What Is Kief? How to Collect, Use and Store It

Kief is the fine, sandy powder made of trichomes, the tiny resin glands that cover cannabis flower, after they break off the buds. Those trichomes are where the plant makes and stores most of its THC and terpenes, so kief is more concentrated than the flower it came from. Most people first find it in the bottom chamber of a grinder.

This guide covers what kief is, how strong it is, how it is collected, the ways people use it, how it compares with hash, how to store it, and the New York rules. It comes from our budtenders at NY Elite Cannabis in Bayside, Queens. It is general information, not medical advice.

What is kief?

Look closely at a cannabis bud and you will see it is covered in tiny, sparkly hairs. Those are glandular trichomes. Each one has a stalk and a round head, and the head is a little resin factory: plant scientists have shown that the glandular trichomes on female flowers are where cannabinoids such as THCA and most of the aromatic terpenes are made and stored (Plant Physiology, 2019).

When dried flower is handled, shaken or ground, many of those trichome heads snap off. Gathered together, they make a light green to golden-tan powder. That powder is kief. The word comes from Arabic and has long been used in North Africa for sifted cannabis resin.

Is kief just ground-up weed?

No. Ground flower is the whole bud, including plant material. Kief is only the resin glands that fell off it. That is why kief is finer, lighter in color, and noticeably stronger. Good kief looks like fine sand or powdered sugar. The greener it is, the more plant matter it contains, and the lighter and more golden it is, the purer.

Is kief stronger than flower?

Yes. Because kief is mostly trichome heads, and trichomes are where the cannabinoids are, kief has more THC by weight than the flower it came from. How much more depends on how clean it is: kief from a home grinder includes some plant material, while carefully sifted "dry sift" is purer and stronger. Check the THC percentage on the label of any packaged product.

Higher THC means a stronger effect from a smaller amount. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that dispensary flower and concentrates can reach very high THC levels, and the CDC links frequent use of highly concentrated THC products with more severe cannabis use disorder symptoms. A pinch of kief goes a long way.

What is the difference between kief and hash?

Hash starts as kief. When loose trichomes are pressed together with heat and pressure, or worked by hand, the resin softens and binds into a solid. So kief is the loose powder and hash is the compressed form. Pressing changes the texture and can change how it smokes, but kief and the hash made from it start with the same plant material. You can press a small amount of kief into a pellet at home with a pollen press, which makes it easier to handle.

How is kief collected?

• A grinder with a kief catcher. A three- or four-piece grinder has a fine mesh screen under the grinding chamber. As you grind, trichomes fall through the screen into a bottom compartment. Over weeks of use, the catcher fills with kief.
• Dry sifting. Dried flower is gently rubbed or shaken over one or more fine mesh screens, and the trichomes fall through. Using a series of screens produces cleaner, more refined "dry sift."
• A kief box. A box with a screen inside: you shake the flower on top and collect what falls through.

Collecting works best with fully dried flower. Cold helps, because trichome heads become brittle and break off more easily, which is why some people put the grinder in the freezer for a few minutes first. Use the small scraper that comes with most grinders to get the kief out.

Why won't my grinder collect kief?

The usual cause is a clogged screen. Sticky resin builds up in the mesh and blocks the trichomes from falling through. Clean the screen with a soft brush, or soak the grinder parts in isopropyl alcohol, rinse with warm water and let everything dry fully before using it again. Very fresh, moist flower also drops less kief than well-dried flower.

How do you use kief?

• Sprinkle it on a bowl. Put a thin layer of kief on top of the flower in a pipe or bowl. Start with a small pinch.
• Add it to a joint. Sprinkle a little along the flower before rolling, or roll the outside of a joint in kief. A joint with added kief or concentrate is often called a "twax" joint. Kief can make a joint burn unevenly, so use it sparingly.
• Press it into hash. A pollen press turns loose kief into a solid puck that is easier to store and break apart.
• Make rosin. Some people press kief with heat into rosin to dab.
• Cook with it. Kief can go into butter or oil for edibles, but only after it is heated first (see the next section).
• Vape it. Some dry herb vaporizers can handle kief, usually on a pad or mixed with flower. Check your device's instructions.

