Kief 101: An In-Depth Guide
Kief is the strongest part of marijuana, and if you want an intense high, you should make the most of it. When you buy marijuana, you might notice the sticky, crystal-like glands that grow all over the buds. These glands are rife with THC-packed resin, and after you’ve finished smoking the rest of the flower, collecting the kief and using it can result in an even more powerful high.
These resinous glands are known as Kief, although you might also hear them referred to as resin, dry sift or pollen. If you’ve ever noticed the marijuana dust that accumulates at the bottom of your grinder, this is kief. Many users collect kief and use it to sprinkle over joints, add some extra THC to their bowl or even create cannabis concentrates.
While weed itself usually contains anywhere from 13-25% THC, Kief is even more potent. Since Kief is packed with cannabinoids and terpenes, meaning that when you collect a batch of pure Kief, it’ll often contain up to 70% THC. Kief is often used to create powerful concentrates such as Hash, Shatter, and Rosin. It’s also considered a cannabis concentrate itself. So how do you get Kief, how do you use it, and what will it do for you? Here’s an in-depth guide to Kief.
Where Does Kief Come From?
Kief refers to the trichomes of marijuana- the resinous glands you’ll see all over your buds where THC and other cannabinoids accumulate. These trichomes are the most powerful part of your marijuana, as they contain the chemicals that get you high and give you medical relief. As such, collecting and using Kief is always a good idea.
As marijuana buds dry out, trichomes also begin to dry and break off of the plant. When you grind weed, you’ll notice small dust particles breaking away from the weed in your grinder. You’ll also notice sticky resin collecting on your hands if you roll marijuana between your fingers. These are trichomes, also known as Kief, and you can use this part of the plant in many ways.
Trichomes generally grow on plants to act as a deterrent to herbivores. However, when consumed by humans, they can provide all kinds of interesting effects. Not only do these parts of the plant contain cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, but they also contain a range of terpenes that contribute to the aroma and flavor of the plant. This is why marijuana trichomes or “Kief” is so important.
Since trichomes break away from the plant so easily, you’ll often find Kief in your grinder. Some grinders are even designed to sift the Kief away from the rest of your bud, making it easy to collect and use it. Since it contains so much THC, Kief can provide an intense high once you collect enough. You can also buy Kief online just as you would with other concentrates.
How Is Kief Different From Weed?
Kief is simply part of weed, so how does it differ from the dried herbs you usually smoke? Although each joint you smoke is packed with THC, Kief is the most powerful part of the plant and contains even more THC than weed by volume.
Most strains of weed range from around 13-25% THC, and even a little more in some cases. As such, you can smoke a high quantity of weed before it hits you hard. However, Kief is where most of the THC in your weed accumulates, along with other cannabinoids and terpenes. As such, pure Kief generally contains around 70% THC.
It’s also different in its texture. While weed refers to the dried herbs of marijuana, Kief collected in the bottom of your grinder simply looks like dust. You’ll also find some of the Kief attaching to your hands if you roll marijuana between your fingers, especially as the resin is sticky. When you smoke or vape kief, you can expect the high to be much more intense than what you’d expect from weed.
What Are The Effects Of Kief?
The effects you get from consuming Kief are pretty much the same as the effects of weed, only much stronger. Since it’s chock-full of THC, even a small amount of Kief can provide potent euphoric effects.
THC is known for delivering all kinds of interesting effects. It can swiftly boost your mood and put you in a positive and carefree state of mind. Meanwhile, it’ll also physically relax you, relieving tension all over your body. You’ll experience these kinds of effects in full force when you use Kief.
It also has various medical benefits. Kief can help relieve pain thanks to the analgesic properties of cannabinoids. It can also help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression as THC activates reward circuits in your brain and puts you in a positive mood. It can also help with other physical and mental issues, such as nausea, inflammation, muscle spasticity, and insomnia.
Depending on the kind of strain your Kief comes from, you may get slightly different effects. Indica strains are generally known for producing more of a body-focused high, helping with physical relaxation. Sativa strains are the more stimulating of the two and can often increase your energy and mental focus. Hybrid strains give you a mix of both indica and sativa properties.
How To Collect Kief
Now you know all about Kief and its effects, you might want to check it out for yourself. Fortunately, finding Kief is easy. If you’re a regular marijuana user, you probably already have a good amount of Kief accumulating in your grinder. There are also other ways to collect Kief.
Every time you grind marijuana buds, small particles of Kief break away from your weed. Over time, a good amount of Kief will collect in your grinder. It’s best to use a pollen scraper or collection tool to collect this Kief for storage or use.
Collecting Kief from regular 2-piece grinders can be slightly tricky. However, many weed grinders nowadays are designed to make it as easy as possible to collect your Kief. Grinders often contain extra chambers to separate Kief from the rest of your weed. As you grind, your Kief will be sifted into the bottom of your grinder into a separate collection chamber. All you have to do is open it and empty it once you have enough.
