What's a brush? Collection, effects and uses
Have you ever heard the term kief? Do you want to know what it is? If you've ever noticed tiny residues on your palms after handling cannabis, you've come across kief. This article will introduce you to kief in more detail. Continue reading to find out more aboutwhat kief is, how it can be collected and thenused.
What is kief?
Cannabis plants are covered in what are known as trichomes, which are crystalline fibrous particles that coat the buds. Trichomes contain THC, CBD, and terpenes, which increase the psychoactive effect of cannabis and contribute to its medicinal properties. After the cannabis flowers are harvested and dried , thetrichomes become brittle and can be separated from each other to form what is known as a kief, sometimes called a skaff. When harvested, the kief is usually slightly darker than the buds and trichomes themselves. It is powdery and has a slightly sticky consistency, but not as much as the trichomes on the sticks.
How to collect kief?
Collecting kief is much easier than it might seem at first glance. Athree-chamber shredder or a special collection container designed for kiefis usually used to collect it .
Collecting with a three-chamber shredder
Thebest known and simplest method of collection is to use a three-chamber crusher, which crushes the cannabis buds into powder. The crusher grinds the cannabis and the kief grains then fall through a sieve and accumulate at the bottom of the crusher. Crushers usually have a dedicated chamber at the bottom called a kief catcher for this reason. Although a certain amount of patience is required to build up a sufficient supply, collecting kief with a crusher is very simple.
Collecting with a collection container
Another method of collecting kief is by using micro sieves, which are usually part of a wooden box (the so-called kief box). The kief box has two chambers. One is used to sieve the cannabis flowers and the other to catch the small grains. The dried flower can be coarsely chopped and gently pushed through the sieve to separate the trichomes from the plant. When the box is shaken, the trichomes fall off the flower. They then fall through the sieve and remain on the edges of the box.
What are the effects of kief?
As thetrichomes contain the vast majority of the cannabinoids in cannabis, kief contains far more THC compared to the whole plant. Cannabis sticks are mainly made up of parts of the plant (i.e. the calyxes and sugar leaves), whereas high-quality kief is made up of pure, intact trichomes and is therefore much more potent. Most standard cannabis flowers contain between 12 and 25 % THC, but kief can contain up to 70 % THC.
How to use kief?
Kief can be used in a variety of ways. Below is a list of the most common ones:
Making cannabis moonstones
Moonrocks are an extremely potent form of cannabis. To make them, simply heat hash oil and soak the buds in it, which are then coated in kief.
By adding it to tea or coffee
If you're going to make tea, put the kief and a little coconut oil in a pot of water and let it simmer for about an hour, then just pour the water with the infused kief over your favourite tea.
If you have an espresso machine, just add the ground kief grains along with the ground coffee beans to the filter, then just start the machine and your coffee with a good grind is ready.
Don't forget to decarboxylate thekief before use to activate the cannabinoids and make the final product stronger.
Making a good batch of cannabutter
If you're lucky enough to collect a substantial supply of kief, youcan make butter from it to use in your favourite recipes. Hemp butter has a wide range of uses, and if your batch comes out too weak, you can add kief to it to increase its potency. The main thing to keep in mind when making hemp butter is that the hemp must first be decarboxylated. Failure to do this will result in a weak or ineffective butter.
Making e-liquid kief
If you have enough kief, you can make your own e-liquidfrom it . To do this, heat vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol and kief together in a water bath and then strain this mixture and fill it into a vape cartridge.
How to store kief?
Kief, like cannabis, is a natural substance that issubject to oxidation, drying out and spoilingafter a period of time . By storing kief properly, you can extend its freshness. Proper storage of kief is very simple. Kief should be stored in a cool, dark place without direct sunlight. You can store it in a clean, airtight glass container and keep it in a dark, dry place, much like cannabis flowers. If you own a three-chamber shredder, you can store the kief in the lower part of the shredder, called the kief catcher, until you want to use it.
Interested in more ways to use cannabis?Visit our blog to read more!
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