Monday July 16, 2018
420 Culture
If you’re a cannabis consumer, odds are you might use a grinder to help break down your buds. And while every grinder might not have the same functionality, many of them contain a chamber at the bottom used to collect a special substance: kief. There are several other methods of collecting kief, including sift boxes and tumblers, but today we’re going to focus on the ways you can put your collected kief to good use.
If you’re unfamiliar with kief, be sure to read up on it in our concentrate guide!
The Convenient Way to Use Kief
Every time you grind up flower in a chambered grinder, it will undoubtedly collect a little kief. And what might start as a light dusting can turn into a significant pile over time. Because it takes a while to collect, many people leave their kief to build up for as long as possible – or until more desperate circumstances arise.
Example of kief collected at the bottom of a grinder.
We’ve all been there when that desperate day comes. Your stash runs out, the dispensary is closed and you’re staring down at an appealing layer of kief that’s built up inside of your grinder. Of course, smoking it is a sure fire way to elevate your mind in a time of need, but if you don’t have to we’d advise you save that hard-earned kief for more creative indulgences.
Creative Ways to Utilize Your Kief Collection
Smoking kief can be a great way to get high in a pinch, bit there are many more ways to put it to good use. Check out some of the ideas below to get creative with your kief and take your cannabis consumption to a whole new level.
Add an Extra Kick to a Joint, Bowl or Blunt
One of the easiest ways to incorporate kief into your cannabis regimen is by adding it to your joints or blunts. Doing so will provide an extra boost in potency that compliments your cannabis flower nicely. For a simple application, all you need to do is sprinkle a layer of kief into the middle of your joint before rolling. Be sure to have an even layer of flower on top both sides of your kief to guarantee an even burn.
If you want to get more creative than simply adding kief into your joint or blunt, use a paper doused with concentrate, or twaxed, and roll your joint through your kief collection. The oil-coated paper will come up looking like a sour apple candy stick. Don’t eat it though; we’ll get into cooking with kief later.
Topping your bowl with kief is a great way to add some potency and flavor. photo by David Dewitt
To incorporate kief into your bowl-smoking experience, all you need to do is top your flower with a nice scoop of kief. You can also layer kief in between flower when packing for a flavorful, slow burn to your bowl.
Make Your Own Rosin
If you’re a fan of concentrate, then you have to try this one. This is a longer-term strategy as opposed to the churn-and-burn style of a consumer who frequently empties their kief tray, but with a little elbow grease and know-how you can make yourself some pretty nice rosin to dab.
Keep in mind that you’ll need a good amount of kief (at least a few grams) to make your own rosin, but if you can save up enough the results can be fantastic.
To make your own DIY kief rosin, place your collected kief between parchment paper (or inside a rosin bag between parchment for best results). Using a hair straightener (or rosin press if you have one), clamp down onto the parchment and apply as much pressure as you can until you can hear a sizzle. Careful not to press too long or you might end up with a burnt final product. When you open up your parchment paper there should be some rosin collected on the sides. After cooling down, you’ll have a potent concentrate that’s easily scraped together for dabbing.
If you’re not in the mood for rapidly delivering cannabis to your system in the form of concentrates, consider the slower approach: making your own edibles.
Make Edibles
Similar to flower, you can definitely infuse kief into your favorite cooking oil or butter. But if you don’t mind a little kief flavor, bypassing the oil infusion and baking cookies directly with kief is arguably the easiest way to cook with cannabis. Because it’s so fine, you’ll barely be able to notice the kief – minus the flavor.
The first step is to decarboxylate the kief to activate the cannabinoids and make it more bioavailable upon consumption. Check out our video below for a quick and easy decarboxylation method!
Once your kief is ready to go, prepare your cookie dough. Now it’s time to add your kief! Make each cookie into a bowl shape and sprinkle in roughly one teaspoon (or more for stronger results) of kief into each cookie bowl. Then, ball up the cookies individually and bake as usual – be sure to keep your temperature below 325°F though to avoid burning off cannabinoids. Voila! Cannabis cookies made easily from kief.
Vaporize It
Vaping is a great way to give your kief some extra legs. Because of the high trichome content of kief it will vaporize slowly, similar to a concentrate. Even better? Mix your kief in with a bowl of flower for increased potency and extended longevity of your smoke session.
Try coating your flower in kief before vaporizing!
If you do decide to vaporize your kief, remember that kief can be considerably more potent than the flower. Placing it in your vaporizer is highly effective and recommended, but use a smaller amount than you would for regular flower.
Enhance a “Generational” Joint or Bowl
This one definitely falls into the desperate category but can get you much higher than simply smoking your kief on its own. To start your generational joint, open up your Altoids can full of roaches or your ashtray and start ripping them to pieces. Throw out the old paper and pile up the remaining flower inside. What you’re left with is a considerable pile of tarred cannabis. It’s smokeable, but unpalatable. Here’s where ideas with your kief come in.
Using the tarred cannabis to pack a bowl or roll a joint, either mix in some kief or sprinkle it on top of your bowl. Be careful; the freshness of your kief does nothing to offset the harshness of your broken-up roaches, but it does add a touch cannabis flavor to it.
Don’t Be Afraid to Try Your Own Methods
Cannabis use is about the personal freedom to explore your true self at a deeper level. It’s also about opening up your creativity. If you have a sizeable pile of kief in your grinder, use that creativity to make it your own!
Do you put a dash of it in a drink you invented? Do you liven up your flower bowls with it? Or, do you go to the carnival and discreetly sprinkle it on top of your $5 elephant ear? It’s your kief, so show your creativity!
Do you have any creative ways to use your kief? Let us know in the comments below!
