With some strains of cannabis being more expensive than others, it will always be worth it to get the most out of every dollar you put into your puff. So, it is great news to know that as long as you have weed, you have kief (or at the very least, can get some).
So now, the $64,000 question is: What if you do not have weed? Or, how do you smoke kief without a strain of cannabis? Well either way, you are in luck: Kief still has the perfect consistency to be smoked without the plant and put into what device or paper you have.
What is Kief?
In short, kief is just trichomes: The outer appendages or resin glands of the cannabis flower. Across different cultures, you might see kief mixed with tobacco but its purest form is an extraction from cannabis flower. Kief is extracted from the flower through a simple sifting process and sold as a concentrated product of straight THC.
Take a quick look through your weed grinder (depending on if you have a separating chamber), and you might actually find some kief already in there. We will cover how to separate it later on, but it is by far the quickest and easiest extraction method there is.
Is it Stronger than Flower?
Kief is actually stronger than any strain you have, because it is the literal extract of what gets you high from weed. Because THC and all other cannabinoids are found in trichomes, extracting them from the plant will give you nothing but the good stuff in a nearly unmatched high.
It is for this exact reason that we recommend you do not smoke kief for your very first time smoking weed, as it is essentially a concentrate. Kief is several times more potent than its cannabis counterpart, which could pose a risk if a cocky newcomer takes one too many hits.
So just as you would regular concentrates, dabs or any inebriating substance, be responsible and know your limits.
How to Smoke Kief?
Kief may only be a small part of the cannabis plant, but you can actually smoke it in a number of ways, just like the real thing. Do you want to put it in a joint? Your dab rig? Your pen? Take your pick! But the best has yet to come (especially since you have not smoked yet).
You do not even need cannabis to smoke kief. It may be a great choice to infuse your joints or whatever strain you have with it, but you can smoke it all on its own and get all the same effects.
Let’s take a look at just some of the ways you can smoke kief without needing cannabis.
Kief in Joints
Honestly, when or where is a joint not welcome with open arms? Probably a kid’s birthday party, but that is beside the point.
But what happens when you want some and you are all out of the green stuff? As you have probably guessed, you can (carefully) smoke a joint with just kief without cannabis. Disclaimer: It is slightly better to sandwich your kief in between the green stuff, especially for new rollers who do not want to waste their stash, but it is very possible to roll a joint with just kief.
To do this, your two best bets are using a rolling machine or a pre rolled cone (crutch would be absolutely necessary here) to prevent any kief from spilling out. You can still roll everything together by hand, but because kief is such a fine powder, have your steadiest hands ready or you are going to have a bad time.
In Pipes
Cannabis helps treat anxiety, that is nothing new. But do you know what really prevents anxiety? Not rolling the last of your kief into a joint if you do not know what you are doing. To put those fears to rest, it may be time to dust off the pipe.
Any pipe you have, homemade or store bought, is absolutely perfect for smoking kief: No rolling, sandwiching or hassle required. All that is left to do is load your powder into the bowl, in place of your cannabis, and light it up.
One last thing you might need to smoke kief in pipes is just a little bit of eyeballing. Assuming your kief is about as potent as your dab (which is not unusual), you might want to pack your bowl with about ¼ of the amount of green you would normally use if you have it all to yourself.
In Dabs
All out of hash oil? You are not out of luck! Kief in your dab rig is essentially a bubble hash, so you know what to do: Make a dry sift hash.
A dry sift hash refers to taking your batch of kief and pressing it into a block (brick) of resin. Two hot plates will work very well to press the two together, but turn to a flat iron or hair straightener to make it easier on yourself. From there, fold a piece of wax or parchment paper in half with your kief sandwiched in the middle.
Finally, what you want to do is hold it in between the hot plates so that it forms the brick, but not so long that you accidentally burn the hash or the paper. Just making a sift hash has a number of applications, but it is perfect for dabbing in place of other resin.
Where Do I Get kief?
With all this in mind, now you are probably thinking, “Kief sounds awesome! Where can I get some?” First of all, you are not wrong. Second of all, you are likely to find some in your grinder, assuming the weed is dry. Kief is a very, very fine powder that can only be examined under a microscope, so sifting it requires the finest mesh possible.
If your grinder did not come with a kief scraper, a credit card or tip of a spoon will work just as well. Scrape the inside of your preferably 4-piece grinder (and chilled from the freezer since cold metal will break off more of the good stuff) and collect the kief by grinding up cannabis and letting it drop to the bottom chamber, using a chill coin inside the grinder for maximum results.
How long does Kief Last?
Because it is as potent as a concentrate, your kief supply will probably last weeks on end anyway, but expect an equally long shelf life as your cannabis if you store it away properly.
Like most cannabis products, kief requires an airtight seal away from sunlight and excessive humidity for it to stay fresh, potent, and free of mold. Moisture and freezing are also the enemies to your kief as you know it, so always keep it stored at room temperature.
