Does Kief Dissolve?
You may add kief to pre-rolls, edibles, tinctures, vapes, etc. However, before you utilize it like that, you must understand how to use kief effectively. For example, does kief dissolve?
With so many cannabis products emerging on the market, kief remains one of the most sought-after options. Keep reading as we explore whether Kief dissolves and how.
Source: shutterstock.com / Photo Contributor: bondgrunge
Does Kief Dissolve?
You can dissolve kief, but before doing it, you’ll need heat. This is because the THC present in kief is not in active form. The decarboxylation process is applying heat to kief, which activates the THC.
The heat helps the kief dissolve better, and you may turn it into various concentrates, use it in cooking, or even add it to drinks. Whichever way is used to dissolve kief, heat is a must for the THCA to activate into THC; otherwise, you won’t get to experience the desired effects.
Dispensaries to make their kief-coated pre-rolls use state-of-the-art machines. For example, often hailed as the best kief maker on the market, our robot can handle broad formulations and coatings.
Water solubility – Does kief dissolve in water?
The THC present in kief is not water-soluble. As mentioned, you must decarboxylate the kief to get the full effects. You may have to place your kief on a tray in the oven and leave it for around 15-20 minutes at 250°F.
During this period, the kief decarboxylates and helps the THCA activate into THC. After decarboxylation, kief can be added to any beverage, where it will readily dissolve.
When added to boiling water, kief dissolves spontaneously because of the heat, making it a popular choice for enhancing beverages like coffee or tea.
Alcohol solubility – How does kief dissolve in alcohol?
Quick Wash Iso (QWISO) and Quick Wash Ethanol (QWET) are alcohol-based extractions that are the easiest and safest for home users to make solvent cannabis concentrates.
Alcohol is an excellent option for first-time concentrate makers new to extraction because of its inexpensive cost, minimal flammability, and relative accessibility.
To dissolve kief, you should place it in 190-200 proof alcohol (food-grade ethanol) for 45 minutes at ambient temperature. The grade of ethanol extractions varies depending on the initial material utilized and how long the cannabis is left in contact with the solvent.
Quick washes (less than a minute) will yield a high-purity, shatter-textured extract rich in cannabinoids appropriate for dabbing or smoking after being cold-filtered (winterized) and purified.
If the cannabis is steeped in alcohol for a long time, more substances like waxes and chlorophyll will be drawn out, making the resulting oil thick and dark.
Other solvents for cannabis extraction (BHO, CO2 oil)
BHO (butane honey oil)
Through heat and suction, butane is dissolved to extract resin from plant materials, which is then purified to produce a high-purity cannabis concentrate. This technique is known as BHO (butane honey oil).
Because of its relative non-polarity, butane is one of the cleanest extraction materials because it does not extract water-soluble substances like chlorophyll.
Although butane has been used to make cannabis oil for a long time, advancements in extraction technology and methods have refined the process.
This has led to products of higher quality, greater purity, and far less contamination from leftover solvents and other contaminants.
The selection of butane extractions has expanded significantly, and dispensary menus now offer various textures, including budder, wax, shatter, batter, and snap.
Source: shutterstock.com / Photo Contributor: Visualistka
CO2 oil
Extraction with carbon dioxide is another popular solvent extraction method in the cannabis industry. However, it is also one of the most expensive solvents and is largely used in professional manufacturing.
CO2 oil is considered the cleanest solvent extract. Also, the CO2 extraction is much safer than BHO, but the CO2 oil contains fewer terpenes.
This is why CO2 oil is mainly used in edibles or tinctures. Manufacturers dissolve kief in CO2 oil for the added terpenes and cannabinoids and load it into vape carts.
Solventless extraction methods
Live resin
As a solventless process, live resin uses flash-frozen cannabis kief instead of dried and cured. The cannabis for live resin is frozen immediately after harvest. This means all the terpenes and cannabinoids are preserved at a much higher rate than with cured cannabis.
To dissolve the kief from flash-frozen cannabis, you apply heat and pressure. You may use a pneumatic press to manage high-temperature changes during live resin extraction. They exert lower temperatures that preserve the terpenes.
Rosin
Like other solventless extractions, rosin takes advantage of the semi-liquid state of cannabinoids. The kief is also dissolved using heat and pressure to obtain oils and rosin.
The heat and compression applied to it turn the kief into a liquid solvent-free concentrate known as rosin. Unlike live resin, which is more utilized in commercial applications, rosin is simple enough to try, even as a DIY.
All you need to dissolve kief and make rosin is a hair straightener and parchment paper. Place the kief on the parchment paper and apply heat and pressure with the hair straightener.
This will dissolve the kief, and you will remove all the oils and cannabinoids. Rosin is among the most popular uses of kief due to its high potency, aroma, and flavor.
Can kief dissolve in oils?
Yes, kief may dissolve in oils. Vegetable oils are also commonly used solvents to extract cannabis. This is because, as nonpolar compounds, vegetable oils have the ability to dissolve other generally nonpolar compounds (kief).
Among the vegetable fats, the olive oil extract method for dissolving kief was shown to retain the most significant terpene content.
Another way to dissolve kief at home is to make cannabutter. This will also require you to decarb your kief first to activate the THC.
After that, you can melt some butter in a pan over medium heat and slowly add the dried kief. Stir the mixture until the kief is fully dissolved, which may take around 15 minutes.
Factors Affecting Kief Solubility
Trichome structure and density
Unlike the bud, the resinous glands trichomes are incredibly dense on top of the flower. Depending on the strain, some have higher trichome density.
Cannabinoid and terpene content
Kief contains a much higher concentration of terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids than cannabis flowers. And as cannabinoids are semi-liquid, kief has better solubility.
Temperature and pressure conditions
Kief solubility also depends on the temperature and compression. Obviously, professional manufacturing facilities have specialized equipment, which allows them to produce higher yields.
Presence of impurities or contaminants
Depending on the method used, there will be different levels of impurities. Solventless methods are free of contaminants as there are no chemicals involved. But, while solvents may contain contaminants, manufacturers purge and test cannabis products to ensure they are removed.
Source: shutterstock.com / Photo Contributor: Branding Pot
Conclusion
If you are wondering does kief dissolve, the answer is yes. However, how long does kief dissolve, depends on the extraction method used.
As we explained above, kief may be dissolved in solvents or through a solventless process. The solventless method is easy for home use as it only requires heat to decarboxylate the kief.
