There’s a good chance you don’t know what kief is, but you’ve definitely seen it: it’s formed in the tips of the trichomes, those icy-looking crystals that coat the cannabis flower.
Cannabis enthusiasts and home growers most probably collect and store kief, but not everyone knows how to use it to level up their cannabis game.
So, what is the best way to use kief to enhance your cannabis experience? Let’s see below.
What exactly is kief?
Once a cannabis plant has reached its mature phase, trichomes (glands excreting sticky, thick resin) are formed on the leaves and buds. Those trichomes contain the highest concentrations of terpenes and cannabinoids in the whole plant. If you grind those trichomes into fine powder, you’ve basically got kief.
As far as traditional flower goes, kief is much more potent on its own; however, it’s true that its quality is dependent on the overall quality of the whole plant it derived from. It’s also worth mentioning that when you smoke kief alone, the effect will be much stronger than that of basic flower; its contained percentage of THC can reach up to 70%, depending on purity. Plus, take into account that store-bought kief often comes from a combination of different strains, and that results in a mix of flavonoids, terpenes and cannabinoids offering even greater potency.
You can collect kief from your flower by using a three-piece herb grinder: it can catch the ground herb in its middle chamber, allowing for the dust from the trichomes to fall through a screen and gather at the bottom. Afterwards, you can scrape with a kief scraper and get your kief!
Kief and cannabis
Basically, kief is cannabis. If you’re looking to level up your game and generally enhance the cannabis experience, the extra potency and flavor of kief may just be what you’re searching for.
Crown A Bowl
The most popular method of using kief to step up your cannabis game is by using it in a pipe, or bowl. It’s a process called “crowning a bowl”, which involves coating the sides of your bowl with kief, ultimately adding an extra punch to your bud.
Of course, you’ve always got to be careful with the amount of kief you’re using, regardless of the size of your bowl. And bear in mind that kief tends to burn very quickly in comparison to normal flower; so if you get distracted, your stash will keep burning until it’s all gone.
Roll a Joint
The most popular way to use kief is by adding it into your usual joint. If you sprinkle some into your ground buds, the powdery substance will stick on them: as a result, you’ll get a joint that’s much more potent, but also emitting a stronger aroma and offering an enhanced flavor.
Plus, if you want to take it even further and get a funkier look and an extra kick, there is the popular tactic of a “twaxed joint”. You can make one of those if you dampen the exterior of your roll, for example using some wax ―though you can merely lick it a little―, and then just roll it around in kief, coating it.
And if you’re feeling even more creative, you can try a moonrock: drench some nugs in some lightly heated oil and then coat them in kief. Afterwards, you can crack them up and roll them into a joint. Don’t forget that the oil could affect the burning process of kief, so add in moderation.