A Complete Guide to Kief

If you have ever worked with cannabis plants, you have probably seen the thick layer of trichomes and crystals covering the plant’s body. It is known that these trichomes make fine dust that, when collected in enough quantities, can be turned into a potent “powder.” 

Cannabis kief comes in various names, such as crystals of cannabis, dust, frost, and chief. It is often called the “original” cannabis concentrate. One of its many appealing qualities is that you do not have to dab to use it. If this is your first time hearing about kief, this guide is for you.

What Is Kief?

Trichomes are glands that make the cannabis plant’s surface sticky. THC, CBD, terpenes, and many other chemicals are found in these glands. Many different kinds have made external trichomes of plants for many reasons, some of which are to keep herbivores away or to attract pollinators.

When the trichomes on the plant are left to dry out and fall off, they become kief. The colour of kief, which can be yellow to brown, is usually much darker than that of trichomes. Most of the time, grinders collect kief to roll cigarettes or pack bowls. Most grinders have a separate chamber at the bottom of the device called a “kief catcher.”

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What Does Kief Do?

Trichomes, which is where kief is made, give off a strong smell, which is another thing that can help bring pollinators to cannabis plants. But since the cannabinoids in the trichomes and kief are psychoactive, they throw off the animals’ sense of direction so much they no longer want to eat the plant.

But when people ask, “what does kief do?” it is often asked by people who are using marijuana for various purposes. Most of the time, kief is a good option for users who want to get the most out of the psychoactive effects of the cannabis plant.

Kief can be sprinkled on bowls or added to joints to make them more potent. The plant can also be pressed to make hash. Whether you are buying kief from a dispensary or a store, it is important to remember that purer and well-cleaned kief will look whiter. Kief that is still black or green probably has some plant matter left in it.

How Strong Is Kief?

Inhaling kief has a much stronger effect than smoking regular cannabis flowers. Kief can have as much as 70% THC, depending on how pure it is. Most regular cannabis flowers only have between 12% and 25% THC. This means that a smaller amount of kief can give you a much stronger high than a cannabis flower.

Kief is often made from a wide range of cannabis strains. Thus, it has a unique mix of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, which adds to its potency. A lot of experienced smokers say that it has a strong, almost drug-like effect on them, so it is best to consume kief before bed.

Advantages of Using Kief

Compared to methods of producing hash oil, like using butane, propane, or ethanol, making kief is easier since it does not require much equipment and poses no safety risks. The use of kief is thought to be one of the most natural ways to concentrate cannabis and stands as an option for customers who don’t like the idea of using chemical solvents.

Kief is almost impossible to mess up, which means you will always get a safer product, stronger and purer than marijuana in its natural state. You can also use low heat for pressing kief and turning it into shatter.

How to Collect Kief

If you want to get the most out of kief and use it to its fullest potential, you will need a kief catcher. You can also get kief by rubbing dried cannabis leaves and stems against a silk screen. This is the ideal way to collect large quantities of kief that can be kept for a considerable amount of time and used for various purposes.

It takes time to collect kief, and it takes weeks or months. It would be best if you tried to get the most out of it and not use it all up too quickly.

Using kief catcher

You have to use a grinder with a kief catcher to get kief crystals. These grinders have an extra chamber underneath them that is covered by a mesh net. After some time, the kief collector will be full of cannabis crystals that you can use however you want. To get the kief, you must unscrew the kief catcher and scoop it out.

Using mesh screens

You can also get kief by rubbing cannabis plant material against a mesh screen. This is a great way to get a lot of kief off the plant. Here, the cannabis flowers are put on top of a mesh screen, which is then covered and shaken around. This makes the trichomes fall through the silkscreens. Smaller holes tend to catch the most potent trichomes and less cannabis plant material.

These screens have many different sizes, but the best range is between 75 and 125 microns. To get the best results, extractors clean the product by putting the kief through many different-sized screens and stacking them from largest to smallest.

Dry ice

Here, you will put cannabis buds or trimmings in a clean bucket and then put “bubble bags” on top of the bucket. Bubble bags are durable mesh screens that were made so that trichomes can be extracted with dry ice.

Then, the mixture of ice and cannabis is quickly shaken over a plate or a piece of parchment paper, where the trichomes will fall through. Most people start with a micron size of 160 and then repeat the process with a 220-micron bubble bag. This helps them get kief that is purer and more potent.

Solvent extraction

Here, the trichomes are separated from the plant matter using butane, propane, or carbon dioxide. The final product is highly refined, thick, and sticky cannabis concentrates that are called “cannabis oil,” “canna wax,” or “canna honey” by some people. The cannabis extracts can harden when it cools down, resulting in a “shatter.”

Solvent extraction of cannabis can also make “cannabis crumble,” which is a dry, powdery substance that looks like kief. On the other hand, the texture is a little bit different. It is still waxy, but it has more of a golden colour that is typical of hash. Solvent extraction can make products that are much purer than solvent-free extraction, but making these products at home is neither quick nor safe.

How to Use Kief Properly

Kief can be used in various ways. Here are some ideas on how to use kief properly and add potency to your cannabis experience:

Sprinkle onto a bowl of marijuana

The most popular method of using kief is by sprinkling it on your marijuana bowl. This is also called “crowning a bowl,” which makes any bowl more potent. An excellent way to get the most out of a bowl with kief on top is to burn only a small part instead of the whole bowl to give you more hits.

