Kief is the wonderfully potent trichome stalks and glands that fall off your herb. These little glands make the magic because they produce the THC. You can press the kief and add low heat to make hash (learn how to make hash here). Essentially that is the goal of a kief press, squeezing the trichomes into a hardened shape, minus the heat.
You can make that delicious and potent kief into a hardened brick, and smoke it longer than the charcoal briquets in your grill last Fourth of July! Pressed kief discs are easy to make.
When you use a grinder, you probably have one with a screen on the bottom to collect those precious trichomes. If you have collected a decent amount of them, you may wonder what to do with it all. First of all, the collected trichomes are called “pollen” or “kief” and can be smoked as is, or processed further into hashish pellets. The only other way to get your hands on a good amount of kief is to grow your own cannabis and shake the trichomes from the trim or buds, or to know a grower that is willing to give you pollen.
There are several ways to make hashish from your pollen, and today we are looking at the most easy method – using a pollen press. You only need pollen, a pollen press, and a few hours – that’s all! A pollen press is usually a small device that is made out of a high-grade material. It can make pressing little cake pellets out of your pollen pretty easy. Most of the time, it consists of a t-handle, two end caps, and the insert.
But why press your pollen into hashish pellets? This is done to preserve its potency so that you can store it for more than a few months. Also, it is more manageable this way. It takes up less space and your precious trichomes won’t get blown away.
What is a pollen press used for?
A kief press is used to press the trichomes formed in the herb grinders into hash pucks. This allows you to store rolled cannabis for a long time or smoke it without wasting any powder.Let’s face it. Kief can be a hassle to handle, and we end up loosing so much to our fingers or the wind. Thrive Leads Shortcode could not be rendered, please check it in Thrive Leads Section!
Can you smoke pressed Kief?
You can make that delicious and potent kief into a hardened brick, and smoke it longer than the charcoal briquets in your grill last Fourth of July! Pressed kief discs are easy to make.
Factors to consider when buying a kief press
Size and weight
The best kief press should be light-weight for portability and compact thus making it small in size. The diameter should match that of a good-sized coin to be able to press a solid and high-grade hash.
Quality
A good kief press should be well-engineered such that its construction is solid and comes with a handle. The materials should be durable to prolong the life of the kief press.
Ease of use
The best kief press is one that is easy to use, and the components are easy to insert or screw back after cleaning. It, therefore, should be smooth to operate.
Cleaning and maintenance
The best kief press is one that is simple and tough so that minimal cleaning and maintenance is needed. You should always wipe the kief press with alcohol and a piece of cloth after each use to keep it in good shape.
Homemade kief press
This press will make you some nice little discs, perfect for putting in your pipe. Start off with a pencil (unsharpened). Get a segmented ink pen with a straight metal body that is very slightly larger in diameter than the pencil. Grab some sturdy paper and you are set.
Step 1. Disassembly
Take apart the pen. Ideally, you should search for one that threads on the outside of the metal tube, not the inside. Threads will transfer to the disc, and prevent it sliding out smoothly.
Step 2. Get the kief
Scrap your grinder, or dump the bag you save it in onto the paper. This acts as a funnel when you fold it. Gently tip and tap the kief off the paper into the metal cylinder, sitting on a smooth, flat surface.
Step 3. Ram it home
Take the pencil, and use it to tap the kief down firmly into a small disc or pill. This “pill press” only takes seconds to make, and seconds to use. Press and pack hard, until you can’t push down anymore.
Step 4. Release and smoke
You will end up with a nice kief pill, perfect for popping into your bowl to smoke on leisurely. You can make the kief discs taller, but the ideal size is about the size of a regular prescription pill. To make taller discs, pack some kief down, then add more.
Too much unpacked kief at once in a small press might cause it to press too lightly, and crumble. You also might tip the press and shoot your hard earned puck across the table like a game of air hockey!All you have to do to get it out is lift off the table, and push the pencil through. Voila!Have you smoked pressed kief? Does it last you longer than a bowl of regular herb? Tell us on social media or in the comments section below.
How to use a Kief Press
Step 1
Remove the bottom part of your herb grinder to access your kief.Ensure that the kief you’re pressing is dry enough or consider storing it in a place with a low to relative humidity of less than 40% before pressing.
Step 2
Remove the cap of the pollen press and the pin before standing it up with the section where the pin is supposed to be facing upwards.
Step 3
Put the hash powder in the pollen press using a funnel or something similar to avoid any wastage before inserting the pin back into its place.
Step 4
Screw the caps back as tightly as possible such that no air gets through, and the hash is under a high amount of pressure. Leave the hash for about 8 hours before removing it from the kief press.
What’s the inner diameter of the press? I want to know if my pollen press suits the mypress. Thanks!