What kief is
Gland powder
Kief is resin heads knocked off flowers and leaf, not chopped plant dust
Size range
Most heads fall between about 75 and 125 microns, with variety and ripeness shifting the range
Color cue
Blonde powder is cleaner. Green powder means chlorophyll leaf made it through the mesh
Many names
Some scenes call the same powder pollen or polm
Prepare the leaf
Dry, not dust
The best kief comes from trim that is dry but not so crisp it crumbles into green flour
Avoid brick
Pressed material smears broken heads and clogs a screen
Cool help
Below about 60 F (15 C) the necks snap cleaner and oils clog the mesh less
A little humidity
Slightly moist air can help if the leaf is already too brittle
Manual screening
Soft first pass
Rub lightly for one to three minutes. The largest ripe heads fall first
Second pass
More powder comes with more green dust. Quality drops as color darkens
Two meshes
A coarser screen under 100 strands per inch can clean bulk, then a finer screen refines
Catch tray
Glass or a drawer under the mesh makes the powder easy to card into a pile
While you manicure
Screen tray
A 100-strand stainless tray under wet or dry trim catches harvest trichomes as they fall
Same idea
Silk over a bowl is the oldest version of the same filter
Repeat runs
You can sift the same leaf more than once and keep the grades separate
Later use
Smoke it loose, press it, or add it to food once it is fully dry