Roll a joint with kief in it

If you are rolling a joint, blunt, or spliff, you can add a big pinch of kief to the mix. You can also lick the outside and roll the top third of the joint in kief. Adding kief to your smokable flower, whether you are using a bowl, bong, or joint, is the easiest way to consume kief.

To start the process of adding kief to your bowl or bong, fill the bowl about a quarter with flowers. After you put in the amount of kief you want, cover it with the flower. Ideally, it would be best to use a dab tool since it makes it easier to scoop and spread the kief. Adding the kief in stages keeps the concentrate from breaking down too quickly and wasting its benefits.

Make hash out of kief

To make hash, you must first collect kief and then tightly pack it into bricks. When you press kief, its colour often gets darker. The more pressure you use, the darker the hash will get. You can also roll kief into balls, which are called charas, and smoke them.

Create moon rocks

Moon rocks are nuggets that have been covered with hash oil and rolled in kief. They have quite a potent high, and it is not that hard to make them at home. Check out this Blitz Moon Rocket Premium Kief Pre Roll, which are joints coated in cannabis oil and rolled in kief.

Product rosin

To make rosin, you have to press a flower or kief between two hot plates and collect the hot oil that comes out. You can do it yourself at home with a hair straightener, or you can go out and buy a rosin press.

Add kief to edibles

Kief can be used to make edible cannabis products at home. Unlike flowers, it does not need to be strained since it already has a fine consistency. To start, your kief needs to go through the decarboxylation process, which activates the THCA to make a more potent THC. To decarb your kief, spread a thin layer of kief on a baking sheet and put it in the oven that is preheated to 300°F for about 15 minutes.

• Cannabutter

After you have decarboxylated your kief, you can make cannabutter by melting butter on the stove and mixing it well with your kief. You could also mix your kief well with your favourite cooking oil, or you could even mix it with peanut butter. If you cook with it, make sure the temperature inside stays below 300°F to keep the cannabinoids you want from breaking down.

Vape kief

It is not a great idea to put kief in a dry herb vaporizer by itself since the precious crystals tend to get stuck in the mesh screens of the device. Instead, it is best to mix it with dry herbs. Mixing flower and kief can improve your vape’s taste and potency, especially if you use the same strain for both products. Looking for a kief to use for your dry herb vaporizer? Check out Lemon Sour Diesel Kief.

Make a cannabis snow cone

To put it more simply, snow cones are joints that have been rolled in kief and then covered in a distillate. They are a solid alternative to the usual way of getting high from cannabis, which is by smoking. To make this incredible joint, you will need the following things:

• A joint or a pre-rolled joint
• Keif
• A dabbing tool

Start by putting your favourite cannabis strain into the joint you are rolling. Either roll the distillate between your hands to warm it up a little or hold it in the bend of your elbow. Use the dab tool to spread distillate all over the joint.

Pour some kief onto your rolling tray, and then roll the joint that is covered in distillate in it. Make sure the kief has completely covered the distillate with your dab tool, and you are ready to dose. As the joint burns, the distillate will drip out of it, so keep a close eye on it.

Conclusion

Kief is a product that can be used to make various cannabis extracts. The substance may be too strong for some people, but it may give others the relief they need, especially if they have chronic pain and want to avoid taking opioids.

Since kief is so strong, it is best to use it only if you are an experienced cannabis user. It definitely has strong effects, but it can also be a very effective way to feel better. When trying kief for the first time, start with a small amount added to your regular dose of flower to see how it affects you. You can then adjust your dose as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does kief get you higher?

Yes. Since it is made of the trichomes of the cannabis plant, kief is usually more potent than a flower. But the amount of plant matter in the kief is a vital thing to think about. Kief usually has between 50 and 70% THC in it, but it can have as much as 80% or as little as 30%.

What is kief made of?

When you look at the frosty surface of a bud, you see trichomes. Cannabis kief is made up of the plant’s tiny hairs called trichomes, which look like tiny mushrooms and are almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

Cannabinoids like THCA, which turns into THC when heated, and terpenes, which give different types of marijuana their smell and effects, are made in the plant’s trichomes. 

How much kief should I use?

You can put kief in your favourite cup of hot tea the same way you put sugar in your morning cup of coffee. You only need a pinch of kief to make a strong cannabis drink. Usually, half a gram to one gram will be sufficient for four drinks of six ounces each. After 15 to 30 minutes, you will feel kief’s full-bodied, long-lasting effects, much like eating infused edibles.

How do I decarb kief?

Here are the key steps on how to decarb kief:

1. Get the amount of kief you need for the recipe you are currently using.
2. Spread the kief out in a baking dish or parchment paper.
3. Set the temperature of the oven to 300¯F.
4. To get the texture you want, put the baking dish or parchment paper in the oven and bake it for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Be aware that the temperature inside the oven can change by 10 degrees in any direction, especially in older ovens. Feel free to try different temperatures until you find the best one that works for you. After you have done the steps above, your kief is now ready to be used. By decarbing your kief, you can make your edibles stronger.

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Whether you are planning to make hashish or want to add some extra kick to your joint, the list of kief products from BudLyft will surely satisfy your cannabis needs. Place your order today to become eligible for our free same-day weed delivery Vancouver and the lower mainland. Not looking to buy? Become a BudLyft affiliate instead! Register here for 10% base commissions plus bonuses for every product purchased via your link.