What Is Kief and What to Do with It?

What Is Kief and What to Do with It?

 

If you have some experience with marijuana, then you have likely heard of kief. However, this does not mean that you know what it is or how to use it. 

 

Definition of Kief 

 

Kief refers to the small sticky crystals that cover the cannabis flower. They may also be called pollen or dry sift. 

 

On a slightly more scientific level, kief is the resin glands on the cannabis that contains its cannabinoids and terpenes. There are cannabinoids in other parts of the plant, but the kief is where the largest concentration is found. 

 

The Purpose of Kief

 

Kief serves an important evolutionary function for cannabis, as do the closely related trichomes. Kief is actually part of the trichomes, which are the hairs on the plant. This makes kief the crystal part of the trichome. Trichomes are an evolutionary trait found on a wide range of plants. Some plants evolved these sticky features to trap prey, while others use them to deter herbivores from eating them. The latter of these functions is the case for marijuana. 

 

If a hungry herbivore decides to eat marijuana, they will first have to get through the sticky trichomes, including the kief. Not only is this sticky, but it would also lead to the intense psychoactive experience from the cannabinoids. That should distract the animal enough to protect the rest of the plant. 

 

Additionally, the trichomes and kief have a rich, distinct odor that attracts insects which pollinate, helping promote cannabis growth. The odor can also attract some predators that can keep herbivore populations from getting too extreme, helping to protect the plant. 

 

How to Harvest Kief from Cannabis

 

Before you can use kief, you need to get it off of the rest of the cannabis plant. Choosing to consume kief is popular because it gives you a high concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes without the charred material associated with consuming the rest of the plant. 

 

Small Quantities

 

Ideally, you should get an herb grinder that has three chambers to extract the kief. Use it to finely grind the cannabis. As you do so, the kief crystals will fall through the screen, collecting into the smaller compartment. You could achieve this with a two-chamber grinder, but you are likely to waste more of the kief. With a two-chamber grinder, some of the crystals will likely just stick onto the grinder’s interior. 

 

Larger Quantities

 

If you have a larger quantity of cannabis that you want to extra the kief from, just use silk screening materials. You can even make your own layered screens. With this method, you will ideally want to place three or four layers of screen with fine mesh over each other. This helps you get clean kief without plant matter despite the range in kief measurements of 75 to 125 microns. Ideally, choose screens with different sizes and stack them so the kief begins with the largest and works its way down. Try to choose mesh with an LPI (lines per inch) of between 80 and 270. 

 

Just Buy It

 

If you do not want to extract the kief yourself, you can also buy it from a store or dispensary. Look for kief that is lighter in color since this indicates it is purer. If there is still a lot of green, this indicates that more plant matter is present.

 

Crown a Bowl with Kief

 

One of the most popular ways to use kief is to “crown a bowl.” This simply involves sprinkling the kief onto a bowl of cannabis that you packed. This can dramatically increase the potency of your bowl. To get the most out of the kief, try cornering the hits, which means burning one quadrant of your bowl before moving onto another. 

 

Add Kief to a Joint

 

You can also add some kief to your freshly ground cannabis when you roll a joint. The kief will be sticky enough to attach themselves reasonably well to the ground leaves. The result is a joint with increased potency. 

 

You can take this a step further and create a “twaxed” joint. This involves dampening the exterior of the joint then rolling the top third of it in kief. 

 

Add Kief to Cannabutter

 

If you enjoy using and making cannabutter, then you may want to incorporate kief into it to enhance the potency. For the best results, ensure you intermix the kief and the flower. 

 

Turn Kief into Moonrocks

 

You can also use your kief to make moonrocks. This term refers to high-quality nugs that you cover in oil and then roll in kief. Many people think of them as a fast DIY concentrate and they result in a very high potency product. 

 

To make moonrocks yourself, just gently heat oil then use it to coat the buds. Sprinkle kief on the buds while they are still warm, or place the buds into a pile of kief using tongs. Wait for the nugs to harden up. To use them, break the moonrocks up by hand, then sprinkle them right into your bowl. Do not use a grinder with moonrocks since this does too good of a job of breaking them up. 

 

Turn Kief into Hash

 

One of the oldest types of refined cannabis is hash, which you can make using kief. Hash is essentially kief exposed to high pressure and heat to create a green ball that is nice and soft. When you apply the pressure and heat to the kief, it will rupture the resin glands, changing the texture. This rupturing leads to slightly different effects and a slightly different taste. Expect the hash to be darker, with it being even darker the greater when exposed to greater pressure. 

 

Turn Kief into Rosin

 

Another popular choice is to turn your kief into rosin. Rosin is typically made using cannabis flowers, but completing it with kief increases the potency and yields. You can make this with a high-pressure press. If you do not have one handy, you can actually make rosin with kief, a hair straightener, and a simple vice. 

 

Whether you choose to make your own kief or buy it at a dispensary, there are many ways to make use of this potent powerhouse.