If you’ve ever found yourself with extra kief and you’re not quite sure what to do with it, you’re in the right place! This guide will walk you through what it is, how to use kief, as well as the best methods for collecting it.

You may have seen or smoked kief before, but do you know what it is? Kief is a concentrated form of cannabis that collects in a powdery form and is highly potent due to the volume of densely concentrated cannabinoids it contains. Kief is formed when the trichomes, tiny crystal-like bulbs that form on the end of cannabis nugs, ultimately detach from the plant.

Because it’s more potent than regular cannabis (around 50% THC instead of the average 12-25%), you can certainly experience a more powerful high when you smoke it.

Collecting kief is easier than you might think! Any three-chamber grinder that contains a fine stainless steel screen will catch kief in the bottom chamber of the grinder. This is the most common method of collection, but you can also use large silkscreens if you’re extracting a large amount of kief at once.

Collecting kief is easier than you might think! Any three-chamber grinder that contains a fine stainless steel screen will catch kief in the bottom chamber of the grinder. This is the most common method of collection, but you can also use large silkscreens if you’re extracting a large amount of kief at once.

Sprinkle it on a Bowl

Sprinkling a little kief on your bowl is one of the best ways to use it up, especially if you want a stronger high. While you can smoke kief on its own, it’s not always easy to do because the fine powder is likely to fall through your bowl and get in your mouth when you inhale. Adding a little flower underneath will work wonders!

Add it to Your Preroll

Since kief is challenging to smoke in the form of a bowl, it’s often added to prerolls. This simple solution is perfect because you can add as much as you’d like to your joint or blunt before rolling it, which provides a little extra kick of potency as well. For more seasoned joint smokers, adding a light extract adhesive to the outside of your joint and rolling it kief can help create a really nice, even burn for your preroll.

Cook With Your Kief

Cooking with kief is great because it doesn’t have the same strong cannabis flavor that you get when cooking with flower. Of course, you’ll still get the psychoactive effects so it’s truly a win-win. Unlike cooking with the regular flower, you’ll need to activate the psychoactive ingredients first. You can do so by ‘decarbing’ the kief, which is when you heat it up. This can be done by putting it in an over-safe container with a lid and baking it at 300°F for 7 minutes. Allow it to cool with the lid on and then you can use it to make kief butter or another liquid for baking purposes!

Make Moon Rocks or Kief Roll Your Joint (Intermediate)

Moon rocks are another good option, especially if you want to experience a strong high. Start by taking your favorite Glass House strain and look particularly for dense bud to ensure the moon rocks stay together. Next, take a dropper and cover the bud lightly with hash oil or another concentrate. Lastly, roll the nugs in the kief and leave it in a warm place to dry. You can smoke it once it’s fully dry! Use scissors to break it apart when you’re ready to smoke it and it’s best smoked from a pipe or bong.

Turn it into Rosin (Expert)

Seasoned cannabis pros might be looking for a new way to use their kief, and if you’re one of them, try turning it into rosin. Rosin is essentially when you turn kief into hash. Be warned that it’s a bit of a process and will take some time to get it right!

Start by ‘decarbing’ the kief like you would when making edibles. This time you’ll want to leave it in the oven for between 1-3 hours at 220-240°F. You’ll notice the color of the kief change and get much darker as the trichomes become activated. Once it’s dry, grind it into a fine powder so that it’s easier to press. Next, you need to apply heat again. This can be done by using an iron or hair straightener. It should take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to press the kief and then you’ll have to strain it using a coffee filter. Store the rosin in a jar it’ll be ready to use.

Now that you know how to use kief, what are you going to try out first? At Glass House Farms, we take cannabis seriously! You can find more cannabis news and tips on our blog and shop our range of products today.