How to Use Cannabis Concentrates: A Real Guide to Kief, Hash, and Extracts

Cannabis concentrates such as kief and hash, etc are highly popular among recreational and medicinal users. They are potent, versatile and more effective than flowering cannabis varieties. Most importantly, these provide canna consumers more options to consume the plant in a way that fits their needs.

The effect and experience you get with kief, hash, and other extracts can vary depending on the production, cannabinoid concentration, and consumption methods. It is therefore vital to learn the differences between the concentrates, their structure, and use. 

So, in this comprehensive guide, we will get right into Kief, hash, and extracts and give you the information that will help you identify the difference between cannabis kief hash and extracts.

What are Cannabis Concentrates?

Cannabis concentrates refer to cannabis products that contain cannabinoids (i.e., THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol)) in a concentrated form. 

A conventional raw cannabis flower has a low cannabinoid count. So, the manufacturers employ different techniques to extract potent and pure cannabinoids for powerful effects. These extracts are concentrated, hence the name concentrates. Concentrates may appear in a powdered (kief) or block (hash) form.

Depending on the methods of extraction, it is possible to remove cannabinoids in the cannabis plant using several techniques, but usually, solvents or mechanical methods are used. Such means lead to different concentrates, including:

• Solventless concentrates, such as Kief and hash, and
• Solvent-based extracts, including shatter, wax, and live resin. 

Concentrates give you a variety of consumption methods. They also offer a more tailored cannabis experience to users seeking an intense instant high or a more prolonged therapeutic response.

Regarding difference between cannabis kief hash and extracts, the key difference between concentrates and regular cannabis flowers is the high active compound concentration. 

• Conventional cannabis flowers usually have anywhere between 12-25% THC.
• Concentrates have grown to have up to 90 or even more percent THC.

This strength renders concentrates to be the preferred choice of experienced cannabis consumers or those seeking a more substantial experience.

Kief: The Concentrate Dust

Kief is sometimes called the “dust” of cannabis, and the production of many forms of cannabis concentrates starts with Kief. It is a powdery material made up of trichomes, which are glandular structures on the buds of the cannabis plant. It is in these trichomes that the cannabinoids and terpenes of cannabis are attributed to the strength, smell, and effects of cannabis.

Kief Collection Method 

The trichomes are commonly collected through dry sifting that separates the plant material. 

• One of the simplest ways of collecting the Kief is through a cannabis grinder backed by a mesh screen.
• As a cannabis flower is crushed, the trichomes become detached, fall through the screen, and collect at the grinder’s base. 

Alternately, more high-tech methods of kief harvesting, such as silk-screen sifting, may be used where flowers are rubbed over a fine mesh to shake off the trichomes.

The quantity of kief gathered relies on the potency of the cannabis flower and how the trichomes are filtrated. The resulting powder, which is a highly concentrated form of cannabis, is even more potent than the raw flower itself. It may be stored as-is or pressed into hash to be further used.

Kief THC Content & Potency

Among the key reasons why Kief is relatively popular is the level of THC content that it includes. 

• Kief contains up to 70% THC, which is a lot more than what is contained in ordinary cannabis buds.
• In comparison, the flowers of cannabis usually have a concentration of 12-25%. 

This means that kief is one of the most potent forms of cannabis concentrates around. It provides an immediate and intense high.

How to Consume Kief

Kief is versatile and can be used in many ways. 

• Probably the most common is when someone sprinkles kief over cannabis flowers in a joint, a bowl, or a bong. This increases the strength of the typical flower, which has a more substantial effect with a relatively small increase in effort. 
• Kief can also be vaporized or smoked by itself so that users can feel the full impact. Those who would like to step things up a notch can even press kief into a hash block to have a different consumption experience but an equally potent high.

Kief is an ideal starting point when entering the world of concentrates. It is very easy to harvest and ingest and has a very powerful effect that is not adulterated by other methods of extraction.

Hash: The Kief Block

Hash is a somewhat older and common form of marijuana concentrate. It is often called a cake of cannabis. It is produced by  pressing and blending  kief using heat and pressure to produce hard gel or a cake. It is regarded as an “ancient technique” deployed in cultures that are based on cannabis and is favored by cannabis enthusiasts because of its strength, taste, and tradition.

Types of Hash

Hash comes in many forms, and all of them are cooked differently.

• Traditional hash: It is the most ancient and simplest hash. It is pad-pressed into little blocks or kief cakes manually. It is a conventional manufacturing method in places where cannabis is grown commercially as well as recreationally.
• Bubble Hash: This is another kind of hash made using the ice-water extraction method, which allows the rapid removal of trichomes and the cannabis flower. The process is done by shaking the ice and water with cannabis which separates the trichomes, that are later identified with a series of mesh baggies. The finished hash is purer and cleaner than traditional hand-pressed and does not burn as many plant-derived flavors and terpenes.
• Rosin Hash: Rosin is a solventless concentrate made from cannabis flowers or hash through the use of heat and pressure. This process isolates a concentrated resin that can be used in dabbing or vaping. The biggest benefit of rosin is that it is produced with no solvents exposed, which is why it is the purer and more natural concentrate.

