What is Kief?

As the cannabis plant matures, its buds develop resinous glands called trichomes, which contain THC, CBD, terpenes, and other compounds that contribute to cannabis’ psychoactive effect and healing properties. Trichomes look like tiny crystals—think finely-milled sugar or salt. When these trichomes dry and break off of the plant, they become kief.

Kief, because it has oxidized and loses its freshness when separated from the plant buds, usually has a darker color than trichomes, ranging from light gold to brown. It has a powdery appearance and a texture that is somewhat sticky, though less so than trichomes on a bud. Another name for kief is “pollen,” and sometimes it gets spelled like “keef,” but kief is the correct name.

Kief can be added to vape chambers, bowls, or joints for an added kick when your bud is lacking. It can also be pressed into hash if you have enough kief in your grinder.

How to use kief - Sprinkle kief onto a bowl of cannabis and smoke it

Also known as “crowning a bowl,” this is the most common way to use kief, and it will increase the potency of any bowl.

Corner your hits to get the most out of a kief-topped bowl, which entails burning only a small quadrant of the bowl at a time as opposed to the whole thing, so you can enjoy multiple hits without wasting any kief.

Sprinkle kief into a joint or roll a twax joint

When rolling a joint, blunt, or spliff, you can pepper your mix with a healthy pinch of kief. This is a great way to use pollen for an extra kick. Make sure to add the kief evenly throughout, as it can cause the joint to burn unevenly.

You can also “twax” a joint—dampen the outside of a joint with a lick, and roll the top 1/3 of the joint in some kief.

Don't cheat yourself, treat yourself!