Cobbing

BarknPunkin

Active Member
Excellent work, all of you.
You're really on to somthing, trust me, I know.
If you want to get really messed up, put a little pinch 'tween your cheek & gum.
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
Mine is 5 days from the 3 month cure. I've had them out for 3 days and I can't tell any difference other than they're fairly dry, and they still look like dog turds. VERY mild and weak.
 

A.k.a

Well-Known Member
That sucks man I wonder what happened.

i actually have part of the first one I made at about three months now. It’s been probably a month and a half since I tried any but it was potent last time. Similar to the regular bud but with a little different of a high.
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
I'm still smoking just the cob now, and seem to be smoking less and less; I'm definitely craving weed a lot less since I'm not smoking flower. I could be wrong but it seems like it gets stronger the closer to the center of the "turd" I use. I find it best to shave it off and smoke it in a pipe with a stainless steel little 1/2" basket. If you want to take a break from weed, this is the ticket. I still have two "turds" sealed up.
 

A.k.a

Well-Known Member
That makes sense about the middle being better.

I used parchment paper instead of husk for this one I just made using Laos landrace, husk is better for sure.

DF55E9A5-D694-41E9-9EC2-38D7108531EC.jpeg
Got the nice color change though. I sweated it a lot this time, trying to really get the more sedative effects going.
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
I think I rolled mine tighter than you. :p:p:p I started smoking on this piece that's left exactly 3 months ago; it was the middle size between the two in vac-n-seal bag. It's good for pain.
 

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TaoRich

Well-Known Member
Just brought in my first of 7 outdoor plants in 2 days ago, and this thread has inspired me to give the cobbing ferment cure process a try for the first time.

I'm not a stranger to the smoke and it's effects ... got my hands on some original Malawi Cob back in the 90's. It was the real deal, having made its way southwards overland from Malawi to Cape Town.

Back then, I excitedly gave my mate the R 150 for the cob purchase. He returned a while later with a mielie husk wrapped with a sisal string.

I opened it up to find a dry almost powdery skinny cylinder of weed that crumbled to the touch. The big old black pips were taller than the dust-like remnants of bud.

I was like "WTF did I get for my money?"

Volume wise, it was maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a match box. In that same era, my R 150 would have bought me say 6 to 8 regular zip lock coin bank bags of regular dope.

I made a skinny frugal cocktail joint, jumped on my motorbike with a housemate, and we rode up to the mountain view spot to try it out.

100% agreed on the description of psychedelic effect. I have said for years that this was the closest I've had to an acid trip from just smoking weed.

Brain wired to warp speed. Uncontrollable runaway train of thought. Non-stop continuous babble of conversation.

It took over 2 hours before I was prepared to get back on my motorbike. My self-check thoughts for the duration were:

"750cc Scrambler Beast. Lady friend on pillion. 3km ride back to our digs."
"Just nope."
"Just not responsible behaviour."

Wait 30 mins and do the self-check again.

- - -

I bought once more, years later. A knock-off imitation that was not in the same league.

I guess it's time for a D.I.Y. test experiment.

Thanks for the inspiration and helpful information.

I'll share my results here.
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
My last two pieces of cob has been curing for 3.5 months, so I just took it out of the freezer and unsealed it. It still smells about the same, sort of like pickles but not quite. Shaved off some little pieces (rather than a chunk) and took a couple of tokes. Definitely different than it was two months ago, for sure. Doesn't taste bad at all, but not like smoking flower. It seems to hit about like it did at first, and two months ago. Actually the reason I got it out was because I'm out of the last of the smaller "turds". The high seems to be about the same too, so I'm not sure what the long curing is supposed to do. It didn't taste remotely bad the first time I smoked it and, you might not like this but I think I got higher at first, after it had fermented but hadn't started the cure. I'm at least able to write and post this without a lot of mistakes and focus. This stuff would be great stealth stash. You could say that it's "some sort of herb" (insert your favorite). I don't think the cops would even suspect this is weed. Doesn't really smell like weed either when you smoke it.
 

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TaoRich

Well-Known Member
Some history for y'all


This I found interesting ... pressure ... pressure ... pressure ...

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 centre 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.
I wrapped 2 cobs this past week ...

1 smaller/skinnier one of Lemon Haze ...
... plant had been hanging for 2 days after harvest

1 phatter one from Blue Dream ...
... harvested that morning, and bud trimmed and cobbled 6 hours later
... this was my experiment based on "the plant should almost be alive" anecdotal quote

I don't have a vacuum sealer, and figured that the original rural Malawians probably didn't have one either. So I improvised.

