Kief / Dry Sift

What You Need to Know About Trichomes

Trichomes are an essential part of Kief weed. They are small, bulbous glands that come out of the surface of leaves, buds, and stalks of late-stage cannabis. They often look like little white hairs to the ordinary eye and have a diameter of about 50 – 100 micrometres,

Upon very close observation, you can see that these glands ooze resin. But, outside that, one of the most interesting things about trichomes is the head. There, THC, CBD, and terpenes are born, giving the weed all that it is meant to be.

Besides housing the essential compounds you’ll find in weed, they also have an evolutionary function. Trichomes on cannabis plants help to keep hungry animals away. They do this by inducing a deep psychoactive effect in the hungry herbivore that takes a bite out of them. Once “high,” the animal is often too disoriented and distracted to eat what is left of the plant after the first few bites. Hence, the cannabis’ survival is ensured. 

Besides that, the specific perfume that resins emit causes pollinating insects and predators to come around. With predators and insects constantly in the vicinity, herbivores that could eat the plant are no longer inclined to come in that direction.

How to Extract Kief

There are a few different ways to get your kief out of the cannabis plant. But, the simplest of all is through a three-chamber herb grinder. This device will help you to sift and collect your kief easily while griding. It has a repository at the bottom that allows kief particles to fall in seamlessly. Once you’ve gathered enough, you can always go back and collect your precious marijuana kief.

Now, you could use a herb grinder with two chambers only. But, the problem with that is you could lose precious kief when they fall and hang onto the grinder’s insides.

If you will be extracting huge amounts of kief, you can go for an easy-to-use screening material. Usually, people make their own sifters. They aren’t necessarily professional-grade, but these make-shift sifters help to save money. To get the most out of the kief sifting experience, the best thing to use is a few layered screened that are arranged atop each other.

While you’re trying to get your gear, however, you should remember that kief usually comes in different sizes. So, your sifter’s total number of lines per inch is very important for getting the best results. Generally, if the screen is large, it’ll have a smaller number of lines per inch. The optimal number is between 80 to 270 lines per inch. Getting a sifter with these figures will help to keep your kief from falling out.

While all these might seem complicated, you don’t necessarily need to sift your own kief all the time. You can always get it at a proper dispensary of your choice. Once there, keep in mind that if your kief has darker tones, it isn’t very pure. 

How to Consume Kief

There are different ways through which you can enjoy your kief. Some of the most popular options include smoking, adding it to edibles, making hash or moonrocks, etc. In reality, the possibilities are endless and it largely depends on your creativity/preferences.

Perhaps the most popular way is by sprinkling it into a joint. Your joint’s potency is raised much higher when you do this. With this method, your joint’s increased potency is directly proportional to how much kief you add.

Now, keep in mind that kiefs are much purer than regular versions of weed. So, if you’ll be adding them to your joint, you should be careful with the dosage. A little too much can leave you feeling rather uncomfortable after smoking. It’s always a good idea to start small on your first try and scale up from there. 

A close alternative is to add it to your cannabutter. Much like it would with a joint, kief would make your edibles much more potent. To get this done, ensure that you mix your kief with flowers. This helps you to get the best results after decarboxylating your cannabis

Cooking With Kief

Like many other forms of cannabis and cannabis use, kief can become one of your cooking ingredients. One of the easiest methods of cooking with kief is by using a saucepan to combine it with oil. This should be done on a stove with medium to low heat. 

You’ll love this method if you’re making THC-rich sauces. First, make sure that you have the right amount of kief in the oil. Then, stir the kief slowly with a spoon as the oil gets hotter. 

After soaking your kief in oil for up to 40 minutes, you can add your final sauce ingredients and continue cooking. Once done, simply add the sauce to your meal and you’re good to go.

How to Store Kief

Many people are torn about the best way to store kief such that you don’t lose any of the kief or its freshness. But, the storage method that seems to shine through all that controversy is storing in the dark in an airtight glass container. 

You can get them in any size or style. Just ensure that they suit your need properly. To do that, consider two primary factors. The first is how much kief you’ll be storing. The second is how long you’ll be storing the kief for.

After getting the jar and storing your kief, you can use a small spatula to extract it. Simply insert the spatula into the jar and take out the kief. If any is stuck to the sides, you can use the spatula to scrape it off as well. If too much kief is stuck to the side, you can keep your container in the freezer for a couple of hours. Doing so will help to loosen up the kief from the jar’s walls. Then, you can insert your small spatula once again and remove the valuable kief that would’ve otherwise gone to waste.

In Conclusion

Kief is a very enjoyable cannabis product that’s easy to extract. Here, we’ve answered all the basic questions you might have about it. If you suffer from any medical condition, it is important before consuming any marijuana component to see your doctor to discuss.

References:

1. Donald A. Levin. The Role of Trichomes in Plant Defense. Accessed January 21, 2021 at https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/407484.
2. Christian Lindholst. Long term stability of cannabis resin and cannabis extracts. Accessed January 21, 2021 at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00450610903258144.
3. Meredith C.Meacham Michael J. Paul Danielle E. Ramo. Understanding emerging forms of cannabis use through an online cannabis community: An analysis of relative post volume and subjective highness ratings. Accessed January 21, 2021 at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871618302424.
4. P. Dayanandan, Peter B. Kaufman. TRICHOMES OF CANNABIS SATIVA L. (CANNABACEAE). Accessed January 21, 2021 at https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.1537-2197.1976.tb11846.x.
5. P G Kevan, H G Baker. Insects as Flower Visitors and Pollinators. Accessed January 21, 2021 at https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.en.28.010183.002203?journalCode=ento.
6. J.L Simonsen. The Terpenes. Accessed January 21, 2021 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1261046/pdf/biochemj01112-0003.pdf.
7. Machado Bergamaschi, Mateus; Helena Costa Queiroz, Regina; Waldo Zuardi, Antonio; Alexandre S. Crippa, Jose. Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa Constituent. Accessed January 21, 2021 at https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cds/2011/00000006/00000004/art00005.