Large quantities of Kief can also be collected using silk screening materials. This involves layering fine mesh screens on top of one another and hand-grinding your buds until the kief filters through to the bottom. However, this can take some time, effort, and investment. If you want large amounts of high-quality Kief, it’s best to buy it in cannabis stores or online.
What’s The Best Way To Use Kief?
Once you have a good amount of Kief to use, you can utilize it in many ways. Kief is a versatile product that can be mixed with weed or used on its own for powerful effects. You can smoke it, vape it or even use it to create other kinds of marijuana products.
Smoking Kief is particularly easy. When you’re rolling a joint of weed, you might want to sprinkle some Kief on top for stronger effects. You can even coat the outside of your joint with Kief. This will simply make the effects of your joint stronger. You can also add Kief on top of your bowl of weed when smoking from a Pipe or Bong.
Vaping Kief is also an option. Like smoking, it’s best to mix Kief with a small amount of weed for vaping purposes. Use a dry herb vaporizer and adding Kief to the mix will result in a more intense high. Vaping is often used as an alternative to smoking weed for purer and stronger effects.
Alternatively, you can use Kief to create cannabis concentrates. When you press a small amount of Kief together, you’ll notice that it forms into a small ball of Hash. However, you can also use Kief to create stronger concentrates such as Rosin or Shatter. The more Kief you have, the better.
How To Smoke Kief In A Joint or Bowl
Smoking Kief in a joint is one of the most popular options for making use of it. It’s perfectly straightforward, although you’ll need to mix it with some regular ground weed. Adding Kief to your joint will enhance the effects and you may even want to mix one strain of weed with another strain of Kief for an interesting high.
Start rolling your joint as you usually would, spreading out your ground weed across your rolling paper. Now, sprinkle some of the Kief you’ve collected on top and finish rolling. Due to the high THC levels of Kief, you’ll be treated to powerful effects and probably won’t need to smoke too much for a satisfying high.
Alternatively, you may want to add some Kief outside of your joint. Simply lick the outside and dip it in Kief. You may even want to coat it in Hash Oil before dipping it in Kief- this is known as Twaxing a joint.
Smoking Kief in a Pipe or Bong is even easier. After you’ve filled your bowl with weed, simply sprinkle some Kief on top. Each hit will be packed with extra THC, meaning you’ll get much stronger hits than you usually would.
Making Hash With Kief
Hash is one of the most popular types of cannabis concentrates. It’s also made out of Kief. If you want a fun project, you can make Hash at home using the Kief you’ve collected. It’s quick, easy, and only requires some parchment paper, Kief, and a sealable glass jar.
Start by putting your pile of Kief in the middle of a piece of parchment paper. Fold the paper around the Kief tightly until you have a well-packaged rectangle. You might want to lick it or tape it shut to keep all the Kief securely inside.
Boil some water and use it to fill your glass jar. Seal your glass jar and roll it over your package of parchment paper. You might want to use gloves or a piece of cloth if the jar is too hot to handle. As heat and pressure are applied to your Kief, it’ll begin to change and form into Hash.
You’ll need to roll the jar over the paper repeatedly for around 8-10 minutes. After this time, open the package up and your Kief should have formed into a solid block of Hash. If you’re not satisfied with the results, continue applying heat and pressure until it’s ready. Once you have your block of Hash, put the parcel in the fridge for around 30-60 minutes until it’s soft enough to remove from the paper and use it.
Making Moon Rocks With Kief
Another great way to make the most of your Kief is by making Moon Rocks. Moon Rocks are a type of makeshift concentrate made by combining weed, oil, and kief, resulting in an extra powerful marijuana product.
Start by taking some dense nugs of weed and coating them with some cannabis concentrates. Hash Oil is most commonly used, but you can also use other sticky concentrates such as Wax, Rosin or even Distillates. You may need to heat your concentrates first to make them oily and sticky enough to coat your buds.
After coating your buds, roll them in a pile of Kief or sprinkle some Kief over the top. Continue to do this until your oil-coated buds are completely covered in Kief. You can now break down your Moon Rocks and smoke them in a Pipe or Bong for a sensational high.
Conclusion
Kief generally refers to the dusty trichome particles that collect at the bottom of your grinder. You can collect Kief and use it to sprinkle on your joints or bowls for an extra kick of THC. You can also use Kief to create Hash, Moon Rocks, and other potent cannabis concentrates.
If you want to collect Kief, it’s best to use a 3-piece or 4-piece grinder that separates your Kief from the rest of your weed. However, it can take a while to collect high quantities of Kief, so if you want a good amount, you may want to simply buy Kief online. You can also find weed, cannabis concentrates, and all kinds of other cannabis products at Leaf2Go.ca.