Kief is a term used to describe the simplest form of a cannabis extract. It usually comes as a blonde to dark brown powder. It offers the same uses as the cannabis flower but in a concentrated version. CBD kief comes from CBD-rich hemp (Cannabis l. Sativa) varieties.
How is CBD kief made?
If we take a closer look at the cannabis flower we can see it is coated with tiny crystals. These crystals are the resin glands where most of the active ingredients are concentrated. The resin glands, also called trichomes, are where the good stuff is at. When we separate the trichomes from the plant matter we collect sticky dust called kief.
There are many different methods to obtain kief. The most common is to dry the hemp flower and then shake the trichome heads off. What falls off is then sifted through fine mesh screens to further separate the heads from plant material.
CBD kief production
Depending on the process, we end with kief of varying qualities. Some techniques focused on quality, some on quantity. Below are the most common practices of kief production.
Dry sift CBD kief
This is the most straightforward process to obtain kief. Dry hemp biomass is placed on a fine mesh screen and then rolled around so the trichome heads fall off. On a more industrial scale, rotating tumblers are used to shake the plant material. To maximize the throughput the biomass needs to be very dry. The dry biomass can also be frozen so the trichomes detach easier.
Cold Water extraction
Also known as the bubble hash or ice water extraction in the cannabis world, this technique involves freezing water to separate the trichomes from cannabis flowers. A vessel is filled with water and ice, and then the cannabis biomass is mixed in. Due to cold temperatures and the gentle agitation of the mixture, the trichome heads will be stripped off. This method is considered the purest method of kief production, as the plant matter will stay afloat, while the precious trichomes will fall to the bottom of the vessel.
Dry Ice extraction
Dry ice is CO2 in a solid form and has many industrial applications. It is commonly used in the food industry since it is non-toxic and has a temperature of -78°C. It is ideal for kief production since it brings freezing temperature in the process without adding moisture as seen in cold water extraction. The downside when working with dry ice is that we might end up with kief of lower quality.
How to determine CBD kief quality?
A perfect kief would consist of 100% of trichome heads. This is almost unachievable with any production technique, but 50% of heads are already considered high quality. We can easily judge kief by examining its 3 key properties.
Kief color
While the color of the kief is not a decisive factor, if we get a green-looking powder it is already a red flag. Green-colored kief is a sign of plant material mixed between trichome heads. Good kief should always be light brown to golden since the trichome heads can be either transparent, milky white, or amber. Dark brown kief is also an indication of lesser quality.
The rule of thumb should always be the lighter the color, the better the quality!
Is the kief sticky?
Sometimes we can be deceived thinking the dark brown kief is of lesser quality. Usually dark brown means the chlorophyll from the plant matter has broken down from a green tint to darker shades. But it could also mean the resin glands have matured, or that the plant material used to process kief was old. Anyhow, since trichome heads are sticky, the more the kief sticks and clumps the more trichome heads are present. If we press it firmly together and it quickly breaks apart, it means it is contaminated with plant matter.
The stickier the kief, the superior the quality!
How should CBD kief smell?
The smell of the kief should resemble the smell of the hemp flower it was extracted from. The more it smells of resin the better. If it smells pungent, piney, fruity, or has a floral aroma the kief has potential. If the kief smells of chlorophyll which reminds you of cut crass or spinach, then there are probably not many trichome heads in the mix.
The ultimate way of telling CBD kief quality
Even with the methods above, it is hard to know how many trichome heads are really in the product. Sometimes the hemp producers just grind lower-grade hemp flower to a powdery consistency and sell it as kief. A novice kief consumer can easily pass the fine ground hemp for kief. Even the certificates of analysis don’t mean much unless we perform the analysis ourselves.
Luckily, we can find out the quality of kief by using a magnifying glass. With at least a 20x magnifying loupe we can inspect the kief powder and examine how many trichome heads are present.
If we own a high-end smartphone with an advanced camera, we can macro zoom into the powder. And the more trichomes we see, the better the material!
How to use CBD kief?
CBD kief can be used pretty much in the same ways as CBD flower. It can be smoked, vaped, extracted, or infused into edible products. It is worth mentioning that kief has an edge over the flower since it is more concentrated. This means lesser material is needed for the same results. Another thing to note is that kief usually doesn’t impair such a strong taste when we use it in edibles, for those who find the taste of cannabis unappealing.
