What kief dust is
Kief dust is the loose resin that falls off cannabis flowers. The resin comes from trichomes, the glands on the plant surface. Each gland has a stalk and a head. The head holds cannabinoids and terpenes. When heads break off, they collect as a powder. On CBD flower, that powder carries CBD. Kief from high-THC flower carries THC.
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Trichome size and screens
Trichome heads measure about 50 to 100 microns across. Collection screens for kief sit near 75 to 125 microns. Screens in that range pass resin heads and hold back plant matter. A finer screen gives cleaner resin and a lower yield.
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Cold and static
Resin turns brittle at low temperature. Chilled flower releases more heads. Static makes powder cling to plastic, so metal and glass tools lose less of the batch.
Kief, hash, and rosin
- Pressing kief with heat and pressure makes hash.
- Pressing kief in a heated press makes rosin.
- Unpressed kief stays a powder.
CBD kief and potency
Kief from CBD flower contains CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes. Potency moves with the cultivar and with screen size. A lab test reports total CBD, total THC, and the terpene profile. US hemp law sets the THC limit at 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Kief can test above the flower it came from, because the resin holds most of the THC. Ask for the batch certificate number.
Storage
Kief loses potency with air, light, and heat. Keep it in a sealed glass jar. Keep the jar dark and cool. A gram of kief takes up less space than a gram of flower, so a small jar holds a full batch.