What is Kief?

Cannabis comes in many different forms, the most popular of which is flower. There's nothing better than getting your hands on a nug that's large, fragrant, and shining. This shining, frosty appearance comes from a powdery substance called kief, and boy does it pack a punch.

Kief is an ultra-concentrated form of cannabis created by removing the resin glands, or trichomes, from the cannabis bud. This dust-like substance is seen on potent and fresh weed, giving it a frosty appearance. If you enjoy smoking, kief is something you need to know about.

This substance collects in the bottom part of a 3-chamber grinder. It can be used to make your blunts and joints stronger, to make edibles, or even to top off a bowl. Dispensaries also sell pre-rolled cones and pre-rolled blunts with kief inside.

To ensure you're getting the full use of your weed, the Sesh team has put together an all-in-one guide to help you better understand one of the most potent forms of cannabis.

Appearance

Kief can appear in a variety of different colors. These range from a light, nearly white color, to a golden green, or even brown. The color depends on the amount of plant matter that is left in the cannabis. Its shape and size mostly resemble grains of sand, which makes it easy to miss. Kief is what makes weed sticky to the touch and hosts a pungent weed scent.

If buying kief from a dispensary, it is important to know that lighter kief indicates higher quality. This is, again, due to how much plant matter is left in the kief. The more plant matter inside, the darker the color and the more saturated the THC levels of the substance will be.

Potency

Cannabis flower contains 12-25% THC on average, while kief contains up to 70% THC, depending on how pure the kief is. This is because the kief (resin glands) has the largest concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes compared to the rest of the plant.

How to Collect Kief

The best way to collect kief is to use a three-chamber grinder. The first chamber collects ground flower, and the screen in that chamber sifts the kief so that it collects at the very bottom. It is incredibly important to have a well-made and tight seal on your grinder, or you risk the nightmare of losing all of that precious kief.

Don't pack your grinder full to the brim with flower, as grinding too much at once can make any grinder incredibly sticky. This will potentially clog passageways, causing you to lose a considerable amount of kief build-up. You should use a clean toothbrush or paint brush to clean the first chamber of your grinder often to avoid this.

The amount of time it takes to collect kief depends on how often you use your grinder. Patience is key; close it and forget about it. It will take weeks, or sometimes months, to collect enough kief to be worth using.

Uses

Smoking Kief

Kief is great to use as a bowl-topper to give your bowl an extra boost, or to pack into a pre-rolled cone with some regular bud for a kief-infused joint. Make sure to pack your kief well and use a good filter tip to not lose any of the precious concentrate.

Many pre-roll companies will paint their pre-rolls with oil and then roll them in kief for a potent punch, like Firecrackers from Phat Panda in Washington State. If you have distillate, you can do this yourself at home.

Kief is one of the most popular ingredients for homemade hash as it is completely natural and does not require equipment like butane or propane. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try pressing it into your hash at home. Fold your kief inside parchment or wax paper, tape it shut, and apply light heat with a hair straightener to create your hash. Just use lots of caution and common sense!

Making Edibles with Kief

Kief is also great for making edibles! Activate the THC by decarbing your kief using your oven.

How to Decarb Kief

• Acquire a significant amount of kief and spread it on an oven-safe dish.
• Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on your kief! If you spread it too thin, it may require less baking time and will end up over-toasted if left in for the full 20 minutes.

Boom! Decarbing done.

After decarbing the kief you can infuse it into an oil of some sort—butter is the most popular. You can do this by melting butter on medium heat in a pan and slowly introducing your kief inside. Once well stirred, usually around 15 minutes, you can remove the pan from your stove. From there, you can strain out the little bits of kief, or leave them in for a more weedy taste. Just know that this method makes it hard to measure out how much THC you’re getting with each bite, so consume with caution and start small.

In Conclusion