- wrapped and rolled and unwrapped and re-rolled my trimmed bud heads in the mielie (corn) husk as tightly as I could

- wrapped the cob in cling film again as tightly as I could

( I know that's not as "air removed" to the extent of a vacuum, but hey ... see my original/traditional Malawian comment above )

- I then added my outer binding over the cling film

- I made my best effort at getting the binding as tight as I could. I wrapped in a spiral from top to bottom, then back again, then top to bottom, then back again, making sure to cover all the gaps between the binding spirals as close as possible

By the time I was done, the bud and cob were super compressed, and I figure that pretty much most of the air was squeezed out ... there's simply no space for any but the smallest amount to hide.

Next step was to wrap the cobs in a kitchen towel, and then loosely bundled in a sheet, and into our slow cooker/ceramic crock pot. Heat on low for 30 mins, then off for an hour, then back on low ... repeat as often as possible for a day.

The idea behind the sheet bundle was to prevent any part of the cob from direct contact with the hot ceramic. I wanted a general surrounding low slow bake, not an edge fry.

- - -

When I did a binding unwrap, cling film unwrap inspection yesterday, I saw that the skinny tail end of the phat Blue Dream cob husk had split slightly, and man oh man! The exposed bud was dark dark green to black, and already 'melting' or 'fusing' into a homogeneous lump after only one day.

That's where I'm convinced the pressure comes in. Not only expelling any air hiding in the pocket spaces, but also helping the fuse process.

I re-wrapped tightly again in a couple of fresh cling film layers, and rebound several times and tightly again with my wool. I got this so tight, that when I finished, I could squeeze quite a few drops of water out of the end.

They are now tight and hard and rigidly inflexible from the compression and binding.

- - -

These will now sit cling film sealed for a week on my sunny African windowsill between the glass and a blind where it gets and stays pretty warm.

Next weekend, the wool will come off, and the cling film ... and then I'll rebind as tight as I can manage with some natural raffia 'twine' for the 3 month air natural cure.

{edits: spelling & autocorrect }
 
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GreenestBasterd

Well-Known Member
Some history for y'all


This I found interesting ... pressure ... pressure ... pressure ...



I wrapped 2 cobs this past week ...

1 smaller/skinnier one of Lemon Haze ...
... plant had been hanging for 2 days after harvest

1 phatter one from Blue Dream ...
... harvested that morning, and bud trimmed and cobbled 6 hours later
... this was my experiment based on "the plant should almost be alive" anecdotal quote

I don't have a vacuum sealer, and figured that the original rural Malawians probably didn't have one either. So I improvised.

- wrapped and rolled and unwrapped and re-rolled my trimmed bud heads in the mielie (corn) husk as tightly as I could

- wrapped the cob in cling film again as tightly as I could

( I know that's not as "air removed" to the extent of a vacuum, but hey ... see my original/traditional Malawian comment above )

- I then added my outer binding over the cling film

- I made my best effort at getting the binding as tight as I could. I wrapped in a spiral from top to bottom, then back again, then top to bottom, then back again, making sure to cover all the gaps between the binding spirals as close as possible

By the time I was done, the bud and cob were super compressed, and I figure that pretty much most of the air was squeezed out ... there's simply no space for any but the smallest amount to hide.

Next step was to wrap the cobs in a kitchen towel, and then loosely bundled in a sheet, and into our slow cooker/ceramic crock pot. Heat on low for 30 mins, then off for an hour, then back on low ... repeat as often as possible for a day.

The idea behind the sheet bundle was to prevent any part of the cob from direct contact with the hot ceramic. I wanted a general surrounding low slow bake, not an edge fry.

- - -

When I did a binding unwrap, cling film unwrap inspection yesterday, I saw that the skinny tail end of the phat Blue Dream cob husk had split slightly, and man oh man! The exposed bud was dark dark green to black, and already 'melting' or 'fusing' into a homogeneous lump after only one day.

That's where I'm convinced the pressure comes in. Not only expelling any air hiding in the pocket spaces, but also helping the fuse process.

I re-wrapped tightly again in a couple of fresh cling film layers, and rebound several times and tightly again with my wool. I got this so tight, that when I finished, I could squeeze quite a few drops of water out of the end.

They are now tight and hard and rigidly inflexible from the compression and binding.

- - -

These will now sit cling film sealed for a week on my sunny African windowsill between the glass and a blind where it gets and stays pretty warm.

Next weekend, the wool will come off, and the cling film ... and then I'll rebind as tight as I can manage with some natural raffia 'twine' for the 3 month air natural cure.

{edits: spelling & autocorrect }
3568324C-F92C-4C64-ABDE-033D6FE9E22E.jpeg
legitimate measurement haha.
 

