud was stored well and remained good to smoke.
In their quest for the perfect cure they discovered curing methods which would actually enhance the product, these discoveries were carefully developed over the ages and the result was the cob and specific curing methods using goats.
The ingenuity is mind blowing, the tribes really tried everything to ensure they were happily stoned and could continue smoking cured Chamba, beneficial to their health for as long as they pleased.
Mbudadenga reports that most of the OGs that provided the knowledge still smoked heavily and were as fit as mountain goats. The secret lies in the curing – they claim that they never smoke uncured/unfermented bud as it will make you cough and give you breathing problems. The traditional cob curing method ensures a smooth sweet smoke.
A microscopic inspection and smoke test of the fermented Cannabis shows that the trichomes have all melted and all the chlorophyll and acids have converted to sugars.

The procedure​

The herb used to be grown till fully mature and dripping with resin. The fully ripe plants would be cut at the stem and either hung in a shed with a thatch roof, or if there was no shed, piled on a mat next to the field with a piece of cloth over the top when the sun is at its hottest. In some areas where plants were left to continue regrowing every year and became trees, only the buds would be pulled off the branches. The bud was then left till resin fell on the ground and the ground became sticky. These perennial forests were chopped down in the 1990’s by the authorities under international pressure.
To ensure a smooth smoke, the buds after harvest are left out at night to collect the dew – they should be covered in dew at least twice for the best result. The fully matured seedless Kalanjuichi/Sensimilia (kalanjuichi – honeyfilled) buds (Mchila wa Nkhosa – the tails of sheep) are then chosen and packed in carefully selected and cut to size sections of banana bark.
The buds are arranged evenly in a line in the center of the banana bark sheet and given a light sprinkling of untreated water if they are too dry, with a shake of a wetted hand. The banana bark is then carefully squeezed and wrapped around the bud, then it’s unrolled and inspected and added to until the cobber is satisfied the amount of bud is even along the full length.
Fresh wet bark from hardwood trees is used to tie the buds rolled up in banana bark into a cob, this needs to be very tight – the tighter the better. One end of the bark is tied to a tree or the center post of the hut and full strength and body weight is used to wrap it as tight as possible. Some use a pestle to pound the buds down into the cob whilst packing in as much as possible and continuing to wrap tightly.
The size of the cobs should not be bigger than a big man’s penis or they will be packed too loose. They should also not be too small or there is not enough oil and bud for it to “cook” nicely. Medium is the best!
Once there are a few hundred cobs wrapped, they are placed in the sun for a day or 2 and turned so the binding bark begins to dry and tighten even more, the banana bark wrapping also starts to dry out. The cobs are then placed under the goat’s house on a double floor – the floors are bamboo or wood slats. The goats above piss and shit and this fills up the gaps between the cobs on the floor below.
The temperature in the goat shit rises and stays around 80°C and higher. The banana bark is not fully sealed, so it allows moisture to filter through by osmosis. The banana bark gives off ripening chemicals as it ferments and the binding bark continues to tighten.
The cobs would be removed after at least 40days, but most would leave them till the next harvest when the space is required for reloading with freshly wrapped cobs. Only fully fermented and cured weed from the harvest before last is ready for consumption and smoked.
The best cobs would turn to a sticky solid mass called “pula”. Now a name forgotten for weed and instead used for finger hash or charras. Nowadays, goats are no longer kept in sheds as there are no livestock predators anymore so the traditional way is difficult to find.

More original curing methods​

Another method was to bury the cobs in the waste husk left over when brewing local maize beer. This would also ferment and it would not only give the herb a special flavour, but also a golden colour. The longer it was left, the darker the color and the harder and more resinous the final product.
Sometimes the buds would be smoke-cured for a couple of days or hours with hardwood smoke similar to the process for dark fired tobacco. This would help to prevent any unwanted fungus or bacteria from spoiling the fermentation once packed in the cob. After curing, the cobs would sometimes also be smoke-cured before storage and to ensure they were insect and rot resistant.
In dry areas where there were no banana trees, tribes sometimes use the leaves that cover the maize cob and make smaller cobs. These are inferior but do sometimes turn the bud a reddish Colour. Other methods include tightly compressing and packing the buds in the cleaned out hollow sections of certain reeds, perhaps ones containing DMT were favoured. The reeds would be plugged and be left to ferment in a suitable place where the temperature remains stable and preferably warm.
Clay pots of a specific design were also used for curing, they were packed tightly with fresh bud and sealed for months before being smashed open to reveal a solid pot shaped cured stash. The best cobs are traditionally stored after curing in the thatch of the roof of the hut and are to be enjoyed with friends. It was always so hard, one needed a knife or a hacksaw and tough fingers to crush it so it could be smoked. The colors and stickiness would vary from the famous Gold to the super potent black, the red, the purple and the green and brown. Each one was known to have certain qualities and were used for specific reasons. One made you feel happily drunk and the other was known for its knockout action. The tarry sticky black one was famous for being so strong the joint would never be finished in one sitting, even in a group of heavy smokers. The resin would soak the joint after a few pulls and lips would be black. The gold one made you so high that it made Malawi famous!

 

[kelticBlue]

Ok cobbers heres some gold information from Malawi by a Malawian from the horses mouth check it out.

1000 likes and many thanks for the info

 

[tangwena]

From a new member of the cob club brother Tychomonolyth from IC beautiful cure and report


Testing Cobs from November 2018

---

Opening The Vacuum Packed Brick.

First small hit.
- Smells like a chunk of green/brown Indian Rope hash from 40 years ago. (Ya... I remember that).
- The shiny stuff you see is light reflecting off the surface. It's shinny like glass.

