Spring Smokes
It is officially Spring and with all the flowers beginning to bloom and pollen floating rampant through the air, we thought it rather appropriate to introduce our spring smokes, the pollen press–also known as a keif press–so you can elevate your smoking experience even if allergies are in your future.
What is a Pollen Press? 
Pollen Presses give you the power to create compressed hash through a methodically pressing and heating kief. They are specifically designed to preserve pollen–which is more commonly referred to as kief or crystals–through collecting and compressing Trichomes that come from your herbs. The goal in using a pollen press is to make your own supply of hash, and it is a highly effective way of creating a potent vehicle to send you to the skies. Not only that, but this homemade hash is also easier on the lungs when inhaling.
If you aren’t familiar with Trichomes, they are the white coverings found on marijuana flower, which is often dusted off or forgotten about when precious herbs are ground by hand. They have an enhanced amount of THC and other cannabinoids, and are generally collected in a grinder.
In order to properly and securely gather the Trichomes, we recommend investing in a multi-compartment grinder, such as our reasonably priced Acrylic 5 Part Plastic Grinder or Notch Alloy 4 Part Grinder . Or, if you are willing to shell out a bit more dough for a higher end grinder, our Cali Crusher Homegrown 4 Part Grinder is an excellent choice.
Why Buy a Pollen Press?
We want everyone to experience the joys of a glorious high achieved through a highly potent herb, and a pollen press truly does the trick. When using a pollen press, nothing is wasted, and you’ll be able to get the most out of your herb and sticky Trichome remnants by turning loose powder into a solid.
Through converting your kief into flattened discs or coins, you achieve higher potency hash which vaporizes nice, slow and smooth. The result gives off an earthy, grounding flavor and provides a unique smoking experience. Not only that, but it reduces your stash size into a tiny compact solid disc shape, making it convenient to store.
Another great thing about pollen presses is their ability to increase the lifetime of hash. Their design enables them to be locked into an airtight container and stowed away in a dry, cool place until you intend to use it.
Our luxuriously sleek pollen press is made from high-quality aluminum metal, making it extremely durable and long lasting. The aluminum dowels handle the pressure of endless use, and it can be heated up to 175 degrees Fahrenheit to cure and craft the pollen disc. It is also food safe and medical grade.
How Do I Use a Pollen Press?
Luckily, this process is simple. In fact, thanks to the pollen press, turning kief into hash is a piece of cake, thought it does require some patience. As stated above, prior to using a pollen press, you would collect the trichomes from your cannabis using a grinder that comes equipped with both a screen and a kief catcher. Your weed or tobacco grinder will catch some bits of plant matter, but mostly rack up finely ground trichomes that come directly from your marijuana.
Many smokes later, you’ll have enough supply to get the process going. After your kief catcher has collected a fair amount of kief, you would then transfer it to your pollen press. Before transferring the pollen, ensure that the bottom metal dowel screw cap of the press is gently screwed on, so the kief doesn’t fall through. Put one of the plugs into the metal tube, and put the cap on. Now it’s time to get that kief out of the grinder and into the pollen press.
There are a few ways to do this–you can simply dump the contents of the kief into the press and scoop up what has spilled to the sides, or for more precision you can pour the kief onto the parchment paper and then fold it to create a funnel to pour into the pollen press. The other option would be to use a tiny funnel, and then the process of turning kief into hash would commence.
After you’ve secured the pollen in the press, press it down with the other plug, applying some pressure. Now put both end caps fully on and twist away. Using ample pressure and force is key to lock in the kief as tight as can be. You’ll want to tighten the caps every hour or so which allows the kief to come together to form a coin shape.
Pollen Presses are interesting because you can leave the pollen in the press for varied lengths of time–depending on your preferences and the effects you want to achieve. You also have a few different options for heating.
Generally, you want to leave the pollen inside the press for 6-8 hours on the low end, and a day or two at maximum. After a couple of days, it becomes very difficult to remove the kief from the pollen press, so keep that in mind.
While it is working its magic, you’ll want to heat it. You can either leave the press outside in the sun to naturally heat the kief, or you can heat it in the oven up to 175 degrees. Once it is one heating and time is up, put into freezer and chill for 15 minutes. The chilling process helps extract the contents with ease. After chilling, untwist the top metal dowel cap and use a hammer or the back of your hand to gently tap the hash out.
You can tap the compressed disc onto a bowl, into a joint, in a tobacco rip, or however you choose to consume it. You can even break off small pieces of the hash and put it into
Who doesn’t love an easy and rewarding DIY project? It’s a good feeling to create the hash yourself instead of purchase it at the store–which can be pricier. Another awesome perk of using a pollen press is that you can use a metal plug with a brand logo, image or initials to stamp it and gift it to friends, or use on a commercial level to help consumers identify the hash with your brand.
Thank you and happy smoking!