Kief is gold or light brownish in color, has a light, powdery quality to it, and is derived from trichomes on the outside of cannabis buds that produce THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids. These trichomes can be separated from the bud during the grinding process, and because they still contain traces of the aforementioned cannabinoids can be used to enhance your cannabis experience in myriad ways. In this post, the team at 710 Pipes smoke shop will take a closer look at some great ideas for getting more from your kief.
Some Background on Kief
Some people think kief is a relatively new discovery made possible by modern grinders. Nothing could be further from the truth. People have known about and used kief in a variety of ways for centuries, most commonly by pressing it into hashish cakes which are easy to store and have a long shelf life. How long? Well, compared to weed that will lose potency after 6 months or a year, hash has been known to last 10, even 20 years when stored in a cool dry place.
As for potency… few things will get tongues wagging at our pipe shop quite like the subject of kief potency. There are some who believe kief is a waste of time and others who believe it to be significantly more potent than ordinary dry herbs. Who’s right? As with most things, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Kief is definitely not useless, but whether or not it has the mind-altering properties some attribute to it will largely depend on the quality of the weed it is gleaned from. So, will Kief get you higher than typical buds? Most people think so though how much higher will vary from kief to kief.
Should You Save Kief?
No doubt you have opened your grinder at some point and spied the dusty delight that is kief. Those who have no experience with or knowledge of it may either toss it or wonder whether it has any useful purpose. If you are the curious type wondering if there are any uses for kief you didn’t know about, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 4, courtesy of our online head shop crew.
1: Top up your joints
If you want to take your joints to the next level, sprinkle them with some kief. This is a particularly good idea if the weed you’re rolling isn’t exactly top-shelf stuff. The kief should provide your everyday joints with a significant kick. If you’re really into creating an aesthetic cannabis experience place some kief on a saucer, dampen the outside of your joint a bit and then roll it in the powder. You’ll enjoy the kief kick while also providing your guests with something to talk about on their way home.
2: Add it to your edibles
If you want to create some snacks to remember, infuse butter with kief to create cannabutter. Cannabutter can then be used to create all sorts of edibles, although it’s most commonly used to create baked goods. Keep in mind that THC in herbs can only be released by applying heat and since consuming a pot brownie does not include applying a flame you will need to activate the THC some other way. The other way is decarboxylation. This is done by baking the weed in an oven at 220° F for 30-40 minutes. Only after the weed has been decarboxylated can you add it to the butter to create cannabutter.
3: Use it to create e-liquid for vaping
This is a great way to impress your buds at Denver University. In order to produce kief-infused e-liquid you will need to first obtain some propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine. You will find them at Amazon and a hundred other online retailers. You’ll also need a heat-resistant bowl, a coffee filter, and a pot to cook in.
To make your kief-infused e-liquid fill your cooking pot halfway with water and place the bowl on top. Pour equal amounts of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine into the bowl. Add your kief to the PG/VG mixture. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. This will heat up the mixture in the bowl. The PG/VG will melt and when it does stir it to make sure the kief is evenly distributed. When the mixture gets thick and smooth turn the heat off, pour the mixture through the coffee filter into a clean receptacle, and let it cool off. You now have a potent e-liquid you can vape.
4: Make some hash
Hash made from 100% kief is going to be a bit more crumbly than traditional hash but it will still get the job done. To make your own kief hash the most important thing to focus on is bringing adequate compressive force to bear on the kief powder. Ideally, you would use some type of pressing device to do this, but you can use your bare hands too if nothing else is available. Keep in mind that you will need to have saved up quite a bit of kief in order for this to work. If you have enough to work with, here’s how it’s done.
Place your kief in a small plastic bag. Roll the bag and its contents up as tight as you can then tape the bag shut. Now wrap the taped bag in several layers of newspaper. Once the bag is wrapped, wet the newspaper. At this point, you will either put the wrapped-up bag of kief in your press or you will apply pressure with your hands for several seconds to compress the contents. After a few press/release cycles you should have a hash cake.
Conclusion
Often neglected, sometimes discarded, and rarely allowed to realize its potential, kief is the most versatile byproduct of the grinding process and can be put to good use enhancing every aspect of your cannabis experience.
If you are looking for heady glass or a vaping device that will allow you to enjoy your homemade e-liquid, stop by our smoke shop in Northglenn or Denver – both open seven days a week.