Written By: Daniel Cina
There are a plethora of different cannabinoids that can be found in your bud and on a cannabis plant. Each one provides different effects to accompany your elevation, but where do these cannabinoids come from? To answer this we must look at something on a cannabis plant called trichomes
What Are Trichomes
They are small, hair-like structures that cover the surface of the cannabis plant. These tiny bulbous appendages function to produce all our favorite cannabinoids such as Terpenes, CBD, CBN, CBG, and THCA. As I just stated they are crucial in the production of terpenes meaning they also play a major role in determining aroma, flavor, and elevation type.
They tend to be a greenish color, but very high quality flowers can have white colored trichomes. This is the main contributor to the white “frosty” look that you will see on top-shelf buds.
Where Are Trichomes On a Cannabis Plant
They can be found on all parts of the cannabis plant including leaves, stems, and flowers. Their highest concentration of location though is on the buds and colas of the plant. This concentration on the buds is where the main source of value lies in our industry. Thanks to this concentration, it is the buds that are trimmed and harvested as opposed to another part of the plant so stoners can enjoy the best forms of flower.
Trichomes are a surface appendage on cannabis plants and so they are also responsible for the plant’s physical protective mechanisms, such as repelling insects and animals, and providing UV protection. They are responsible for wild cannabis and landraces being able to flourish all over the world for centuries. The way this amazing part of the plant does this is by secreting a sticky resin that acts as a shield against the elements.
Uses of Trichomes As Kief 
This amazing appendage as I’m sure you can infer has a plethora of uses in cannabis consumption. For example they can be extracted via solventless or B.H.O extraction methods to create incredibly potent concentrates, but more commonly they are used to manufacture one of the most popular and sought after items on the market. I’m talking about kief of course! 
Kief is trichomes that have been dried turning them into a sticky powder-like substance that is absolutely packed with potent cannabinoids. Beyond potency, it has incredibly versatile uses. As I stated earlier it can be made into very high quality concentrates such as rosin, but it can also be used to enhance your flower.
It can be sprinkled on top of your bowls or into your joints, and you can even have joints dipped and rolled in kief so that they are infused j’s. It doesn’t end there though! It can even be decarboxylated in the kitchen for potent cannabis ingredient infusions and meals! Kief has incredible versatility, and its high potency makes it one of the go-to items in a stoners tool belt!
They are truly an amazing part of the cannabis plant, and are the source for all of our favorite cannabinoids and the main piece of the puzzle to our elevations. If these didn’t exist on cannabis plants then who even knows if our industry would even exist? So whether you want to earn some kief at the bottom of your grinder, or buy it at your local Nectar, be happy because you are in for a fantastic elevation!
If you are looking to buy some kief as opposed to earning through your grinder, we recommend Highland Provisions, who are based out of Bend, Oregon and are renowned for their products. Sustainably grown in conjunction with Bend’s beautiful landscape they have fantastic kief jars alongside their amazing rosins, and concentrates!