Click this bar to view the full image.

- Heavy earthy hash flavor and smell. I'm a hash guy so I love it. Just a hint of sweet weed.
- 7/10 harshness but zero cough. Strange.
- I cut this bit off with scissors and smoked it in my hash pipe. One good toke.


20 seconds after the hit - 1st rush
- Came on me quick.
- Great giggle buzz. Stoned even.
- Dreamy.
- Heavy head.
- Euphoric.

1 1/2 minutes after
- Very clear!
- Initial rush leveled off
- Somewhat dizzy and I should be uncoordinated, but I'm not. At all.
- This is fucking great. lol. After the Honduran I picked up on Roatan, it's the best I've ever smoked, or at least very very close to it.
- God damn... it feels like the THC level is over 40% Such a small hit, and I'm flying. lol
- Getting lost listening to the Mexican (Babe Ruth), but can snap myself back to reality like flipping a switch.

30 minutes after
- Laughing and giggling at random thought.
- *Very happy feeling.
- The high has leveled off. Very smooth. Not fucked up AT ALL.
- Creativity is flowing freely. Going to attempt fixing a bug in a PHP website that's been kicking my ass off and on for about 10 months. Very intermittent piss me off issue that bites me when I least expect it.

60 minutes after
- DAMN!!! PHP Programming issue is Solved! Actually solved several in one shot! lol.
Files had a Byte Order Mark of all things. You could search forever for that without seeing it. I know. I did it.


I feel like I had a couple shots of vodka or a couple Tylenol 3s (not both at the same time thought).

2 hours after
- I'm still floating high. No crash or even a hint of coming down yet.
- Hunger just hit me. Hard. I want a donut for breakfast. And I want to eat it while playing my Gibson turned all the way up. lol
- Multitasking like a fiend. I've never had that happen. If I smoke, I'm usually a one task guy.

This could definitely be used to wean people off opioids. Seriously.
The high is *almost exactly the same minus the fucked up head, stomach, and dry mouth.

I really want to figure out a way to ferment kief/hash. That would be the MOAB.

Admittedly, I'm a serious lightweight smoker. So now I'll find a heavy smoker to test it for me and report back.


I can't believe how the cobs have crystalized.

Like I said, that's not wet. The crystals are like glass.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 644x900.

Next steps:
- Make a dozen joints to hand out.
- Get this shit tested.


Tangwena, many thanks for introducing this wonderful process. Peace to you.

__________________

 

[Stunger]

Haven't been here for a while here are some pics of how a terpy, tasty cure is made.

Thanks a lot for coming in with that.

After drying the cobs some more (left out for about 8 hours), they have lightened up some (showing more variation in color), and they sparkle all over! I am really looking forward to sampling them again as the cure proceeds.

Good Stuff Felipe!

Zamaldelica cob cigarillo. I've made a few for some parties. Can smoke 100% asis for the pure experience.

That's amazing - outrageous!

The first thing I can confirm is the Cob smoke is milder than anything I have cured in the past so to me it was a win as I am Asthmatic this was a big plus (I know I shouldn't be smoking at all). I don't know if it is stronger or the profile has changed after fermentation but the smell of the cob is totally different from the buds I have harvested. The smoking of the Cob material was pleasant and of the 6 refers and I didn't cough once which was a change from the buds of this variety.

i have no issues with smoking but i know a fella, like you, has bad breathing problems, and like you,, he was able to handle the cob without any problems at all

I find smoking is too much for me having also had Asthma most of my life. I found vaping thru a Silver Surfer to be fine. Altho last year I got a dynavap and found that was getting a bit much breathing it in. For some reason I found myself finding the dynavap vapour a bit harsh at times. I bought a little glass bubbler that resolved that problem and really smoothed out the vapour, not sure whether it is from filtering the vapour thru the water or just that the water humidifies the vapour.

Ok cobbers heres some gold information from Malawi by a Malawian from the horses mouth check it out.

Thanks again, great informative read, really appreciate it!

I can't believe how the cobs have crystalized.

Wow, that's amazing!

 

[TriangleCheese]

I spared 50 grams of pretty wet material from my last harvest. I let the fermentation kick in at 57 degrees Celsius for 48 hours then wiped the sweat. Now the vac. is sitting at 27 degrees and I'll dry the sweat daily. Smell is already amazing. Can't wait to smoke this batch.

Cheers COBbers

3BKushCOBCuring1.JPG

• TriangleCheese
• Feb 5, 2021

3BKushCOBCuring2.JPG

• TriangleCheese
• Feb 5, 2021

 

[TriangleCheese]

Forgot to ask a question. I vacd this 50 gram wet batch and didn't expose the vac. to heat for 24 hours. I had to transport the bag to a secure place first Then I revacd for one time and put it on heat. Will that cause a problem? I think the COB is not affected in a bad way. What do you think @tangwena ?

 

[tangwena]

Forgot to ask a question. I vacd this 50 gram wet batch and didn't expose the vac. to heat for 24 hours. I had to transport the bag to a secure place first Then I revacd for one time and put it on heat. Will that cause a problem? I think the COB is not affected in a bad way. What do you think @tangwena ?

Yes should not be a problem my friend I am up at a fishing camp with limited internet sorry for the late reply.
I have 12 cobs with me which I have not had to sweat as the temps outside regularly hit 40c all day!
They have been dried weekly for 3 weeks and then back into the heat.
They look great once I get back to the city at the end of the month I will post some pics.
I cant wait to sample them after a month of curing/cooking/aging ha ha.