Download ArticleDownload ArticleThis article was co-authored by Aaron Justis. Aaron Justis is a Cannabis Expert based in Los Angeles, CA. He is the President of Buds & Roses, a premier Los Angeles Cannabis retailer serving customers and the LA community since 2006. Since 2010, Aaron and the Buds & Roses team have been the proud recipients of 26 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup awards. As a recognized thought leader in the Cannabis industry, Aaron is an active board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association, the California Cannabis Industry Association, and the Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance. Aaron attended Rock Valley College in Illinois.
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Looking for a harder-hitting high? Look no further than kief, a concentrated form of cannabis that is quite potent. It looks like powder, but is actually tiny pieces of sticky, crystallized resin known as “trichomes” found on cannabis flowers. We’ll show you how to smoke it for an elevated high or use it in food for tasty edible treats. We’ll also help you make it into hash for a convenient, concentrated form, as well as collect it from your buds so you always have it handy for the next session.
Things You Should Know
- Smoke kief on its own for a more potent high. Or, add a pinch to your regular cannabis when packing a bowl or rolling a joint for a smoother toke.
- Activate the THC in kief by baking it in the oven at 230 °F (110 °C) for 20-30 minutes. Then, mix it into butter to make edibles with, or add a pinch to tea.
- Collect kief from the bottom chamber of a 3-piece grinder. Or, press crumbled buds through a silkscreen with your fingers to extract kief.
Steps
Smoke kief by itself for the most intense effect. Kief is more potent than buds of marijuana, so take that into consideration when determining the amount to use.[1] Also keep in mind that kief burns quickly and stays lit until it’s completely gone—meaning that if you get distracted, the kief will burn up on its own.- Start with just a pinch of kief—don’t load up your joint or pipe with as much material as you’d usually smoke, if you’re not sure how hard it’ll hit. You can always take another toke, but you can’t untoke!
Top a packed bowl with kief to increase its potency. Pack a bowl of bud into your pipe, bong, or other smoking rig like a vape with a dry compartment. Then, simply sprinkle a pinch of kief on top of the bowl.[2] Try to “corner” the bowl, or light just 1 corner at a time rather than the entire surface, so the kief doesn’t burn up as quickly.- For a more consistent bowl, alternate packing layers of flower and kief until the bowl is full, so that you hit the kief throughout the session, rather than just at the start.
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Line a joint with kief for a smoother burn. Sprinkle a little kief in a thin line down a rolling paper. Add ground marijuana on top and roll it up into a joint.[3] An even distribution of kief guarantees a smooth burn. Remember, though: this is much stronger than a typical joint, so start with only a couple of pulls and see where that gets you.- Or, for a flashier joint, wet the outside of the rolling paper on a completed joint, then roll the wet paper in kief for a blunt that looks a bit like rock candy. It doesn’t offer a different smoking experience than just rolling the kief in, but it’s a fun trick that’ll impress your friends.
Put it in a spliff if you enjoy tobacco. If you smoke tobacco in addition to marijuana, you can use kief in a spliff. Smoking weed and tobacco together is said to lead to a more euphoric high.[4] Simply combine a pinch of kief with ground tobacco and roll it into a joint.
Make “moon rocks” for a more potent high. Moon rocks are a mixture of 3 different kinds of cannabis that, when combined, make for a potent and long-burning grind. To make them, use tweezers to hold a nug by the stem and roll it in a cannabis concentrate or oil, then roll the coated nug in kief and let it dry for about an hour.[5]- Smoke moon rocks like any other bud, but be sure to grind it with your fingers, since it’ll clog up your grinder.
Make kief butter to use in edibles or other foods. Making cannabutter with your kief is a great way to craft potent and tasty edibles. First, “decarboxylate” the kief to activate the THC by baking it in a covered oven-safe dish for 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 230 °F (110 °C).[6] Allow it to cool for about 30 minutes with the cover on. Then:- Melt 2 sticks (½ lb) of high-fat butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
- Add 1 gram of decarboxylated kief and stir until it is completely dissolved.
- Use a spatula to transfer the butter to a heat-safe dish.
- Once it cools, cover it and store it in the fridge for up to 2 months. Substitute it for regular butter in your baked goods.
Sprinkle kief into your morning coffee or tea. A popular way to use kief is to make cannabis tea or coffee by adding a small amount, like a pinch or ¼ gram, to your drink. The heat may activate the cannabinoids, producing a strong and long-lasting effect about 15-30 minutes after consumption. Remember that the potency depends on the strain of marijuana and your personal tolerance level.[7]Note: The temperature of coffee, tea or other hot beverages is not nearly high or consistent enough to decarboxylate your kief, and non-decarboxylated kief may not result in any high. For a more reliable high, mix some decarbed kief into your beverage, instead.
