What is kief?
Kief is the collection of trichome heads that break off cannabis flower. Trichomes are the resin glands on the plant surface. Those heads hold most of the plant's cannabinoids and terpenes. Kief looks like pale sand or powder. Color runs from light gold to green, based on how much plant material is mixed in.
Kief Recipes Guide: How to Use Kief in Your Cannabis Cooking
How kief forms in a grinder
A three-chamber grinder has a screen between the middle and bottom sections. Flower sits in the top chamber. Ground plant falls to the middle. Trichome heads pass through the screen and land in the bottom chamber. Screens run about 75 to 125 microns. A finer screen gives cleaner kief with less plant matter.
Potency and composition
Kief tests higher than flower. THC content runs 20% to 50% by weight in lab reports. Flower tests 15% to 30%. Numbers vary by strain, grow conditions, and screen size. Kief also holds terpenes, the compounds that carry smell and taste. Terpenes evaporate at low temperatures, so kief left in open air loses flavor over months.
How to use kief
- Sprinkle it on a bowl or joint. A little goes far.
- Press it into hash. Heat and pressure fuse the trichomes.
- Press it into rosin with a heated press.
- Decarboxylate it for edibles. Heat at 240°F for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Add it to a dry herb vaporizer at low temperature.
Storage
Keep kief in an airtight glass container. Store it in a cool, dark place. Light and heat degrade THC and terpenes. Airtight storage holds potency for months. Kief has more surface area than flower, so it dries faster.
Legal notes in the US
Kief is a cannabis product. Rules follow state law. Some states count kief and concentrates toward a separate purchase limit from flower. Check your state's limits before you buy. Federal law lists cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance. Crossing state lines with kief is illegal under federal law.
Kief vs hash vs rosin
Kief is loose trichomes. Hash is kief pressed into a solid block. Rosin is oil extracted with heat and pressure. All three come from the same resin. Processing changes texture and potency per gram.