How to use kief?

Kief is a concentrated form of cannabis that is quite potent. It looks like powder, but is actually tiny pieces of sticky, crystallized resin. Kief collects in the bottom of jars and grinders and can be used in a variety of ways: you can smoke kief, or ingest it, or even use it to make hash. Keep in mind that the potency will depend on the strain of marijuana the kief comes from as well as your personal tolerance level. Remember to follow all rules and regulations concerning marijuana possession, use, and consumption for your specific region.

Before we get to the biology and pharmacology of kief, let’s briefly discuss the etymology (the origin) of this weird word.

We have to admit that kief is a strange-looking term. The English language doesn’t have a lot of words with the “ie” construction. And certainly not many where those two vowels together make the double-e sound (as in keep).

It all comes down to the fact that kief isn’t really an English word. In true American style, we borrowed the word from another language — Arabic, to be precise. In that language, kief means ‘pleasure or intoxication’.

As you’ll learn shortly, that’s exactly what kief does. So it’s really no wonder we took that word as our own. But honestly, and to paraphrase The Bard, “Kief by any other name would taste as sweet.”

The Biology Of Kief

In cannabis biology, a kief is the bulbous formation on the tip a trichome (the resin glands of the pot plant that contain THC, CBD, CBG, CBN, and other active cannabinoids). Cannabis isn’t the only plant to have trichomes, but it is one of the few whose kief has psychoactive and medicinal effects.

In the case of the cannabis plant, the trichomes are a defense mechanism to deter hungry herbivores (like bunnies and deer) from completely devouring the leaves, stems, stalk, and all.

Should an intrepid plant-eater actually gnosh a bit of the wacky weed, the trichomes go to work to disorient the animal and prevent it from eating the rest. That’s the theory, anyway.

Maybe that “high” just gives them more reason to come back for a second dose.

The Pharmacology Of Kief

Collectively, kief is the word marijuana enthusiasts use to refer to the terpenes and cannabinoids of the cannabis plant. Kief is a more pure and potent part of the marijuana plant, which is why it’s prized as an additive in everything from bongs to blunts, vaporizers to vape pens, and hookah to honey oil.

What’s The Big Deal?

As we touched on above, kief is where all the action is. Basically, the kief is the stuff that gets you high or gives you the medicinal effects you’re looking for. That’s why it’s such a big deal.

In regular weed (like the stuff you roll in your joint or pack in your bowl), the kief is mixed in with the dried herb, so it’s effectively “diluted.”

But sometimes, you can separate the kief from the plant matter so you have a 100% pure psychoactive/medicinal substance. That’s when things get really interesting.

How Can I Get Ahold Of My Own Kief?

You could, we suppose, buy kief at your local dispensary. But it would probably cost an arm and a leg.

By far, the easiest way to get ahold of your own kief is to purchase and use a grinder. More specifically, a four-piece or three-chamber grinder.

A four-piece grinder is composed of a lid, a grinding chamber, a collection chamber, and a kief chamber. You put your dried and cured weed in the grinding chamber, attach the lid, and give the whole thing a good screw (no not that type of screw).

During the grinding process, two things happen:

1. The buds are sliced and diced
2. The kief is dislodged from the plant matter

The ground-up leaves fall through the screen at the bottom of the grinding chamber into the collection chamber. If you continue to agitate the grinder, the free kief will fall through the screen at the bottom of the collection chamber into the kief chamber.

How To Get Piles Of Kief Out Of Your Grinder

After a while, you’ll amass enough of the sticky powder in the kief chamber to do some really cool things.

A huge pile of kief doesn’t just magically appear in the bottom of your grinder after only one or two uses.

It takes time and patience to harvest that ganja gold. But the wait is worth it. We promise.

Below we give you the lowdown on the best way to get plenty of kief out of your grinder.

Get The Right Grinder

We mentioned it earlier in the article, but to get the most kief for your grinding efforts, you need to have the right piece of equipment.

In this case, that’s a three-chamber (four-piece) grinder.

You’ll see one-chamber and two-chamber grinders out there — and you can collect kief from these if you really want to — but to maximize your yield, you need that third chamber.

Why? Because three-chamber grinders are designed in such a way so as to separate the kief from the ground-up weed that you use in your joints and bongs.

A single-chamber grinder is simply a small bowl filled with “teeth” (and a lid) about the size of a hockey puck. When you grind your weed in a single-chamber grinder, everything stays mixed together because it has nowhere else to go.

A two-chamber grinder adds one more bowl below the grinding area. During the grinding process, the chopped weed falls through small holes and collects in the holding chamber.

Some kief will separate out in the very bottom of the holding chamber, but the majority remains mixed in with the ground weed.

That’s where the three-chamber grinder comes in.

The three-chamber grinder adds a screen and one more chamber on the bottom. The ground weed falls into the holding chamber where it’s stopped by the screen because the pieces are too big.

But kief is much smaller so it continues to fall into the bottom bowl where, over time, it collects into a glorious pile of concentrated canna-goodness.

If you don’t have that third chamber, you’re SOL.

So beg, borrow, or steal (don’t steal) a three-chamber grinder — then learn how to use it correctly in the sections below — so you can enjoy kief in all its grandeur.

How Do I Use Kief?

One of the many wonderful things about kief is that you can use it in so many awesome ways. Remember that it’s basically concentrated cannabinoid.

So if you need a higher high, more pain relief, or less anxiety, crack open that kief chamber and start sprinkling.

1) Edibles

Edibles are one of the easiest and most discreet ways to consume cannabis. You can mix decarboxylated marijuana (and kief) into everything from butter and honey to wine and candy.