Sprinkle kief over your favorite dishes after cooking. Kief has a very subtle flavor, so it won’t change the taste of your dishes when you add it after the dish is cooked. Sprinkle it over pasta or pizza, or put a dash of it in a soup or stew. To activate the THC for a better high, first bake it in the oven at 230 °F (110 °C) for 20 minutes in a covered dish.[8]
Spread 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) of kief between folded parchment paper. Carefully sprinkle kief onto the bottom layer of a length of folded parchment paper. Keep it toward the fold rather than the edge, and make sure it’s no more than 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) thick. Fold the top half of the parchment paper over the kief to make something like a kief envelope.[9]- Don’t substitute wax paper for parchment paper, since the kief will stick to the wax.
- “Hash” is a dense form of cannabis made by heating and compressing cannabis flower. Making it out of kief makes for a much more potent hash, also called “rosin.”
Heat an iron to the lowest setting and cover the parchment with a buffer. Plug in a clothes iron and turn it on to the lowest setting. You won’t need a “steam” function for this. Alternatively, use a hair straightener on the lowest setting. Then drape a thin buffer like a newspaper or a T-shirt over the parchment to keep the parchment and kief from burning.[10]
Iron the kief in 3-second intervals, until the kief is solid. Swipe your iron, set on low, over the buffer about 20 times, applying heat for no more than 3 seconds at a time. Flip the parchment paper over carefully every 5 swipes, placing the buffer back between the parchment paper and iron.[11]- The hash is done when it is compact and no longer sticky. Crumble it with your fingers and smoke it however you like, or use it in tea or as a food seasoning.
Use a 3-piece grinder to collect kief from flower grounds. A 3-piece grinder, or a grinder with an added screen beneath the main chamber, is the easiest way to gather that precious kief.[12] Simply grind your standard flower as usual. As you do, the kief gets knocked off the flower and sifts through the bottom screen, collecting in the bottom chamber for you to use at your leisure.- To more quickly collect kief, simply scrape a bud back and forth across the fine screen on your 3-piece grinder.
Sift kief from the flower by hand using a silkscreen. Grind your buds as usual, then drape a silkscreen over a bowl. Dump the ground buds onto the silkscreen and shake the screen to sift the kief through the screen and into the bowl, separating it from the larger particles of the flower.[13] Use your fingers or the bottom of a glass to press the flower against the screen, more effectively sifting the kief.
Get kief from a dispensary. Many dispensaries sell kief as its own independent product, separate from flower or other types of cannabis.[14] Dispensaries often have equipment that allows them to extract kief using dry ice, which lets them get a higher concentration of kief more efficiently.
Expert Q&A
- QuestionWhat alternative can I use if I don't have a grinder?
Aaron JustisAaron Justis is a Cannabis Expert based in Los Angeles, CA. He is the President of Buds & Roses, a premier Los Angeles Cannabis retailer serving customers and the LA community since 2006. Since 2010, Aaron and the Buds & Roses team have been the proud recipients of 26 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup awards. As a recognized thought leader in the Cannabis industry, Aaron is an active board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association, the California Cannabis Industry Association, and the Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance. Aaron attended Rock Valley College in Illinois.
Cannabis ExpertWhen you lack a grinder, using your fingers is a swift and straightforward option, generally considered acceptable. Alternatively, if a more detailed approach is preferred, you can use scissors as the primary alternative.
Video
Tips
Warnings
- Remember that kief is much more potent than standard buds. Start small and monitor your high to avoid greening out, or having an unpleasant or too-intense high.Thanks
- Only use cannabis in accordance with your local laws and regulations.Thanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about marijuana, check out our in-depth interview with Aaron Justis.
References
- ↑ https://www.thebluntness.com/posts/what-is-kief
- ↑ https://www.weedweek.com/all-about-weed/kief/
- ↑ https://www.weedweek.com/all-about-weed/kief/
- ↑ https://www.nuggmd.com/blog/how-to-roll-a-joint
- ↑ https://hightimes.com/guides/what-is-kief/
- ↑ https://www.weedweek.com/cannabutter
- ↑ https://www.medicaljane.com/2015/10/04/the-top-5-uses-of-kief/
- ↑ https://www.weedweek.com/all-about-weed/kief/
- ↑ https://www.medicaljane.com/2015/10/04/the-top-5-uses-of-kief/
About This Article
To use kief, sprinkle a little on top of your bud in a bowl or joint. If you want a stronger hit, smoke the kief on its own in a bowl, joint, or spliff. Alternatively, mix ¼ gram in a cup of tea or coffee if you’d prefer not to smoke your kief. You can also sprinkle it on top of your favorite dish. Another popular way to use kief is to press it into hash. To do this, fold your kief in a piece of parchment paper and place it on an ironing board. Cover it with a t-shirt or thin towel to stop the kief and paper from burning. Then, heat your iron to the lowest setting and iron the material for 3 seconds about 20 times. Check the kief every fifth time until it’s compact and no longer sticky. For more tips, including how to make kief butter for recipes like cookies or brownies, read on!
Reader Success Stories
"I just received a small container as a gift. I was aware of what it came from, but had no idea what to do with it (I'm more of an edibles, person). Found this very helpful. Thanks, as always, for a very well formed article."..." more
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