When you’re choosing your bud at the dispensary, have you ever noticed pricey prerolls or nugs coated in a brown powder-like substance? The higher price tag is because these coated delights are extra potent thanks to a final dusting of kief. Kief is simple to collect (you probably already have a lot at the bottom of your grinder) and can be used in a variety of ways.
What is kief?
Often referred to as kief, keef, cannabis crystals, dust, pollen or dry sift, among other nicknames, this brownish “dust” is actually a collection of potent trichomes. If you’ve ever seen a fresh cannabis flower that looks like it’s dusted in sugar, you already have experience with trichomes. These are the resin glands that are naturally produced by the cannabis plant that gives off the iconic aroma that attracts pollinating insects and a bitter taste that keeps herbivores at bay. Many plants create trichomes for evolutionary reasons, however those from cannabis plants also carry a concentration of terpenes, flavonoids, essential oils, and hundreds of cannabinoids including THC and CBD. Kief is simply the word for a collection of these sticky trichomes.
Does kief get you higher than bud?
Sought after cannabinoids like THC and CBD are found throughout the cannabis plant, however it’s the kief that’s the most potent. Dry herb from a high THC strain will have around 20 to 25% THC. Kief often tests at around 50% THC with some strains having up to an 80% THC level. If you want an extra strong product the next time you’re at a marijuana dispensary, pick something that is coated with kief.
How to collect kief
Some cannabis strains produce more kief than others. If you really want to experiment using kief, try a kief heavy strain like White Widow or Chemdog. There are two main collection methods that pot smokers use at home and both are very simple. The most common is simply using a three or four-piece grinder that has a built-in kief screen. You can use these types of herb grinders for everyday use as well.
- Grinder method - If you’re planning on always collecting kief, it’s best to invest in a high quality metal herb grinder. Choose an herb grinder that has a kief screen and a scraper for added convenience. The 4-part Black Out Grinder is our top pick. With these types of herb grinders, the kief will not stick to the inside of the grinder and be wasted, but will fall through the screen to be collected in the bottom chamber. Simply use the herb grinder like normal and the kief will collect on its own. This method is best for small quantities and occasional usage since it will take some time to collect a decent amount of kief.
- Sifting method - For larger quantities, it’s best to use the dry sifting method. Most stoners create their own homemade screen out of silk screening materials or kief screen. Kief is around 75 to 125 microns in size, which requires a mesh that is 80 to 270 lines per inch (LPI). The larger the number, the smaller/finer the mesh will be. It’s best to use at least three layers of mesh or kief screen in order from largest on top to smallest on the bottom so that all plant matter besides kief is removed.
How to use kief
Now that you know the secret to collecting kief instead of letting it go to waste, it’s time to use it! Just like other cannabis products, there are quite a few ways to use kief. These are just a few suggestions, but you can get as creative as you want with your potent stash.
- “Crown a bowl” by sprinkling a bit of kief on a packed bowl of dry herb to give it an extra punch.
- Put a little of it in a joint to dramatically increase the strength of the flower.
- Roll a twaxed joint by making a normal joint and licking the outside before rolling it in the kief. Be sure to only coat the top half of the joint so you don’t waste any product.
- Make an extra-potent weed edible. When cooking up a batch of homemade cannabutter or cannaoil, simply sprinkle in some kief to the mix for an extra kick.
- Heat it into rosin. Rosin is the easiest cannabis concentrate to make at home and will be extra potent if you start with kief instead of the usual flower. Make rosin using just your hair straightener.
- Turn it into moonrocks! This powerful creation is made by dipping a nug in a THC concentrate like hash oil and dusted with kief. Be warned, this will be unlike any nug you’ve ever smoked before and your first time will be remembered forever.
- Make hash by adding heat and pressure until it forms a dough-like consistency.
Now that you know how to use kief, are you in need of some new smoking accessories? Look no further than our online smoke shop where you’ll find water bongs, smoking pipes, herb grinders, rolling trays, vaporizers, dab rigs, rolling paper, blunt wraps, ashtrays, and more!
