Kief is the loose resin that falls off dried cannabis, usually with some leaf dust still in it. Hash is resin that has been worked: sifted clean, pressed into a solid piece, or washed out with ice water. Cleaned or pressed, hash is usually purer, smokes smoother and keeps better than loose kief.
The difference between hash and kief
The difference between hash and kief, side by side:
| Kief | Hash | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Loose resin heads | Resin that has been cleaned, pressed or washed |
| How it’s made | Falls through a grinder screen or a sifting screen | Sifted clean, pressed with warmth, or washed in ice water |
| Purity | Often carries leaf dust and hairs | Mostly heads, from good to full melt |
| How it smokes | Burns fast; best on top of flower | Smoother; clean grades melt or dab |
| How it keeps | Loose powder meets the air | Pressed hash forms a skin and can cure for years |
What kief is
Kief is the loose powder of resin heads that falls off dried cannabis, the green to golden dust in the bottom of a grinder or under a sifting screen. It is the raw material of most hash, and how clean it is depends on how it was collected. More in what is kief.
What hash is
Hash is resin that has been worked on after it left the plant. Sifted again and again until it is mostly heads, it becomes dry sift. Pressed with warmth into a solid piece, it becomes traditional hash. Washed off the plant with ice water instead of sifted, it becomes bubble hash.
Is hash stronger than kief?
Hash is usually stronger than kief, because cleaning the resin takes out the plant matter that dilutes it. Pressing alone doesn’t change strength: a puck of pressed grinder kief is exactly as strong as the kief that went into it. What makes hash stronger is how clean it is, which is why the best dry sift and the best bubble hash sit at the top. For how both compare with flower, see hash vs weed.
Bubble hash vs kief
Bubble hash vs kief is the clearest case. Ice water carries away the dirt and fine leaf dust that loose kief keeps, so good bubble hash is cleaner, melts better and tastes more like the plant it came from. Kief is quicker to collect; bubble hash takes a wash, a week of drying and a lot more care.
How to turn kief into hash
To turn kief into hash, clean it on a fine screen and press it. Working kief over a 75 micron screen drops the dust and keeps the heads; warmth and pressure then bind the clean heads into a solid piece. Every pressing method is in kief pressing.
Hash vs kief: which keeps better?
Pressed hash keeps better than loose kief. Pressing coagulates the heads and forms a skin on the outside that protects the resin inside, which Bubbleman says is why traditional hash ages well while even full melt rarely does. Loose kief has far more of its surface open to the air, so keep it in a sealed jar and use it sooner.
From the archive: Bubbleman on hash that keeps
From the archive, Bubbleman on hash that keeps in his own words, recorded live on Season 12, Episode 14, Skully Vibes draws live. Tap a time to hear that moment.
This one is probably just under 40 percent. It’s very soft. Just a traditional hash. This is going on eight months of curing.
On a traditional hash, eight months inFull melt, six stars. They don’t always age better. In fact, they very rarely do. But traditional hash does. There’s really something to be said for pressing and coagulating the heads, creating that skin on the outside.
On why pressed hash ages
Hash vs kief questions
Hash vs kief questions, answered short:
Is hash kief?
Hash isn’t quite kief: kief is the loose resin, and hash is that resin cleaned, pressed or washed into a purer, solid form.
Is hash stronger than kief?
Hash is usually stronger than kief, because it has been cleaned of the plant matter kief still carries. Pressing on its own doesn’t add strength.
Can you turn kief into hash?
Yes, you can turn kief into hash: clean it on a fine screen, then press it with warmth in a pollen press or by hand.
Is dry sift kief or hash?
Dry sift is both: it is kief that has been sifted and cleaned until it is mostly heads, and hash makers count clean dry sift as hash.
Which is better, hash or kief?
Hash is better than kief for flavor, smoothness and keeping, because it is cleaner. Kief is quicker and easier, and it is fine on top of a bowl.
Sources for this hash vs kief guide
Sources for this hash vs kief guide:
- How to make dry sift (kief) with Bubble Bags, bubblebag.com
- Puff Wednesday dry sift update: cleaned dry sift pressed, and 20 grams of pure heads, Bubbleman’s World on YouTube
- Hash Church Season 12, Episode 14: Bubbleman on traditional hash and aging, linked above