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Kief is one of these terms that cannabis connoisseurs are all too familiar with, but beginners might not have any idea what it means. Kief is a very special substance that you can get from the outside of your cannabis buds. It’s super crystally, potent, and there are a lot of things that you can do with it, including infusing a joint, making edibles, turning it into hash, and more.
This is a very potent substance that is loaded to the brim with THC, therefore making it quite popular. Because kief is such a rare commodity, with every bud of cannabis only producing a little bit of it, it can be hard to come by, especially for a reasonable price.
Because it can be quite expensive and so high-quality, it’s important that you do everything you can to keep it in good condition. You might not want to smoke or consume it right away, so storing it properly is essential. Therefore, how to store your kief is what we will teach you today, along with some other important facts.
Key Takeaways
- Kief is another word for the trichomes that you’ll find in the bottom of your grinder.
- Keep it dry, cool, and away from light and oxygen.
- If properly stored, kief will stay good for a few years.
- Kief can be used to infuse joints, bake edibles, make hash, and more.
What is Kief?
Kief is that powdery substance that falls from the outside of your cannabis buds. It’s also that thick, dense, and heavy powder you will find in the bottom of your grinder after not cleaning it out for a while. Technically speaking, kief is the crystalline resin gland of the marijuana plant.
Essentially, this is trichome dust. For those that don’t know, trichomes are small glands present on the leaves and flowers of marijuana plants. They give off sticky and thick resins containing all that amazing THC, CBD, terpenes, and about 100 other cannabinoids.
In fact, trichomes also produce various substances that help protect plants from high temperatures, sunlight, and insects. When these trichomes or trichome powder falls off the bud and ends up in the bottom of your grinder, it is known as kief.
This is a very potent substance, as it has a very high concentration of THC. For comparison, most marijuana strains top out at around 25% or 30% THC, whereas kief can have up to 80% THC. This high potency is one of the reasons why it can be quite expensive.
What Can You Do With Kief?
The really cool thing about cannabis kief is that there are many different things that you can do with it, so let’s take a quick look.
Infuse a Joint
One of the most popular things to do with kief is to infuse a joint. This is the easiest thing to do because you don’t actually have to process it in any way. You can just infuse some cannabis bud, and then put that in your pipe or bong. It can add a whole lot of flavor and potency to any smoke.
Bake Edibles
Another thing that you can do with kief is to bake some really tasty edibles. What is convenient about making edibles is that, technically speaking, the baking process itself decarboxylates the cannabis so that it is fully activated when you go to eat your edibles. You could actually mix in raw kief with your favorite baking mixture, bake and decarboxylate at the same time, and then enjoy a tasty treat.
Make Oil or Tincture
You could also potentially turn that kief into a tincture or oil. This will produce an extremely potent oil or tincture that can be used for many purposes. Oils and tinctures can be used for cooking and baking purposes. You can technically also apply them topically for possible pain relief and inflammation relief purposes. Furthermore, oils or a tincture can also be mixed in with your beverage of choice.
Turn it Into Resin
If you want to refine the kief further, turn it into resin or rosin. You would do this by pressing it, which causes the kief to release its oils. What you end up with is an oily or waxy substance that you can then dab or vaporize. If you would rather dab your cannabis instead of smoking it, this is one of the best things that you can do.
Turn it Into Hash
The other thing that you can do with kief is to turn it into hash. This is done through repeated rolling, which results in a very thick, sticky, and dark substance. Hash can then be used for cooking and baking purposes, you can infuse it into a joint, or you can smoke it on its own.
Does Kief Go Bad?
Most sources will tell you that kief technically has an indefinite shelf life. While it might be true that kief won’t go bad per se, the THC will still degrade over time, therefore resulting in a much less potent product.
Cannabis loses about 16 to 20% of its THC content after the first year, and up to 30% after the first two years. Therefore, kief will lose its potency over time. Moreover, it can go bad in the sense that it might get moldy. Therefore, storing it properly is essential, as it will stop the kief from losing too much of its THC content and from going moldy.
Best Tips on How to Store Kief Properly
Prepara Evak Airtight Stash Jar
Let’s go over some of the best tips on how to store your kief properly, so it stays in prime condition for as long as possible.
Keep it Cool
If you want to avoid having your kief degrade in terms of potency, and get all clumpy, you should do your best to keep it cool. Heat is one of the biggest enemies of your kief, and keeping it a few degrees under room temperature is recommended.
Keep it Dry and Away From Moisture
Another enemy of your kief is moisture. Kief is extremely porous and susceptible to absorbing moisture. You want to keep it in a dry container where humidity cannot get in. If your kief is left in a humid environment, it will clump and stick together.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
Direct sunlight is another huge enemy of your kief. Sunlight will cause the THC to break down, therefore reducing the potency of your product much faster than it would normally. Therefore, keep it in a container that does not let light in, or just keep it in something like a cupboard or drawer.
Use an Airtight Container
An airtight container will serve you well. An airtight container will keep out moisture and oxygen, both of which are not good for your teeth. Oxygen contains microbes and fungi, and you don’t want your kief getting moldy. Not only should the container be airtight, but also opaque, so light cannot get in.
How to Get Kief Out of a Grinder?
To get kief out of the grinder, simply open it up, turn it upside down, and bang the two halves together. The kief should fall right out. Make sure that you have some kind of container or receptacle underneath to catch it.
There are also special little brushes that grinders often come with, or other little tools, which are specifically designed to scrape the kief and crystals out of the grinder.
Any kind of tool that the kief will not stick to is ideal. Don’t use your fingers, however, because the kief will stick to you. On that note, also don’t try using air pressure, such as blowing into the grinder, because this will just send the kief flying into the air.
How to Store Kief from Grinder
If you have a grinder that you can screw together and is fairly airtight, if it is opaque, and if you can store it in a dry area, then you technically don’t have to take the kief out of the grinder at all. The grinder should keep light and moisture out, especially if it is fairly airtight.
However, it is, of course, not the best option. If you want to store kief in your grinder properly, first remove it and then place it in a container. Once again, this container should be airtight, it should be opaque, and you should then store it in a cool, dark, and dry area.
2.5" 4-Piece Aluminum Grinder - Green
Kraken Grinders - 2.5"" Hex Ridge 4-Piece Grinder with Pollen Screen
Kief vs Hash
Kief is like the precursor to hash. Real hash is actually made out of kief. Those THC-laden trichomes are taken and then pressed into a puck using pressure and heat, and a whole lot of time.
Kief goes from being a loose and powdery substance that is relatively dry to a thick, solid, dense, and sticky brown mass, not unlike clay or playdough. Due to the refining process, hash is also significantly more potent than kief.
Final Thoughts – How to Store Kief
The bottom line here is kief has a limited shelf life. It’s not a few days or even weeks, but over time, the potency of your THC will deteriorate, and that THC is the whole point of adding kief to your regular cannabinoids. To preserve the quality of your kief, you can store it in a cool, dark, dry, and airtight container, and it should stay good for years to come.
Where to Buy Kief, Containers, and Grinders Online
If you are looking to create some high-quality kief, check out this CBG flower from Botany Farms. If you need a grinder to break down your buds and make some kief, check out this Vibes 4 Piece Grinder from Dankstop. Once you’re done with the grinding, you can use this Airtight Stash Jar that comes to us from the Smoke Cartel. All three combined should take your kief experience to the next level.
Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission when you click links in this content. Our professional curators independently research and recommend products and services, with no newsroom involvement. Merchants can pay for a sponsored listing and may choose to rewrite their summary. When that happens, we label the listing as “Sponsored” and highlight it in grey to differentiate the merchant-provided content from our writing.