This is also an excellent point, and the source of terroir in many fermented foods like wines and vinegars, or breads and wild beers or ciders. I would imagine that the flower structure and terpene profile would influence the local micro flora living on/in the flowers significantly, making genetics and environment both important in getting a good cob cure. I would be curious if there’s anyone that’s tried cobbing high vs low-Brix buds to see if that high sugar concentration feeds the fermentation?
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See and I’ve been thinking that the microbes are what create the" Dank" smell I mean it smells just like the Forrest floor after a rain which is caused by microbes and thanks to Dr James white research we know that those same microbes live inside the plant in the flo-um (I know I spelled it wrong but that what it sounds like 
sorry I’m country as shit lol " and even inside some of the plant cells truly amazing stuff right there PS @dirt_wizard and @sbeanonnamellow and I’m outta likes sorry fellas but this research here is fantastical!
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I bet you’re right high brix would definitely feed fermentation if it’s carbs that has fill the space (I don’t know proper term) see salt can also fill this space but for us natural farmers that’s really not an issue lmao Long Live the Natural Farmer!
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A short while back @TomHill eluded to the unique microclimates created across these surface structures amongst the volatiles and secondary metabolites, that’s where the proverbial seed was planted.
His quote here from the Haze thread
Their resin profiles are so dank the go through a kinda quazi fermentation right on the plant
What’s especially rad is that the reply is to a comment that was referring to a plant being described as golden in hue. Also amongst the description, it’s supposedly the bringer of laughter. How fitting.
Additionally, I believe I read some additional comment(s) from Tom suggesting the dense trichome coverage and unique volatile compounds and secondary metabolites in some individuals creating these unique environments conducive to fermentation that produce a desirable result though I couldn’t find the quote to reference.
The brix levels as gauge is a great variable to consider. It’s got me thinking about pizza dough recipes and different amounts of yeast and fermentation times. Temperatures. How each can produce both tasty and untasty results depending on technique. Depending on ingredients. Depending on the nuanced variables.
Almost like from that anthropology book referenced earlier, each gardener had his own recipe for getting his herbs to market. Some surely more preferred to some than others, but probably all tasty in their own right. So it seems logical that there is a recipe to uncover. To tinker with across a variable landscape of genetics and climatic conditions. This is all so cool to me. I appreciate the enjoyable conversation. Much love
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Yes very enjoyable, intriguing, interesting and insightful and it always comes down to the Microbes
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I think I’m trying to imagine a wise African grower deciding which plants had the buds worth taking the time and effort to ferment and cure, and seeing someone tasting the sap from a branch, because what other tools do you have besides your senses? In the same way that selections for red or purple sap seem to have been a factor in some heirloom/landrace selections? I’ve had a few red bleeders so far and they were all sweet to the taste. Is this maybe a selection trait valued in the equatorial tropics where drying/curing is done at such hot temperatures that fermentation is more likely than not? In my experiences with fermentation and foods, a higher initial sugar level will often help encourage a healthy fermentation by letting the resident micro flora reproduce before the bacterial dominance shifts to fungal dominance. I can see the air drying in the sun (very dry air, intense UV and heat) being a key step in keeping it bacterially dominant by killing off fungus and molds with these techniques. I need to read that book now!
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@Dirt_Wizard , awesome words I did a big ole dab moments before reading that and it painted this beautiful picture in my brain! It whooshed me straight to the African plains under a shade tree on the edge of a cannabis field bro it was glorious! Thank you for that
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Is there a cob / cannabis ferment thread? It might be worth breaking this out into its own category. The sun drying would regulate the fungus and mold population that were present on the bud but not completely destroy them. A lot of mixed mold/bacteria/yeast starters for rice wines use sun drying for similiar purposes. I’ve always wondered if the terpene profiles have been selected for their fermentation regulating purposes for sweat ferments, since that also plays a role due to their diverse antimicrobial properties. Cob ferments with insufficient trichome/terpene/cannabinoid content (leafy shake) will develop compost aromas, as I unfortunately learned.
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A quick Google perusing would lead me to believe that periodic ultraviolet sterilization seems to be a technique often used in Africa when fermenting foods, beverages, and condiments. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation supposedly works well for the surface of solids but doesn’t necessarily penetrate deep beyond that. It’s likely that those growing cannabis would tinker around with the various fermentation techniques and recipes being used for other crops and apply it to cannabis in effort to preserve it longer or to bring out more complex tastes aromas and/or effects.
