Kief is the scientific name for these crystal-like formations that dot the bulbous tip of resin trichomes, giving cannabis its frosted appearance. The highest concentration of psychotropic phytocannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is found at the trichome’s tip.
Trichomes act as a protective barrier for the plant. A herbivore who has eaten any part of the plant coated with this sticky resin experiences an perplexing psychoactive effect that acts as a strong deterrent and protects the remainder of the plant from being consumed.
How to Extract Kief from the Cannabis Plant
The simplest method to extract the THC-rich kief from the rest of the plant is through a three-chamber herb grinder. If you use a two-chamber herb grinder, you run the danger of losing precious kief crystals as they fall off and stick to the inside of the grinder.
If you’re collecting a lot of kief, using basic screening solutions is a smart idea. To save money, many people create their own homemade sifters. Kief may be separated from the rest of the cannabis plant material by layering screens one on top of another.
Kief is a concentrated form of cannabis resin. Depending on the souche and how it has been extracted, it can have a wide variety of hues. It also ranges in size from 75 to 125 microns (one-millionth of a meter), so the amount of wires or lines per inch (LPI) on your sifter is critical for obtaining optimal results. A ruleofthumb guideline is that the larger the screen, the lower the LPI number. Opt for an 80 to 270 LPI mesh sifter if you want optimum results.
The color of the kief will reveal its grade if you don’t want to sift your kief. The purer the kief, the brighter it is. If the kief is greenish in hue, it means there is a lot of plant material in it, which makes it less pure. Kief that has an off-white tint will be considerably more pure and, by far, the superior choice than kief with a greenish tinge.
How to Consume Kief
After you’ve extracted all of the kief from your cannabis bud, it’s up to you what to do with it. There are a variety of options when determining which ingestion method is best: smoke it, add it into edibles and cannabis loaded meals, or produce moonrocks and hash. When it comes to how you’ll utilize this kief, the choices are almost endless. Continue reading below to discover more about each approach.
“Crowning Your Bowl”
Place your bowl in your pipe, chillum, bong, or other smoking device and prepare it as usual. Take a pinch of fresh kief and sprinkle it over the packed bowl. Mixing freshly ground cannabis with individually cut hits is an excellent way to boost the potency of each puff by mixing it with freshly ground cannabis.
Sprinkle it in a Joint or Roll a Twax Joint
Sprinkle a little kief on top for better results. The amount of kief you use will obviously influence its strength, so pick a quantity that you’re comfortable with. If it’s your first time using kief in a joint, start small and go easy.
More experienced cannabis users moisten the outside of the joint with their tongue or cannabis wax before adding kief to the top third. A “tweaxed” joint is one that has been kiefed.
If You Want to Cook With Kief
For the most part, Kief is converted to THC in foods when hot oil is used on a low-to-medium heat. This method works well for producing THC-rich sauces. Simply add the required amount of kief to a batch of your selected oil and stir slowly with a spoon as the oil heats up. After 20-40 minutes, add in your final sauce ingredients and continue cooking until the Kief has absorbed all of the heated oil. Pour over whatever meal you’re eating (this is ideal when making cannabis Kief pasta!).
Add Kief to your Cannabutter
Why not try increasing the strength of your cannabutter by including some kief? Whether you decarboxylate your cannabis in an oven or a crockpot, be sure to add your kief to the mix for optimal results.
Coffee and Tea From Kief:
THC-potent cannabis kief, when dissolved in water, makes a simple tea or coffee. Making beverages with THC-potent kief, such as marijuana brews and hashish teas, is straightforward and only takes a little additional work. There are several advantages to preparing drinks, including the strong morning or afternoon buzz of THC-potent kief, which have medicinal and recreational value.
Add a touch of this pollen to your coffee and mix well with a teaspoon or stirrer if you want something extra in your morning cup o’ Joe. Yes, it’s that easy because the heat from your coffee activates the components of kief that give you high, allowing you to reap the benefits quickly without putting out much work. A pinch is enough for a single cup of coffee or one cappuccino/latte.
Kief, which is also known as hashish, may be used to create tea as well. Although brewing tea with kief isn’t difficult, it is quite simple. Simply add a pinch of kief to a sifter or disposable tea bag if you’re steeping a loose-leaf tea in one. A single pinch suffices for a 6-8 fluid ounce cup of tea; however, if you intend on making an entire pot, use more (about 1 tsp.)
