What Is Kief? How To Collect & Use Your Cannabis Crystals

Those tiny crystals that sit on each bud might not always land in every joint, but if you collect enough of them, they can pack a punch in your next one. We’re talking about kief today, a highly potent part of the cannabis plant. As most people view trichomes to determine the potency of their cannabis, kief is the dried leftovers after grinding your weed. If you own a three or four-piece grinder, that bottom compartment underneath the screen is where all of the kief is collected. Usually, it’s a powdery texture.

Kief is an incredibly concentrated part of the cannabis plant that is versatile in its use. Some prefer using it in a bong, while others sprinkle it in joints and some cases, turn it into hash. Ultimately, smokers love using kief because it can be easily collected and used to boost potency. Still, it’s a cannabis byproduct that needs to be understood before you can use it to its fullest potential.

Creating Kief: Where Does It Come From?

It’s essential to understand the origins of kief and the cannabis plant. Before drying and curing the flower, the cannabis plant begins to mature as it grows. Each bud begins to develop resin glands formally known as trichomes. Although small, the trichomes are an imperative aspect of the cannabis flower with essential chemical properties. THC, CBD, terpenes, and every critical compound found for psychoactive or medicinal purposes are located in the trichome — the crystals found on your buds.

As the cannabis dries and exposure to oxygen occurs, the trichomes begin to dry. This process happens even further once the crystals separate from the plant itself. Then, the kief is formed. Kief, also known as crystals or pollen, comes out powder-like. It can vary in color, from gold or brownish to slightly off-white (if bought pure). You’ll find pure kief, which has been heavily refined, at dispensaries and retail shops. Still, your weed grinder is your best friend in collecting kief.

Collecting Kief

If you’ve looked at the bottom of a bag of weed, you’ll likely find an abundance of kief. It’s a natural occurrence that happens to cannabis once it’s been agitated or even touched. However, underneath the screen, the bottom chamber of a grinder is intended to collect your kief. An abundance of kief will gather at the bottom by grinding your weed. The screen also plays a significant role since it refines it further and helps separate it from the ground flower. It’ll take time to collect a substantial amount of kief, but patience can go a long way. Without a grinder, you’ll need a screen to adequately separate the kief from the flower. First, you’ll need a silkscreen, which some recommend being between the 75-125 microns range. Rubbing the flower on the silkscreen can separate the crystals and help produce kief, which you can use for several purposes.

Using Kief: What’s The Best Way To Use Crystals?

Kief’s versatility makes it a perfect product for your smoking routine. Since it’s highly potent, a little can go a long way. Here are a few ways to consume kief.

Joints & Blunts

If you’re smoking on a fatty to cap off your night, you can quickly boost the experience by adding some kief to your joint papers or blunt. Sprinkle and distribute it evenly with your weed, twist up, and light it. However, kief burns exceptionally quickly on its own. A pure kief joint will provide harsh hits and burn quickly without actually getting the effects of the THC. Roll it and mix it with your herbal blends before putting it on the paper. Otherwise, it’ll burn unevenly.

Bongs & Pipes

In some circles described as “crowning the bowl,” kief can smoke in a bong or a pipe. Sprinkle a bit of kief on the top of your bowl, and carefully burn the sides of the bowl for weed. This way, you’ll be able to preserve each hit and allow the bowl to last longer.

Can You Make Hash Out Of Kief?

It is incredibly possible to make kief from home, and it’s a relatively straightforward process. You can use household products to make hash out of kief. A mason jar, parchment paper, scissors, tape, hot water, and hash are needed. In short, the kief needs to form into a square on parchment paper that fits the shape exactly with no excess paper. Fill the mason jar with hot water, roll it on top for 10 minutes, put it in your freezer for an hour, and boom, you’ll have homemade hash.

How Else Can I Use Kief?

Kief can also help create moon rocks and press rosin. The former requires hash oil and flowers, which should let you know to use it with caution as it is incredibly potent. Dunk the nug in the oil and roll it in some kief for an otherworldly experience. Press rosin can also be made at home by squeezing kief or flower between two extremely hot plates, a hair straightener, or a rosen press to extract the oils. Kief can also be thrown into some cannabutter to boost its potency, though similar to flower, it needs to be decarbed beforehand.