Ever heard the phrase “using all the parts of the buffalo”, like the Native Americans did? Native Americans are well known to have passed around the peace pipe, filled with blessed cannabis. They probably used all the parts of that plant also. In fact, Native Americans could have been the very first Kief smokers!
You might have heard the word Kief being bounced around by your more sophisticated cannabis connoisseur friends. Kief gives your stash even more value and takes just a little patience to procure.
So what the bud is Kief? Read on to find out all about how you can be like the Native Americans and get a little extra buzz from your buds…
What is Kief Made Of?
Okay, here comes Science. Pay Attention.
Examine your marijuana bud closely. If it’s a nice, sticky strain, you won’t need a magnifying glass. Look closely at the red, purple, and orange hairs, or just the green leaves. See those crystals reflecting all shiny in the light? The crystals aren’t there just to make the bud look extra pretty. Those are trichomes.
Trichomes are nature’s defense. Trichomes produce terpenes which are responsible for the strong taste and unique odors of marijuana strains. Fun fact: They are a natural device meant to protect the plant from herbivorous predators, who get disoriented from the trichomes if they venture to explore the plant.
That is because trichomes contain the highest concentration of THC, the psychoactive compound that interacts with your systems already built-in endocannabinoid receptors which activate the healing properties and pleasant mood-altering effects of marijuana.
How Is Kief Different From Cannabis Flower?
What you might have heard is that Kief is way stronger than Flower. Is that true? Very much so!
Kief is more similar to concentrates than it is to flower. Cannabis “flowers” are in layman’s terms, buds. Buds generally don’t reach higher than 30% THC concentration.
Kief, at minimum, reaches 50% THC concentration. Some Kief checks in as high as 80%. That is because Kief is composed purely of the concentrated trichomes, which contain the highest concentration of cannabinoids on the bud. There is even a 99% pure version called “sift” that is almost purely trichome heads.
Therefore, you need a lot less kief to produce significant effects, making it a popular choice for alleviating pain as well as conserving your budget.
How To Get Kief
You already have it. You might have noticed that fine powder piling up at the bottom of your grinder. That’s Kief!
The best way to ensure you get the highest yield of kief from your bud is with a three piece grinder. Three piece grinders have mesh screens separating its parts and a chamber receptacle at the bottom for catching the Kief as it melts off the buds like meat from the bone of a tender rib.
Kief is very sticky, thus can sometimes get stuck. There are helpful smoking accessories available on the internet, like scraping and scooping tools, to make collecting Kief almost effortless (for more information, click here). Be sure to calculate mesh measurements as well, since this will determine how fine is your grind.
How To Identify Kief
The lighter the Kief, the stronger it is. This is because Kief is made of pure trichome crystals. The lighter it is, the more potent it is. If it is darker, that means it is mixed with more of the plant matter and thus not as pure.
How To Smoke Kief
Kief gives you options, because it is a powder. You can sprinkle it into a pipe, or put it on top of a bud in the bong, or roll it up with your bud in a spliff!
Another option, if you are all out of buds, is to sprinkle it on some tobacco. That way you can be stealth and smoke it in public without anyone being the wiser!
Other Things You Can Do With Your Kief
- Make Hash – With help from a few common household items, you can make your own Hash! Simply fold the Kief into a sheet of parchment paper and place it in the plates of a hair straightener. Let it heat on medium high, pressing down firmly. Applying this heat and pressure changes the composition, taste and effects.
- Make Edibles – You will need more powder than if you are simply smoking it, but the effects will last longer. You can even use it to make a cannabutter that can be stored for up to six months.
- Make Moon Rocks – Moonrocks are buds rolled in Kief. Heat up your buds in some cannabis oil, then let it roll!
- Make Coffee – Yes, you heard that right! Dropping the Kief into coffee when the brew is at its hottest temperature decarboxylates the THC, giving the effect of an edible as the digestive tract breaks it down.
