If you use a multi-chamber grinder, you have probably noticed a powdery golden-green substance accumulating in the bottom chamber over time. That is kief, and it is one of the most potent and underappreciated parts of the cannabis plant. Here is a complete guide to what kief is, how to collect it, and the best ways to use it.
Quick Answer: What Is Kief?
Kief is the collection of trichomes that have been separated from cannabis flower. Trichomes are the tiny, crystal-like resin glands that cover cannabis buds and leaves and contain the majority of the plant’s cannabinoids and terpenes, including THC, CBD, and CBN. When trichomes are separated from the plant material through mechanical agitation, like grinding, the resulting powder is kief. It is significantly more potent than the flower it came from, typically testing at 40 to 60 percent THC compared to 15 to 30 percent in most flower.
How Kief Accumulates in a Grinder
A quality cannabis grinder has three or four chambers. The top two chambers grind the cannabis. A fine mesh screen separates the bottom collection chamber. As you grind cannabis, tiny trichomes fall through the screen and accumulate in the bottom chamber. Over time, depending on how much you grind and the quality of the cannabis, a meaningful amount of kief builds up.
A four-piece grinder with a kief catcher is essential for collecting kief passively. Two-piece grinders do not separate kief. The finer the mesh screen in the grinder, the smaller the particles that pass through and the higher the purity of the collected kief.
Higher-quality cannabis with more trichomes produces more kief. The temperature at which you grind also affects collection: slightly colder cannabis makes trichomes more brittle and likely to separate.
How Potent Is Kief?
Kief is significantly more potent than the flower it was ground from. While the average cannabis flower sold in legal dispensaries tests between 15 and 30 percent THC, kief typically tests between 40 and 60 percent THC. The exact potency depends on the quality of the starting material and the purity of the kief, meaning how much plant material made it through the screen along with the trichomes.
Purer kief that has passed through finer screens or been further refined will have higher potency. Kief that collected in a grinder used on a variety of strains reflects the average potency of all those strains.
How to Collect More Kief
The passive accumulation method through a kief-catching grinder is the most common approach. To maximize collection, store your grinder in the freezer for 30 minutes before grinding. The cold makes trichomes more brittle and more likely to fall through the screen. You can also place a clean coin in the main grinding chamber, which agitates the cannabis as you grind and dislodges more trichomes.
For larger-scale kief collection, a pollen box or kief box is designed specifically for this purpose. These are fine mesh containers in which you place cannabis flower and gently agitate it over the mesh, collecting the fallen trichomes below. Dry sifting, as this process is called, can produce larger quantities of kief from whole buds or trim.
What to Do With Kief
Crown a Bowl or Joint
The simplest and most common use of kief is to sprinkle a small amount on top of a packed bowl or along the inside of a joint. This is called crowning or twaxing and significantly increases the potency of your smoke. A little goes a long way given kief’s concentration. Start with a small pinch until you understand how much more potent the addition is.
Press It Into Hash
Kief can be pressed into hash using heat and pressure. The simplest method: wrap kief in parchment paper, fold it into a tight package, and press it with a hair straightener set to its lowest heat setting for a few seconds at a time. The heat and pressure causes the trichomes to fuse into a solid, compact hash. This hash is easier to handle and dose than loose kief and stores well.
More advanced hash-pressing tools are available for larger quantities, but the parchment-and-hair-straightener method works for personal quantities.
Make Cannabutter or Cannabis Oil
Kief can be used to make highly potent cannabutter or cannabis oil for edibles. Since kief is already concentrated, you need significantly less of it than flower to achieve the same potency in your infusion. Kief also skips the decarboxylation step for fine trichome powder to a significant degree, though a full decarboxylation pass still maximizes potency.
Decarboxylate kief by spreading it on parchment paper on a baking sheet and baking at 240 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes. The color will shift from golden to slightly darker as the THCA converts to THC.
Moon Rocks
Moon rocks are a novelty cannabis product made by coating a bud of cannabis in cannabis oil and then rolling it in kief. The result is an extremely potent product that looks like a celestial object and hits significantly harder than regular flower. Moon rocks can be purchased from some dispensaries or made at home. They should be smoked in a glass piece rather than rolled, as the oil makes them difficult to roll and prone to going out.
Sprinkle Into Tea or Coffee
A small amount of decarboxylated kief can be added to hot beverages for a discreet edible effect. The fat in milk or cream helps with absorption since THC is fat-soluble. Effects will be similar to other edibles: onset in 30 minutes to 2 hours and longer duration than smoking or vaping.
Storing Kief
Store kief in a small, airtight glass container in a cool, dark place. The same principles that apply to flower storage apply to kief. Kief loses potency more quickly than flower because the trichomes are separated from the plant material that provided some protection. Use it within a few months for best results. For longer storage, an airtight container in the freezer works well; kief handles cold storage better than flower.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is kief stronger than regular weed?
Significantly. Kief typically contains 40 to 60 percent THC compared to 15 to 30 percent in most flower. Use much less than you would flower to achieve a similar effect.
How do I get kief out of my grinder?
Use the small scraper tool that comes with most grinders. For kief that sticks to the screen, freeze the grinder for 30 minutes and then tap it firmly. The cold makes the kief less sticky.
Can you eat kief raw?
Raw kief contains THCA which is not psychoactive until heated. Eating raw kief will produce little to no effect. You need to decarboxylate it first by heating it to convert THCA to THC.
What is the difference between kief and hash?
Kief is loose collected trichomes. Hash is kief that has been pressed and heated into a compact form. Hash is easier to handle and portion but both are concentrated trichome products with similar potency.
Author: Ganjly Staff covers cannabis consumer education and practical guides.
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