Fermentation is apparently a big deal in Africa. Born out of necessity. In the tropics as a way to prevent food spoilage and in the dry season and on the fringes of the desert as a way to preserve food during times of drought. The rabbit hole is widening as my eyes too with all this new cool information to digest. Much love
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@Sbeanonnamellow So, about those goat stomachs some people talk about cobbing in:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/anaerobic-fungi
I think it seems like the exterior drying and UV exposure would help kill off the aerobic fungi on the surface and then allow the anaerobic fungi to take dominance of the rhizosphere, whether you use a ruminant’s stomach or not, but it seems like it would help!
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Not that I’m aware of, you should definitely start one though!
Oh wow! That is an amazing paper and very interesting, I’ve also seen/heard of them using a goats stomach for cheese making and I always wondered how exactly? Well now I know it’s a microbial reaction! Fantastic thanks bro
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I will start one later today or tomorrow, want to collect some links before I do. Seems like there’s a lot of interest, knowledge, and experience here and we could all work together to learn more about cannabis fermentation. There’s a lot of different cannabis ferments (both traditional and experimental) aside from cob curing that it would be nice to be able to discuss in another thread so this one can stay focused on African landraces / heirlooms and the culture / practices around them. I recommend anyone interested in learning more about fermentation / microbiology to read Sandor Katz’s The Art of Fermentation, an invaluable resource with a lot of info on traditional ferments as food preservation technologies.
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As a contribution to the start of a Thread, here is one modern method that I have followed and had success with.
Great idea, I am Cobbing half of my Grows this Summer with this method.
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if you’re interested in taking a deep dive into the fermentation, i invite you to check out the icmag thread from tangwena on the malawi style cobbing - it’s like a masterclass and if you have any questions, there are cobbing disciples ready to respond 
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That’s where I learned about it, but I need to read more of it and work on my process since most of cobs were using cured bud and higher % of non-acidic cannabinoids as a starting material and I had mixed success. I want to do it properly this year with my autoflowers (Moroccan Beldia Kif, LSD, Top Gun, Valley of Pines CBDV) that will finish in August with the sun drying step at the beginning. I have been hesitant about making cob from the flower that finishes in November outdoors because of the mold risk and outdoor microbiome at that time - perhaps this is why hash is more favored as fermented preservation method in cold temperate climates since the higher resin concentration is a better microbial growth regulator?
I will definitely bookmark and follow that OG thread you linked, thank you! Looks like there’s already a cob thread here, so I will make a general cannabis fermentation thread.
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That sous-vweed approach is incredible. The potential to dial in a consistent cob or similarly fermented product and the potential to play around with the variables to see the possibilities is so cool. A portable terroir tool!
Just had the most random thought, but when my uncle mentioned the wacky weed he got to try he said the guy who had it, he had given some guy hitchhiking a ride and upon getting the dude to his destination he was emphatic that my uncle wait for him to run up and grab him something to say thanks for the lift. He brought out what he says was some weed wrapped in tinfoil and all it was was little black crumbled up bits. It was surely shaved or broken up pieces of a fermented cob.
I wonder what the approximate temperature a car gets here in the summer and how closely that temperature resembles fermentation environments across traditional cultivation regions in Africa. Sous Vide, cobbing, car weed. It’s all fermenting!
Holy shit. Ok, hear me out. Is that possibly why the best of the best long flowering tropical types really start to shine with these super controlled cures of up to and over one year? Could it be that some actually start to slowly ferment, and those are the ones that end up shining? Much love
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It would likely get hot enough in a closed car in the summer for the sweat stage of the ferment.
Controlled aging even without fermentation has been known to increase the potency of cannabis. I know someone who has been deliberately aging their cannabis in jars for years as an experiment. I have had not had much experience with aged bud but the one time I have tried it it felt distinct from a standard D9 heavy cannabis high, mellower and stronger while not having the sedation that comes from high CBN.
This article talks about how CBD can degrade/isomerize into more active compounds under certain conditions, similar processes are likely happening with these ferment / long cure / aging techniques to all of the other cannabinoids.
CBD hydroxyquinone photo-isomerises to a highly reactive intermediate
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33815-7
I will try to get that cannabis ferment thread created this afternoon so we can continue this conversation there.
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With some of my search terms I’m coming across recent research where labs are supposedly synthesizing cannabinoids with yeast fermentation. Could that be happening naturally on these fermented plants too?
It’s not my intention to be taking things off topic, though since these are aspects of traditional cultivation and curing of African cannabis I think it’s ok in here too? I apologize if my comments are taking things too off topic.
Much love
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