Kief

: "For the city, see Kief, North Dakota." Not to be confused with "Kieff", an obsolete translation of "Kiev".

Kif, Kef, Keef, Keethan or kief refers to the loose, dried resin glands (or trichomes) of cannabis which may accumulate on containers, in grinders, or be removed with a kiefing screen or sieve. It is sometimes erroneously called "pollen" or "crystal". Kief can be smoked in a number of ways, including using smoking pipes, bongs, or rolling papers (resulting in a joint). Kief contains a higher concentration of desirable psychoactive ingredients than ordinary preparations of cannabis buds from which it is derived.

The word "kief" comes from Persian meaning "bag". The original way of preparing kief (for pressing into hashish) was to beat the cannabis plant against a cloth bag.

Manufacturing

Kief can be collected by brushing dried bud, which is covered with loose trichomes. The trichomes fall from the bud and can be seen as a gold powder, or kief. Another method of obtaining the trichomes is to rub the bud against a fine screen. (Trichomes may be inadvertently combined with small pieces of plant matter breaking off from the bud, reducing relative potency per weight.) Kief powder can be compressed into solid form, creating what is sometimes referred to as "hashish" which it resembles.

Passive collection

Cannabis may be stored in a container with a fine screen at the bottom. Such containers are often called "kief-boxes" or "kief-catchers". Over time the agitation of storing and removing cannabis in this box will cause kief to accumulate in a compartment beneath the screen, where it can then be collected. Many grinders are also fitted with kief screens.

=Vaporization=

A vaporizer heats herb material to a subcombustion temperature, about 385°F., protecting against loss of delicate THC and eliminating carbon monoxide and other combustion toxins [cite news|url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070515151145.htm|title=Marijuana Vaporizer Provides Same Level Of THC, Fewer Toxins, Study Shows|publisher=Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology (summarized by Science Daily)|date=2007-05-16|accessdate=2007-06-06] .

moking

If the inner diameter of a screened smoking utensil (one-hitter) is narrow enough (i.d. = 1/4 inch or 6 mm.) and the user draws air slowly through a long extension tube, a minimum burning temperature can be achieved (as little as possible above 410°F.), protecting against waste of delicate cannabinol and preventing health damage. A mesh #40 screen should nest securely in the crater at 3/16th inch /5 mm. depth, permitting 25 mg. servings. This method can be almost as good as a vaporizer while requiring a less expensive device.Kief can, more wastefully, be rolled in a joint with cannabis, tobacco or other herbs. The narrower the joint is rolled, the lower a burning temperature can be achieved. Fact|date=September 2007

ee also

* Bhang
* Hashish
* Sebsi
*Legality of cannabis by country

Regional meanings

* South Africa: "kief" (often spelled "kif") is a term used as an expression of admiration or approval. Fact|date=March 2007
* Morocco: "kif" refers to a traditional blend of herbal cannabis, smoked with a pipe called a "sebsi". Fact|date=March 2007
* Australia: "kif" (or "kiff") often refers to "scraps" of marijuana bud or leaf, such as the broken pieces of bud and leaf fragments found at the bottom of large quantities. "Kiff" does not necessarily have to be "unwanted" weed, or leafy residue, but large, individual and cohesive pieces of bud are excluded from this definition. Fact|date=March 2007
* Germany: "kif" is a slang term for marijuana, and "kiffen" is the common verb for smoking marijuana or hashish. Fact|date=March 2007
* Norway: "kif/keef" is a slang term for hashish, a term used most often in the eastern parts of the country. Fact|date=March 2007
* Denmark: "kif/keef" is a slang for very bad hash were the THC has been vaporized either for consumption or simply by itself.
* Canada: "Kief/keef" is a word which is always used to describe screened or 'home-made' green-gold coloured hashish. It is a very expensive item but it is rarely for sale.
* Russia: "кайф" means a state of relaxing pleasure or just pleasure in general. It is also a slang word for drugs.

References

External links

* [http://www.hiptravelguide.com/morocco/rif.htm "Kif in the Rif": an account of a journey to the famed Kif-producing region of Morocco]
* [http://www.geopium.org/Photos/Maroc_Rif2005/Maroc_Rif2005.htm Photos of cannabis cultivation in Morocco (Rif) on www.geopium.org]
* [http://sevenleaves.googlepages.com/kifbrand Kif Brand]