Dry sift

Dry sift is a solventless concentrate produced by mechanically agitating dried cannabis flower or trim over a series of fine-mesh screens in descending micron size, yielding a golden-to-amber trichome powder. Starting material is cured flower or trim, often pre-frozen for 30 minutes or more to make the trichome stalks brittle and easier to fracture. Equipment ranges from hand-held multi-screen frames and silk screens to rotating tumbling drums for commercial lots. Screen progression typically begins with a top screen of 150–250 µm to remove large plant debris, then steps through "money screens" of 70–120 µm that capture mature trichome heads, and ends with a bottom screen of 25–45 µm that catches fine and broken particles. Ambient conditions matter: dry sift is best produced in cold, dry environments at 58–62% RH. A post-processing step called static separation, using glass plates and static electricity to peel remaining plant debris away from pure trichome heads, can yield full-melt dry sift at 50–60% THC with melt quality rivaling bubble hash. A dry-ice sifting variant uses CO₂ dry ice to fracture trichomes for higher yield but tends to introduce more plant contamination. The same informal 1–6 star grading scale used for bubble hash applies. Synonyms include dry sieve, kief (casual usage), pollen (in Spanish and Moroccan tradition), dust, and crystals. → See also: Dry sieve, Kief, Bubble hash, Pollen, Hash