Can you eat kief or make edibles with it?

Not raw, if you want it to have an effect. Raw kief is mostly THCA, which is not intoxicating until it is heated and converted into THC. This step is called decarboxylation. In a lab study, THCA was almost fully converted after about 30 minutes at 230°F (110°C), with higher temperatures working faster (Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2016). After that, kief can be mixed into butter or oil.

Homemade edibles are hard to dose because you cannot measure how much THC ended up in each piece, and edibles take much longer to kick in than smoking. If you want predictable edibles, buy licensed ones: New York caps them at 10 mg of THC per serving and 100 mg per package, and each one is lab tested. If you do cook with kief, start with a very small piece, wait at least two hours before eating more, label everything clearly, and keep it away from children and pets.

How should you store kief?

Light, heat and air all break down cannabinoids over time. A long-term storage study of hashish and marijuana found that light and higher temperatures sped up the loss of THC and its conversion to CBN (Forensic Science International, 2019). Store kief in a small, airtight glass jar in a cool, dark place, away from children and pets. Avoid plastic bags, where static makes the fine powder cling to the sides.

Is kief legal in New York?

Adults 21 and older can legally buy and possess cannabis products in New York, including concentrates. New York's Cannabis Law defines "concentrated cannabis" to include "the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from cannabis" (Cannabis Law § 3). Kief is separated resin, so it is reasonable to treat it as concentrated cannabis, which adults may carry up to 24 grams of, alongside up to 3 ounces of flower (OCM fact sheet). Kief you collect from flower you bought legally is yours to use, but you cannot sell it. Licensed dispensaries sell kief products, such as kief-infused pre-rolls, that are tested and labeled under state rules.

Safe use

• Start small. Kief is stronger than flower. Begin with a light sprinkle and see how it feels before adding more.
• New users: skip kief until you know how flower affects you.
• Do not drive or operate machinery after using cannabis.
• Do not mix with alcohol, which increases impairment.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid cannabis.
• Store it safely, in a labeled, closed container out of reach of children and pets. If a child swallows cannabis, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911.

Kief products at NY Elite

We stock pre-rolls and flower made with kief. Here are a few on the menu right now; stock and prices change daily, so tap through to see what is available.

• Honey King OG Kush Diamond Infused Kief Pre-Roll, 1.2 g, also in a 5 pack.
• House of Sacci Trop Cherry Hash, Rosin & Kief Infused 5 pack, 3.5 g total.
• Kiefin It Real Tropical Runtz Kief Infused Ground Flower, 7 g, ready to roll.

Need a grinder with a kief catcher? Browse accessories, or see all pre-rolls and concentrates.

Frequently asked questions

Where to buy kief products in Bayside, Queens

NY Elite Cannabis is a New York State licensed adult-use dispensary (license OCM-CAURD-24-000153) on Bell Blvd in Bayside. Our budtenders can show you kief-infused pre-rolls, concentrates and grinders, and explain how strong each one is. Shop in store, or order online for pickup or same-day delivery.

• Address: 42-15 Bell Blvd, Bayside, NY 11361 (between 42nd and 43rd Avenues). Directions and parking.
• Store hours: 10 AM to 10 PM, every day.
• Delivery: same-day delivery across Queens, Nassau County and the Rockaways, with no delivery fees. Ordering hours are Sunday to Friday 11 AM to 8:30 PM and Saturday 6 PM to 8:30 PM. Delivery hours may vary based on driver availability and demand. Minimums and zones are on the delivery page.
• Paying: cash or debit in store. Delivery orders are paid online with Dutchie Pay (ACH bank transfer).
• Bring ID: you must be 21 or older with a valid government photo ID, in store and at the door.

Sources

• Metabolite and transcriptome profiling of cannabis glandular trichomes, Zager et al., Plant Physiology, 2019
• Decarboxylation study of acidic cannabinoids, Wang et al., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2016
• The role of time and storage conditions on the composition of hashish and marijuana, Forensic Science International, 2019
• Cannabis (Marijuana), National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Cannabis Health Effects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Cannabis Law § 3, Definitions, New York State Senate
• Cannabis Law fact sheet: penal law, NYS Office of Cannabis Management