Air exchange is something that has not been addressed @Magu
In reality its a Confined Space… no real O2 exchange at that level… parchment, Corn Husk tied into a Tight little dog turd… etc
I believe thats part of the process that helps extend the Life of the cannabis. ie: limited O2
Just thoughts Gang…
Ha ha ha 
. I understand what you are saying but wouldnt the traditional wrapings allow for ( some) air exchange ? Just asking because as I say I have no experience.
That my Friend is a great question.
& I do agree with you, Its a reality given the raw materials. But its on the level of the micron.
Buds will be full of it at that level
The advantage of banana leaves and parchment paper is the lack of moisture and sealing quality, while I suspect the bamboo may be somewhere in between. I have heard of people using corn husks catching mold, so it may be possible but IMO seems to be tricky to pull off.
I’m very reluctant/apprehensive about having the main Cobb straight in the plastic wrap bc of the recent revelations of PFAS and other toxicity derived from plastic. You can even get exposed from the receipts at the grocery store, it’s bad out there.
Old school Malawi tek recipe is buried under ground, no? So they have some sort of sealing quality beyond the wrapping material. Not to say you cannot ferment with open air as well. Very common in many tobacco curing techniques- likely much can be learned from those that have been doing so for hundreds of years!
When to start the process depends on the flower thickness/moisture levels. You want about 65% or more moisture for the process to really take off. Greater moisture, greater transformation but also harsher. Some people say you can dry it up to the jar cure point, when stems bend but don’t snap. IME with the wispy ones I like to get it going within 48-72 hours ish post chop
When I hear “fermentation”, I usually think of brewer’s yeast or Lactobacillus, which consume simple sugars. But there are other organisms that break down and consume pectin, proteins, complex carbohydrates, cellulose, lignin, etc. I’m not sure how much sugar is available in a fresh bud of cannabis, but I suspect not a whole lot. So I wonder if the fermentation that occurs in the cob mainly affects other compounds besides sugar.
Ten characters
Here is a similar tobacco fermentation process…
Somewhere between Cobs and Perique techniques we will find the way… {insert Mandalorian meme… 
}
Cheers
G
That is a very interesting article. I seem to remember from another thread ( maybe the congo trip with kidete) that someone cited an historical account of the Africans treading on their pot as part of the process. Also burying it would apply some pressure ( adjustable by how deep you buried it). Seems very comparable to the pressure fermentation of tobacco. The fact that this technique was learned from the Native Americans who have used it for thousands of years is very intriguing.
Edit- Someone did post about the Africans treading on their pot. It was @Sbeanonnamellow . Glad I didnt just imagine it like I sometimes do. 
Ever make "cobs’ using a vacuum sealer - if remember right there a lot about “cobs” at ICMA
curing by making cobs ?
I’m all for using the Parchment as a Barrier from the Plastics, no doubt about that need.
Open to alternates…
What does fermentation do? Complete the break down of olivetol? ( the ingredient in those sober up “too high” pills)?
We used to say the new fangled high thc weed antagonized itself (smoking yourself sober), maybe it’s high levels of olivetol.
Very interesting thread indeed.
The zamal I got here is supposed to be keep in banana leaves for a while, and I guess put underground from what I’ve heard. but I think the method varies on the location.
Some also let the plant dry on itself without cutting it, but I am not sure of the extent of this practice.
The taste, smell is greatly affected as I grew the same seeds myself without any type of cobing just normal jar drying the difference is huge.
Smell of traditional Malagasy zamal is very woody, forest, ground it’s pleasant and the effects are very energizing while giving a good hit first . I smoked it everyday for years, for the mornings it’s great.
i tried this , the malawi cob method ,
and i met tangwena , he came to my place a few years back ,
he chews his buds , and it works very well for him i noted ,
however i was a toker , and while i did get pretty high of the cobs ,
i didnt like the taste the corn husk added to the buds ,
so i did it without , and had much the same results still …
Hey @wallyduck . Great to hear from you man ! How have you been? I have a funny story about cobbing.
In the late 1980s we heard rumors that the Africans would bury their weed and it was somehow magically transformed into a wonderous trippy pot. As you know I live in a very isolated rural area of the U.S.A. So we didnt have a clue about the truth of the matter. Anyway, One of my brothers and I decided to try it and we buried some weed on our farm. Problem is that we were so drunk when we buried it that when we looked for it a few years later we couldnt find it. So somewhere on my farm is 3 freezer bags full of bud buried in the ground. 
I wasn’t gonna reply, but it’s seeds. I got a huge ass ziploc half fulla seed that i threw into the my celler after the fire department burned down a building i had and then buried the seeds with it. This was like 1978 or so. My boss brought over his backhoe and shoved it all in for me, house, seeds and all. Now there’s some kind of fertilizer factory they built on top of it. There’s probly a good 3 or 4 lbs of good ol’ mexican dirt weed seed.
Cobbs of various strains and degrees of moisture.
5th day of fermentation after 2 cycles of warming currently.
Which lines did you use for these experiments? What were the scents like going in? Curious how the ferment will change them
