Cobbing adventues

[Hombre del Monte]

38 minutes ago, highgrower said:

Yay new genes in the grow room.  Unfortunately no Golden Tiger so kindly RGSC swapped a 3 fem order for a 10 pack of reg Zacateca instead - @panik thanks very much and for the great customer service after me being a tool.

 

Give me about 6 months and hopeful I'll be flying high as @Hombre del Monte after a munch.

 

You've got some stonking Genes in there mate! The Panama and the SMH are both something special. 

[inceywinceyspider]

I am so excited about this now thank you both @Hombre del Monte and @highgrower

 

Here's my puck after 48hrs 50c

It smells delightful sweet fruity and remarkably like a beer wort. The surface was dry to the touch when I got it out so after smelling it for a couple of hours I vacuumed it back up and put it in a lightproof bag in the veg zone 25.5 to 27.5c.

 

I made a couple more.

This is the 4 day dried

It made a nice puck and then compressed well in the vacuum sealer, the stone is to ward off cat hairs.

 

This is the fresh cut 30g cut last night.

It was a bugger to get it together and compressed so I squished it a lot in the vaccum stage, if I try this fresh again I'll use something to  wrap it in, a handkerchief maybe.

 

They're both in 40c water now 4.5hrs in and the 24hr one has moisture forming, the first puck didn't produce any sweat.

I was going to just leave them to sweat for 48hrs but I think I'll check the wet one in the morning.

 

[Hombre del Monte]

The wet one really won't need to sweat for long. Once moisture forms you know that the ferment is going well. I'd be tempted to take it out, let it dry to the touch (probably take longer than you think) and then seal it back up and stick away somewhere warm for a week or even two before rechecking. Wet cobs will be "done" sooner than the drier ones. you will notice also the change in colour as the ferment progresses. 

 

The stone is to ward off cat hairs? is this some strange magic? We have 5 cats and the temperatures have recently shot up to +35c; they're moulting like fuck.

[SkyRider]

Those pictures are making me jealous..
I know I said I would start the adventures tonight, but sadly I have company coming around and want to give it my full attention, so I'll start it tomorrow morning during work

 

I did manage to get sorted what I'm calling my "Hombre Cob Crusher" today. 32mm pipe, cut to about 6 inches and capped off. Looking at pictures, that seems to be about the normal size..Guess time will tell
Very excited to get started now.

[highgrower]

@inceywinceyspider - That puck looks great.

 

[Colakush]

17 minutes ago, Hombre del Monte said:

The stone is to ward off cat hairs? is this some strange magic? 

 I was wondering about that too!@inceywinceyspider can you please explain ?

[SkyRider]

I'm guessing here... but incey was using a water bath to keep them at temp during the sweat, so I guess the stone is to weight them down

[Hombre del Monte]

21 minutes ago, SkyRider said:

 

 

I did manage to get sorted what I'm calling my "Hombre Cob Crusher"

I'm honoured! 

[Hombre del Monte]

Just now, SkyRider said:

I'm guessing here... but incey was using a water bath to keep them at temp during the sweat, so I guess the stone is to weight them down

I'm still thinking it's some kind of magic. 

[inceywinceyspider]

@SkyRider is right it's to keep them weighted down in the water.

 

@Hombre del Monte I took your advice and took out the wet one.

I put it back in the bag and vacuumed it to squish it some more, a load of water came out and now it's a more cohesive lump, like wet kitchen roll squeezed out. I've put it in the cabinet to dry.

[Hombre del Monte]

That looks really wet. Let it dry really well before resealing it up to cure.

 

Shame about the stone; I really wanted it to be a magical way of collecting cat hairs.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Hombre del Monte
sp

[inceywinceyspider]

This morning the #1 puck smells a bit pongy through the plastic, I'm confident that its working in the veg area.

 

I've taken the #2 one out of the bath, there was no moisture as such, it feels clammy at most, I've put it to dry for a bit now, it smells more of the ferment than the #1 hints of a rotting pile of lawn mowings.

[Hombre del Monte]

From what you describe and from the pictures, the ferment has started. It is important to let the cobs really dry well before they are resealed for the longer fermentation. If they are too moist going into the second stage then you'll loose the terpy smells. You will notice that the wetter the cobs are going into the sweat, the darker they become. As soon as you notice a change in colour, you can take them out of the sweat and dry them. Once dry to the touch (this may take a day or more; some people like to force dry them), reseal them under vacuum and put them somewhere warm (ideally 30+) for a week before taking them out to smell them. If when they come out after the week you like the smell (you'll know it's right because you'll want to keep sniffing it!), dry them really well and put them away for a longer cure at room temp. If however the "smell" isn't there yet, let them surface dry and the revac and back at 30+c for another week. repeat until you get the smell.

With the drier cobs you don't need to open them after 1 week as they won't yet be done. (Although it is perhaps good practice to check them weekly until one has a little more experience.) The wetter cobs ferment and cure much quicker but will produce very dark cobs with a deeper fruit smell; they will be very spacey.

 

If you decide to force dry your cobs between stages only use enough heat as to not make them smell. 

[Hombre del Monte]

I forgot to mention. If you use really wet starting material, when you open the bag after the initial sweat you'll find that the smell can be quite unpleasant, even smelling of ammonia at times; Don't worry, just let it dry real good and then re vac, keep warm and check again in another week. Eventually the unpleasant smell will disappear and be replaced by a deep fruity sweet hashy smell. 

Edited May 23, 2022 by Hombre del Monte

[Shumroom]

@Hombre del Monte What's actually going on? 

 

Chemically? 

 

I see the use of the word 'ferment'. 

 

Is it actually fermenting or is that just the term being used to simplify the explanation of the process? 

 

I'm eager to understand

 

Atb 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2022 by Shumroom
Eta @