0potato0

Well-Known Member
As smoker of original Malawi cobs in 1980ies South Africa i must say it looks nothing like the cob. The weed was brown and had the consistency of Cadbury's Flake (easy to break up) also they were 6+ inches.
 
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TaoRich

Well-Known Member
When I do the cling film removal, I'll take a sneak peek inside the husks, and upload some progress pics.
I was bricking myself about the buds being too wet going into the cob, and no easy access to a vacuum machine.

Mould was a big nagging nasty concern.

Result!!!

cob-lh-2022-05-01-full.jpg


This is the Lemon Haze skinnier one.
- around 1cm in diameter.

I am so pleased ...
- no mould
- nice dark ferment colours
- buttery smell (although I suspect that is from the mielie/corn/maize leaf wrapper)

It is pretty firm to hard to the touch, and icky sticky, but not damp.
The wrapper leaf is a firm moist, but not soggy wet.

Some of the bud green has been pressed out into the wrapper due to my firm binding to get the compression seal I needed without the vacuum. That's either some cannabis oils, or just plain old chlorophyll leaching out. Either way, when the aging has finished, I'll cut away the green bits of the leaf, and give that a good old chew to try to gauge which it is.

The cob is going to air dry - husk wrapped, but not tied - for the rest of this afternoon on my windowsill
- the cob wrapper will stop direct sun exposure and UV degradation

Overnight, it will go into a dark cool wooden cupboard, until my work day is done tomorrow afternoon.
- then it's re-wrap in the leaf husk
- cling film again
- tight wool binding again
- and into a coolish dark cupboard

I reckon I will give it 10 days or so plastic wrapped to do a final slow secondary ferment at room temps
- 12-25C here at the moment

Then I'll open the bindings and remove the plastic
- then bind wrap medium tight in the husk with raffia without the plastic
- and air dry for a week to start the cure

I will probably cut the cob into 2 sections before I do the final wrap. Just easier to handle shorter, fatter sections, and store in a tall bottle for the +3 month slow cure and mature.

When I do that, I will sneak a bit off the skinniest end to save for a smoke test appetiser. That should help me bide my time and patience while the remainder gets the cure it deserves. I'll smoke that at the beginning of June after 2/3 weeks of cure.

Close up

cob-lh-2022-05-02-crop.jpg

You can see how it is no longer recognisable as individual buds. Morphed and fused into a stick. Fermentation and pressure, pressure, compression.

(excuse the shitty phone camera)

- - -

Next update will be pics of the phat cob when I do the unwrap - my Blue Dream.

That one is around 3 times as thick (volume) and half as long again. I want it to ferment for a day or two longer so that the ferment process reaches all the way to the inner core.
 
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A.k.a

Well-Known Member
Looks good. this is the part where I got mold on one of mine, during the curing.


the husk definitely absorbs chlorophyll from the buds, my first one stained the husk purple after the fermenting stage.
 

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
All of the pics below are after a week of fermenting at 25-30C ... after an initial sweat of 8 hours at 35-40C.

Done the traditional way in fresh local mielie cobs. Wrapped in cling film, and bound and tied tight to get the air out. The binding caused compression which has resulted in a fused mass that has no resemblance to the individual original buds.

I reckon that the colours are far enough changed to show a good ferment already, so I took them out of the seals and let them air dry in a manilla envelope for 24 hours to slow the fermentation right down.

They are now sitting in a drawer, sealed in cling film, at around 25C, for 5 more days easy slow ferment.

Then they will get a 2 day dry.

Then they will be sealed and vacced for a 3 month cure.

Unknown Sativa - Deep Purple

Discovered in our digs - I named it after the colours.

The bud from the mother plant in 2021 harvest was all cerebral in the smoke, with a deep sense of well-being. A lot like the buzz you get after eating serious chilli. Clear and uplifting.

I am looking forward to seeing what effect the cobbed offspring will have.

cob-deep-purple-01-pic-01.jpg

Blue Dream

cob-blue-dream-02-pic-02.jpg

Unknown Sativa - Citrus

Offspring from a mother from a bag of bought seed - tastes and smells like orange and naartjie.

cob-citrus-02-pic-01.jpg

Grapefruit

cob-grapefruit-01-pic-03.jpg

Can't remember which this one was. They are all wrapped again and I can't see the labels.

cob-huh-01-pic-01.jpg

Lemon Haze

cob-lemon-haze-01-pic-02.jpg

Unknown Sativa - Ross 3

Offspring from a mother from a bag of bought seed - grown by my mate Ross

cob-r3-01-pic-01.jpg


- - -

So that's my novice virgin 1st attempt.

I have 10 little cobs about the thickness of my little finger, and around 10-15cm long.

Now for the patience part.

Although I have saved a mini tester which I will break out in 4 weeks.

{ edit : added a last pic }
 
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