The quickest and most basic technique is to simply drop the pinch right into your already steeped tea cup and mix thoroughly. In the same way that coffee activates components (THC, etc.) within Kief, hot water from the tea activates them.
Make Moonrocks from Kief
When you know what a Moon Rock is made of, it’s simple to comprehend. A moonrock is a high-quality/top shelf nugget of herb that has been coated with a layer of powdery Kief and oil like an ice cream popsicle dipped in chocolate and covered with your choice of topping.
The aim of using this do-it-yourself approach is to create a very powerful, highly therapeutic bud that may be broken up with your hands and smoked in a bowl. Instead of breaking your moonrock down too finely, use a grinder since this will also breakdown it excessively and the results will be useless.
The best part about Moonrocks is that you may do it from the comfort of your own home, and they’re referred to as a “fast DIY concentrate.” Follow these easy steps to make what the 420 community refers to as “a fast DIY concentrate”:
- Choose the best bud from your batch of marijuana.
- In a small pan, heat some oil of your choosing (adding Cannabis Oil or CannaButter for an extra strong layer of ganja, but sunflower, coconut, or canola oil will also work).
- It’s critical to soak your nugget in a bowl of hot oil for at least five minutes. Allow it to fully absorb the sticky substance until it’s completely coated with this gooey stuff by dipping it into the hot oil.
- When the oil is still hot, sprinkle Kief over your bud and watch how it clings to the nug. You may use pollen as a powdery bath for your greasy buds by rolling them in a thin layer of Kief dust if you have lots of pollen on hand. Allow the covering to cool and solidify before removing it.
- Before lighting up, break apart the moonstone with your fingertips and place it in your preferred cup.
You may get the most out of your tasty, fresh herb if you follow these five simple steps.
How to Store Kief
Pollen has been shown to last up to three years in good condition if stored correctly. It’s suggested that pollen be kept in an airtight glass container, however there are a lot of conflicting opinions on the matter. According to surveys, the majority of people think pollen should be kept in an airtight glass jar. These containers may be found in a variety of sizes and shapes, but most importantly, find one that works for you. Consider these two questions: How much Kief do you intend to store? For how long?
Place the jar in a large pan, halfway with water, and boil for around 20 minutes on high heat. Fill the container to the top with clean filtered water before sealing it. Once you’ve finished filling it, scrape any extra powder off of the container’s walls using a tiny metal, wooden, or plastic knife.If there appears to be a lot of kief on the walls, place your glass storage jar in the freezer for a few hours. You’ll be able to scrape off any trapped kief from the jar’s walls with this technique, allowing you to scoop out any of the powder you thought was going to go wasted using your tiny spatula.
Make Hash from Your Kief
In layman’s terms, hash is produced when kief is baked and squeezed. As a result of heat and pressure, the resin glands in the plant open up. This change has an impact on not just the chemical composition of kief, but also its appearance and flavor. Hash has a more earthy flavor than kief.
Press Rosin with Your Kief
Rosin is quickly becoming more popular among cannabis users. Rosin offers all of the advantages and none of the hazards of ingesting a cannabis concentrate containing a residual amount of a hazardous solvent.
You may make a considerably more powerful and efficient concentrate by pressing kief rather than using the leaves of a cannabis plant. Rosin is produced using professional equipment, but you can create your own at home with easy household methods. To discover how to produce rosin at home, go to the following link (after you’ve finished reading this article, of course):
Which Strains are good choices for extracting Kief?
White Widow Strain
This is a powerful strain, as the name implies. This plant’s high concentration of milky-white trichomes suggests its potency. A cross between a Brazilian sativa landrace and a South Indian indica, this mix creates an intense smoke. The White Widow strain has substantial THC levels (20-25%), making it ideal for kief consumers.
Hash Plant Strain
The Hash Plant strain is a mix of the Northern Lights and Afghani strains. The Hash Plant has a frosted appearance similar to that of the White Widow variety.
Chemdog Strain
Chemdog is a strong and pungent kind that is highly regarded in the cannabis community for a number of reasons. It has generated some legendary strains including Sour Diesel and OG Kush, and it has firmly secured its position in marijuana history. Chemdog’s THC percentage ranges from 15 to 20 percent.
Final Thoughts About Kief
As you can see from reading this essay, kief from your cannabis plant may be readily removed and utilized in a variety of applications. I hope that this essay has answered any questions you may have regarding kief and given you some new ideas for how to utilize it in the future.