Glossary · Product forms
Kief
The loose, powdery trichomes that fall off cannabis flower, usually collected in the bottom chamber of a grinder. Kief is essentially raw, unpressed hash and can be sprinkled on a bowl, added to a joint, or pressed into rosin. It is far more potent than the flower it came from.
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Related terms, defined
- Hash
- One of the oldest cannabis concentrates, made by collecting and compressing trichomes into a pliable block. Traditional hash is hand-rubbed or sieved; modern bubble hash uses ice water to separate trichomes. It delivers a fuller, more old-school high than flower and is the raw material for solventless rosin.
- Trichome
- The tiny, frosty, mushroom-shaped glands coating cannabis flower where cannabinoids and terpenes are produced. The "sugar" sparkle on good bud is trichomes. Growers watch trichome color through a loupe to judge harvest timing — clear means early, milky means peak, and amber means more sedating effects.
- Rosin
- A solventless concentrate pressed from flower, kief, or hash using only heat and pressure, leaving no chemical residue behind. Rosin appeals to purists who want a clean, full-spectrum extract. Live rosin, pressed from fresh-frozen material, is among the most expensive and flavorful products on a dispensary shelf.
- Concentrate
- A potent cannabis extract that strips the plant down to its cannabinoids and terpenes, reaching far higher THC levels than flower. Concentrates include shatter, wax, rosin, live resin, and distillate. They are consumed by dabbing, vaporizing, or adding to flower, and are best approached carefully by newcomers.
Related terms