How to Take Hash

Hash can be taken in various ways, and everyone has a favorite method that depends on the effect they desires. The main ways of consuming hash are smoking, vaporizing, and including it in edibles.

• Smoking: Hash is smoked out of joints, pipes, and bongs. It is usually blended or combined with cannabis flowers to make the smoke stronger. Hash gives a tasty and favorable smoke experience that most users find rich and intense.
• Vape: You can use hash and vaporize it for a smoother, less intense effect. Vaporization enables one to experience the benefits of hash without being exposed to harmful combustible byproducts.
• Edibles: You can also add hash to butter or oil as you try different cannabis recipes. Hash-infused edibles such as cookies produce a long-lasting effect.

Hash Effects

The hash may have different effects relative to the strain used and the method by which the hash is produced. Regularly, hash will deliver a more intense high than the ordinary cannabis flower because of its high cannabinoid contents. The effects are varied and are their own, from relaxed to highly euphoric and uplifting experiences. Hashes are usually consumed at night or at a time when the users may desire to have a sedative effect. It is also valuable for people who want to relieve pain, be calm, or remove stress.

Advanced Extract: Cannabis Extracts

Cannabis extracts are the most complex but the most potent form of cannabis concentrates. These are made by using several extraction techniques that isolate terpenes and cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. In contrast, kief and hash extracts are not only more sophisticated and substantive but have an improved proportion of THC and other valuable contents.

Cannabis extraction can be done in two standard ways: solvent-based and solventless.

Solvent-Based Extraction

In solvent-based extractions, cannabinoids and terpenes are extracted from the plant using a chemical solvent such as butane, propane, or CO2. The solvent is then evaporated, leaving behind a concentrated resin that can be consumed in various forms.

Butane Hash Oil (BHO)

BHO is one of the most popular solvent-based extracts, characterized by high levels of potency and flexibility. It can be prepared to different consistencies, such as shatter, wax, and budder. All these possess different characteristics and effects; hence, they are commonly used as preferred consumption options.

CO2 Oil

Extracts are also made through the utilization of carbon dioxide at high pressure. The method of CO2 extraction retains the terpene profile of the marijuana plant, producing an oil that can be put in a vape pen or an edible. CO2 oil is cleaner and tastes better, and this type of oil is usually preferred by users when they want a smoother and cleaner experience.

Solventless Extraction

Solventless extraction techniques consist of mechanical procedures to extract cannabinoids without any chemical solvents. The users of these methods prefer a more natural and pure form of concentrate.

In this method, kief is sifted using mesh screens in the manual dry sifting process to separate the trichomes and the plant material.

Ice Water Extraction 

This technique smacks trichomes off of cannabis flowers using ice and water, which are then sifted through mesh bags. This product is a very concentrated and pure substance known as bubble hash.

Rosin

Rosin is extracted using both heat and pressure by squeezing or extracting the cannabis flowers or hash into a sticky and resinous substance. It is permanently popular because it is one of the pure and strong solventless processes.

Forms of Extracts

There is a wide range of cannabis extracts with varying textures and potencies. Some of the commonest ones are:

Shatter

A brittle, glass-like extract, shatter is very transparent and potent. Users typically smoke shatter in a process known as dabbing, in which the drug is vaporized on a dab rig and then inhaled.

Wax/Budder

These are soft and more bendable extracts that are smoked more conveniently. Dabbers commonly prefer these extracts because of their smooth consistency.

Live Resin

This is manufactured using freshly harvested cannabis that has then been frozen. The live resin maintains its original terpene profile, and, therefore, it can be regarded as delicious and aromatic.

Rosin

Rosin is a solventless concentrate that is rich in terpenes and comes with a high level of purity. Rosin is a favorite among people who want a clean and strong experience.

How to Consume Extracts

Extracts are usually used by dabbing, vaping, or adding them in edibles. 

• The dabbing technique incorporates a dab rig into the mixing method of heating the concentrate and inhaling the vapor to get a strong, immediate effect. 
• Vaporizing is also less harsh, much smoother, and emits the vapor less harshly. 

You can also consume extracts by adding them to oils or butter or other edibles. 

Legal Considerations

Cannabis concentrates are not always legal everywhere, so check the laws and regulations on concentrates before using or buying them.

Where Can I Find Cannabis Concentrates?

You can find concentrates online and in the dispensaries. Ensure the products undergo lab testing regarding potency and contaminants to ensure a secure and pleasant one.