2) Joint And Blunt

If you roll your own joints and blunts, sprinkle a dash of kief on top before you close to add a kick of flavor and a bump of psychedelic effects to the mix.

You can even moisten your doobie with THC oil and roll the whole thing in kief if you’re really adventurous.

3) Bong

After you’ve packed your bong, rub a bit of kief from your favorite strain on top to quickly and easily transform beasters into a headies.

Using kief like this is a great way to upgrade low-quality weed (and the low-quality experience it produces) to the grade-A stuff you’ve been dreaming about.

4) Moon Rock Weed

Looking for a truly creative way to use your kief? Build your own moon rock weed. Moon rock weed is the triple combination of raw, whole bud, honey oil, and kief.

Many call moon rock weed the strongest cannabis in the world. We don’t know about that, but we do know that it’s a heck of a good time.

5) Thai Stick

A Thai stick is buds of seedless marijuana skewered on a stem, rolled in cannabis oil, sprinkled with kief, and wrapped in a whole marijuana leaf to form a swag shishkabob. When all is dry, you smoke a Thai stick just like a boss cigar or mega blunt.

6) Hash

Hash (short for hashish) is a cannabis concentrate made from fresh resin glands (trichomes) that have been separated from the plant matter of a marijuana flower.

Hash is basically kief that — through mechanical means such as heat and pressure or by mixing it with water — you form into a brick, bar, block, or ball.

There are several easy ways to make your own hash from the kief you produce in the bottom of your grinder, including:

• Hand rolling (the most basic and traditional method of producing hash)
• Pressing with a hot iron
• Blending and straining
• Passing kief through several bubble bags

If making hash is something you’d like to try, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for the four methods mentioned above in this article from the HMJ blog: How To Make Hash: The Complete Guide.

7) Rosin

Did you know you can extract the essence of kief (called trichomes) directly from the cannabis plant without grinding? It’s true.

With a simple process we’ll describe in a moment, you can transform the kief into a liquid (a rosin) and squeeze it “out of” the plant matter (it actually comes off the surface, but that’s just being pedantic).

To make your own rosin, you’ll need a number of supplies including a hot iron and some parchment paper.

Pack the parchment paper with a bit of bud, insert it between the two sides of the hot iron, and then press together for a few seconds.

For a more in-depth breakdown of the rosin-making process, check out this article from the HMJ blog: What Is Rosin: The Ultimate Guide For Cannabis Enthusiasts.

8) Kief Coffee And Tea

One of our favorite ways to consume kief is in our coffee or tea.

It’s super easy! All you have to do is sprinkle a pinch into your mug and stir. The heat from the liquid will dissolve the kief and activate the cannabinoids it carries.

As with all edibles — of which coffee and tea are two — the cannabinoids have to be digested before they reach your bloodstream, so the onset of effects will take a while.

The good news is that those effects will be stronger and last longer. That’s just the way edibles work. And, honestly, we’re glad for it, because our kief coffee is what we rely on to get us out of bed in the morning and through to lunch.

What Are The Best Strains For Kief?

1) Chemdog

Chemdog (or chemdawg) is a hybrid strain derived from the Kush, Hash Plant, and Northern Lights cannabis plants. It offers a decidedly pungent aroma with the earthy flavor of diesel thrown in for good measure.

Once consumed, Chemdog produces a happy, uplifting, euphoric experience. That makes it a great addition to any edible, joint, blunt, or bong.

2) Sour Diesel

Sour Diesel is a sativa strain bred from Chemdog, Northern Lights, and Skunk No. 1. Like its parents, Sour Diesel has a very pungent and earthy diesel smell and flavor and produces a happy, euphoric, and uplifting high.

3) Blue Dream

Blue Dream is a hybrid strain created from a mix of Blueberry and Haze cannabis. As its parent’s names suggest, Blue Dream tastes and smells sweet with undertones of blueberry.

When consumed, Blue Dream generates an inspiring, euphoric, relaxing high. Need to unwind before bed? Steep a bit of Blue Dream kief in your chamomile tea and sleep like a baby.

4) Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies

Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies is a hybrid cross between the Durban Poison and OG Kush strains. These buds taste and smell minty and sweet (just like the cookie) and bring on a happy, relaxing, and euphoric feeling (just like eating a whole box of those cookies by yourself).

The kief from Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies is very useful as a flavoring in everything from brownies to tea and coffee. Plus it has that awesome psychedelic kick.

5) Fruity Pebbles

Fruity Pebbles is another hybrid strain created from the DNA of Green Ribbon, Granddaddy Purple, and Tahoe Alien. Like its namesake, Fruity Pebbles has a sweet, tropical berry flavor that can’t be beat. And like other strains on this list, its effects are happy, relaxing, and euphoric.

So if you’re looking for a one-two punch of flavor and psychedelics, the kief from Fruity Pebbles is a great choice.

6) Cherry OG

Cherry OG is a mix of Thai, Afghani, and Lost Coast OG strains that gives off a very citrusy and earthy herbal taste and smell. The kief from Cherry OG produces a happy, relaxed, and uplifted feeling so it’s a great additive to your vape juice to help you relax after a long day.

7) Kandy Kush

Kandy Kush is a cross between OG Kush and Trainwreck. Its taste and smell are sweet, earthy, and pungent, followed by happy, relaxing, and euphoric effects. Sprinkle a bit of Kandy Kush kief in your joint for an added anti-anxiety kick.

The Power Of Kief

Regardless of the strain you choose, don’t dismiss the benefits of the dust at the bottom of your grinder. It has the potential to make your next smoke sesh a truly unique, fun, and powerful experience.