Written by Joshua Sosin

Kief is the name we use for the small, sticky trichomes that fall off of the cannabis plant. These trichomes are incredibly powerful — they're full of potent cannabinoids and terpenes, which give cannabis its aromas, flavors, and effects.

When kief is separated from the rest of the cannabis plant and collected, it looks like a fine powder with a golden-green color. This powder has many different creative uses, including making edibles, crafting hash, pressing into rosin, and more.

Let's take a look at the must-know details about consuming kief and figure out the best ways to add it to your cannabis experiences.

Table of Contents

• How Is Kief Collected?

• Why Is Kief So Powerful?

• How Do You Store Kief?

• How Can You Use Kief?

• Can You Make Edibles With Kief?

• Pressing Kief Into Rosin

• Is Kief Legal?

• Kief: A Powerful Cannabis Concentrate

How Is Kief Collected?

Kief falls off of cannabis buds on its own without too much help. To collect kief yourself, you can use a weed grinder with a kief catcher chamber. This type of grinder features a mesh screen that separates kief from the rest of the flower, making it easy to use later in whatever way you see fit.

If you need some grinder recommendations, check out our blog post on the best weed grinders to buy in 2025.

Why Is Kief So Powerful?

Kief is incredibly potent because it's made from only the most powerful parts of the cannabis plant. The trichomes that fall off of cannabis flower contain much higher concentrations of THC and other compounds than the rest of the plant material. Because of this, consuming kief can lead to a much more potent high.

How Do You Store Kief?

Storing kief is pretty simple and straightforward. To lock in its freshness and potency, just store it in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. When you protect kief from light, heat, and moisture, it will stay potent for as long as possible — usually about a year.

How Can You Use Kief?

Cannabis enthusiasts are pretty passionate about high-quality kief, and it's easy to see why. It's easy to collect and simple to use, and the payoff is incredible.

Here are some of the most popular ways to use kief to upgrade your cannabis experience:

Adding Kief to Joints To Boost Potency

You can sprinkle kief on top of ground cannabis flower in a joint to make that joint much more powerful. If you go this route, keep in mind that a little bit of kief goes a long way. If you're smoking a 1g joint, you may only want to add a tiny amount of kief into the mix.

Vaping Kief for Highly Potent Hits

If you have a dry herb vaporizer, you can vape kief for a smoother smoking experience. This consumption method is best for experienced cannabis enthusiasts because it has more than twice the potency of regular flower.

Dabbing Kief in the Form of Moon Rocks

Moon rocks are powerful cannabis concentrates that combine dried flower, THC distillate, and kief. They're sometimes called the caviar of the cannabis world because of how flavorful and potent they are.

We proudly offer Moon Rocks in the Mood Shop, and you can use them in multiple ways. While we recommend vaporizing them using a dab rig, you can also add a small amount of moon rocks to a bowl or joint for an intense high.

Grab 1g of THCa Moonrocks from the Mood Shop today. Subscribe to save 15% on your order.

Can You Make Edibles With Kief?

Adding kief to homemade edibles is a tried-and-true way to make your batch even more powerful.

However, keep in mind that kief needs to be heated (and, ideally, mixed with a fat like butter or oil) before you bake it into edibles. Heating the kief will amplify its effects and get you the best possible edibles.

If you want to learn more about how to make edibles at home, check out our blog post on cannabutter.

Pressing Kief Into Rosin: How It Works

Because of its powdery texture, kief isn't the best for dabbing when used on its own. However, you can press kief into rosin using a rosin press or hair straightener and make a clean concentrate that's easy to vape or dab.

This process is pretty quick and simple. All you need to do is press and heat the kief until it loses its powdery appearance and becomes a dark-colored, sticky substance. At this point, you'll know you've successfully created rosin.

Is Kief Legal?

This is an important question to ask about any cannabis product before purchasing. Thankfully, in this case, the answer is often yes.

The Farm Bill changed the way that cannabis products like hemp are classified, separating hemp products from marijuana.

Under the Farm Bill, a product like kief is labeled "hemp" if it contains no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight. Anything over this threshold is marijuana, which is illegal.

All of the cannabis products in the Mood Shop meet the Farm Bill's criteria for hemp and are carefully tested for quality, consistency, and safety.

Ordering from a trustworthy source like Mood gives you peace of mind and confidence that you're not breaking the law by enjoying the amazing effects of cannabis.

Kief: A Powerful Cannabis Extract

Kief is an amazing by-product of the cannabis plant, and it's easy to see why so many cannabis enthusiasts swear by it. Its potency and amazing aromas and flavors make it a favorite for cannabis consumers, and it has plenty of DIY applications that make it even more useful.

To learn more about kief and other cannabis concentrates, head to the Mood Blog.