Cannabis 101: What is Kief?

If you’ve been consuming cannabis for a while, you’ve probably heard of kief. But what exactly is it? And should you give it a try?

Kief is a form of cannabis concentrate. In fact, it’s one of the most ancient forms of concentrate, because it’s easy to produce. There are stories of kief in many ancient cultures, including in China and Morocco.

If you’re looking to try concentrates, kief is a great place to start—once you know the basics.

What is Kief?

Kief is the name for the resin glands on cannabis plants that contain the good stuff: cannabinoids and terpenes. These resin glands form tiny crystals on the trichomes (tiny hairs) that cover the leaves of a cannabis plant.

Because kief contains high quantities of cannabinoids and terpenes, it’s really a simple form of concentrate. It can contain up to 75% THC—pretty potent by any standards.

Consumers love kief because it gives a powerful high and can be used to enhance your favorite flower. It can also be consumed on its own by turning kief into hash or rosin for a more intense experience.

The best kief is as pure as possible. It contains little to no plant matter. The lighter the color the better; if your kief looks green, chances are it contains quite a bit of ground bud.

How to Collect Kief at Home

Unlike other concentrates, kief is simple to collect at home. All cannabis flower contains trichomes, and there are several ways you can separate the potent kief from the bud.

Collect Kief With a Grinder

The easiest way to collect kief is to get hold of a three-chamber grinder. Break up nugs of your chosen strain and grind like usual. With a three-chamber grinder, the kief will collect in a separate compartment.

Because grains of kief are tiny, they will fall through the screen on the grinder, while ground plant materials won’t. You won’t collect large quantities of kief from each nug, and it won’t be as pure as if you buy kief from a dispensary.

But the benefit of grinding kief is that it’s free! After a while, you’ll collect enough to use to enhance your high however you choose.

Collect Kief By Screening

To collect high-quality kief, some consumers choose to use silk screens to filter the kief from plant matter. These screens have very fine gaps that allow only the crystal kief to fall through.

You can use just one screen or layer several screens with increasingly smaller gaps to improve the quality of your kief. Place the finely ground bud on the screen, and then sift it through using a credit card to help. Collect the kief in a container underneath your screens.

3 Ways to Use Kief

Now that you’ve got your kief, what can you do with it? There are so many ways to consume kief, and these are some of the most common:

1. Add Kief to Your Bowl

The easiest way to use kief is to simply sprinkle some crystals over your bowl of weed. Pack your bowl as usual, and then take a few crystals and place them on top.

Remember that you’ll get a much stronger high than usual, so take it easy on the first few puffs.

1. Moonrocks

Moonrocks are a true premium cannabis product. They consist of nugs of high-quality cannabis coated in kief. They’re made by coating buds with oil and then dipping them in kief.

As you’d expect, moonrocks are hard-hitting and truly memorable. We love Dose’s Chunky Monkey and Koffee Breath moonrocks for an intense, unforgettable high.

1. Homemade Hash

Hash is one of the oldest ways of using kief. All it takes is heat and pressure to transform the fine, sand-colored kief into a dense, dark block of hash. You can buy home hash presses if you want to try this for yourself.

Most people enjoy hash by smoking it in a pipe or bong. It’s also possible to consume hash using a dab rig, if that’s your thing.

Best Strains for Kief For Sale at Oklahoma Cannabis Dispensaries

The best cannabis strains for collecting kief are those with the best cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Unsurprisingly, lots of all-time favorites provide great kief.

Harmony Farms Jesus OG Kush

Jesus OG Kush is a much-loved potent hybrid. Its hashy, lemony flavors lends itself well to making kief. And the high THC content will find you energized and uplifted.

Phat Panda Bong Buddies OG Chem

One of our favorite strains is OG Chem. This is a much-loved hybrid that was bred from OG Kush and Chemdawg. It has hints of diesel in its smoke, and a buzzy, stimulating high.

Saints Forbidden Fruit

As the name suggests, Forbidden Fruit is an exceptionally juicy strain. Its trichomes produce large amounts of resin. Expect bursts of cherry and tropical flavours, and densely packed buds.

Spice Up Your High with Kief

If you’re looking to take the next step in your cannabis journey, kief is a great place to start. Simple and cheap to get hold of, it offers endless ways to enhance your high and dip a toe in the world of cannabis concentrates.