Contributor: Carl S. Hobby
With more and more states legalizing recreational marijuana, there has been an onslaught of new members to the ever-growing cannabis community. These folks are eager and ready to learn as much as they can about marijuana. And, lucky for them, there’s a whole lot to learn. The days of cannabis consumption being all about rolling up and smoking have evolved into a more intricate, option-filled world of choices that increases and grows with each passing day.
These newbies to the arena of THC will hear all sorts of interesting buzz words during their many trips to the dispensary. Concentrates, shatters, live resin, and various things of this nature will do nothing but intrigue the growing mind of a rookie cannabis enthusiast, forcing their curiosity to reach epic new heights of wonderment.
But, as healthy as this quest for knowledge is, it’s important to familiarize oneself with the basics first. The most standard of which being the ever-popular, crowd-pleasing cannabis “aftermath dust” known as, kief.
Now, kief is, in no way, a “new” development in the cannabis game. Far from it. But, for those who may have only heard about flower, they may be unaware of this awesome THC-infused smoking byproduct.
An In-Depth Look At Everything You'll Need To Know About Kief
Breaking it down to its most raw definition, kief is a potent substance that makes up a bud’s iconic, eye-catching hairs. Which are scientifically referred to as “trichomes.” While various plant species have trichomes of their own, their reasoning for them, and subsequent usage of them in the wild, differ greatly from plant to plant.
In the case of cannabis, however, these buds use trichomes to ward off potential herbivores, who would otherwise eat them constantly. The theory is that these trichomes, if eaten by such an animal, would elicit a strong series of psychoactive effects, rendering the animal confused. This bewildered creature would then avoid such plants in the future. Also, the strong scent profiles these trichomes emit deter insects from pollinating their buds.
But what those animals find displeasing, we find incredibly enjoyable, relaxing, and immensely therapeutic.
Of course, you can simply go to your neighbor cannabis club, pick up some kief for an affordable price, and be on your way. But, one of the coolest things about kief, is you can actually build up your own collection over time. And all you’d need to do is keep buying all the flowers you usually do.
Confused? Allow me to elaborate a bit further.
If you’re looking to gather up a batch of your own kief over time, you’ll need to purchase a three-level grinder. The top part of the grinder, is where you’ll place your buds amongst the grinding “teeth” of the device. After a few turns, those ground up buds will find themselves in the second level of the grinder.
Per the usual routine, remove those ground up buds and smoke them as you see fit. At this point, with a typical grinder, that would be the end of the procedure. But those simplistic devices don’t allow the user to catch any kief. Hence, the reason behind the third level “kief catcher.”
You’ll notice that with grinders of this nature, instead of a flat bottom to catch your buds, they will fall atop a screen. Through that screen any excess kief will find itself trapped at the bottom of the grinder. Over time, after multiple grinds of various buds, you’ll be left with a cacophony of potent THC-powered kief waiting for you at the bottom level.
It really is that simple.
Now, that you’ve got ahold of how to extract kief on your own, you’re probably wondering what to do with it. Well, fortunately, there are a few different ways people can utilize their kief. Each of which delivers a different experience.
The first thing you could do is sprinkle a bit of kief atop a bowl or in a joint. This is the route most people take, as it offers up a homemade boost of potency to every smoke session. Yes, the addition of kief will likely harshen the typical toke, but it’s nowhere near the realm of unmanageable. In fact, I’d argue that any sort of esophageal discomfort is worth the spike in THC.
If you want to get real fancy with it, you can roll yourself a joint, then slightly damped the exterior of the paper. Taking that moistened joint, you can then dip it into a collection of kief. The THC trichome-matter will adhere itself to the joint, and will add a much-needed lift to your smoke.
Another thing you could do with your kief is make some good ol’ fashioned hash.
In order to do that, you’ll simply need to apply an adequate amount of heat and pressure to your kief. It will soon change in consistency, as this process will cause all of its resin glands to burst. You’ll wind up with a small, green ball. You can use this in the same way you’d use regular kief, but with this more pressurized version, you’ll be getting a lot more “bang for your buck” as they say.
Another fun thing to do with your kief is make “moonrocks.”
Now, for those of you who may be unaware, “moonrocks” are a powerfully potent creation, wherein you take top-shelf buds, cover them in cannabis oil, and roll them thoroughly in a healthy amount of THC-enriched kief. It’s a stunning amalgamation of cannabis greatness.
As you can probably imagine, these “rocks” are anything but gentle. They are incredibly strong, and can even be a bit harsh on the inhale, so rookie enthusiasts may want to tread lightly with such a session. But seasoned smokers can lean in, and reap the many rewards that these “moonrocks” are famous for.
One of the things I like to do with my kief supply is toss it in with my cannabis-infused butters and cooking oils. I find that it adds a massive kick in strength, without affecting the overall flavor.
Don’t just toss it in the bowl with some butter, though. You’ll want to add in your kief during the decarboxylation of your flowers that you plan to use for your butter or oil. This will offer up the maximum potency for your batch. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that what matters most?
If you’re interested in kief, and its many uses, you’re in luck – because the availability of those necessary three-level grinders are abundant. In addition to that, every single flower you buy and put through that kief-catching grinder, will offer up its own batch of goodness.
But, if you’re on the hunt for some kief-heavy strains, keep an eye out for Hash Plant, Gelato, and Chemdog (or Chemdawg). These potent buds are famous for their wealth of trichomes, and subsequent kief. So, those should deliver the best results. And, if you’re ever lucky enough to spot them at your local cannabis club, you should pick them up immediately.
The only left for you to do now is head over to your neighborhood dispensary, pick up some dank buds, and start grinding. Before you know it, you’ll open up that third level one day, and see a mountain of potency waiting for you.
And that’s a sight that every cannabis enthusiast loves to see.
