Some purists prefar to manually break up their cannabis as doing so by hand is deemed to do less damage to the trichomes, you can place the individual calyxes in each joint for example or you can use some small sharp scissors. For the rest of us, who ain’t got time for that, there is the reliable grinder.
Having said that weed grinders are popular amongst smokers, party because it’s quicker, and you won’t get sticky resin all over your fingers. Did you know that there is a right way and a wrong way to grind your weed?
Don’t get me wrong, if you find yourself ready to roll but are without a grinder there is no “real wrong” way to grind; Break out the nail scissors, the mortar and pestle, or get ready to pull apart the flower with your fingers, whatever you need to do. However, if you are not in a dire situation and have all of your tools available there are a few tips you should be aware of so you can get the best grind possible.
Best Practices
You want to use a proper grinder rather than your fingers because you’ll get the most out of your weed that way. All that sticky stuff left behind on your fingers playing havoc with your manicure? That’s THC you’re not smoking and that’s a sacrifice that you just don’t need to be making.
When it comes to choosing a grinder you have several options: They are typically made of metal, wood, or acrylic. They come with 1, 2, 3, or 4 chambers and may or may not have magnets to help keep the lid on.
I like a metal 3-chamber grinder personally but there’s one for every style and price point so you do you. This article is about how to use your grinder for optimal results but if you want some suggestions on where to purchase one, check out some of our favorites here and here.
Don’t Overfill Your Grinder
Grinders work best when you don’t overfill them. Start with a couple of small chunks of dried flower, add more as needed. You want the finished product to be ground finely enough that hot air (if you’re vaping) or flames (if you’re smoking) pass through freely and to prevent clogs in pipes. When you find there is no more resistance while twisting the separate parts of the grinder, that’s when you know you’ve ground your herb finely enough. Think about grinding it akin to coarse black pepper, you don’t want a fine crumb, but a rather coarser grind. You will preserve more flavor and it will smoke better if you don’t grind your weed super fine.
Don’t Put Bud in the Centre of the Grinder
This is often a big mistake as it It prevents the magnets from connecting and holding the lid down, you will also find it gets stuck to the middle part and then you have to poke it free. You can definitely cry over the spilled bud, especially if it’s been ground up already!
Collect the Kief
The very fine, powdery stuff that collects at the bottom of the chamber? That’s called kief and is comprised of 30-60 % THC. If you use a grinder with a thin screen and a separate chamber for collecting it you can add it to joints and sprinkle it on bowls for an extra kick. It can also be smoked on its own if you wish.
Pro tip: leave a small coin on the screen in your grinder, as the coin moves around while you’re grinding, it will push the fine powdery kief down into the storage chamber.
The Herb Lifestyle
