Grinding weed means shredding and breaking down the flowers into small pieces to allow an even and complete burn. As all the cannabis particles are burned, it releases all the delicious and potent cannabinoids, terpenes, and chemicals into your lungs. If you are a seasoned stoner, it is highly likely that you have your preferred technique of how to grind weed. You could have a high-quality metal grinder or you have simply mastered the art and skill of grinding weed using basic kitchen tools or even just your pair of hands.
How to Grind Weed With a Grinder
As the name suggests, a grinder is an equipment used to simplify and speed up the process of grinding marijuana into a consistency that is ideal for most cannabis users. Aside from convenience, using a grinder offers several benefits, including the following:
- You will save yourself from winding up with more weed on your fingers than in the bowl, especially when the buds are super moist and sticky.
- You will enjoy a more consistently ground-up weed for your joints. This means no lumpy blunts, improved airflow, and an easier burn for every hit.
- Most grinders have a compartment specifically designed to catch the THC crystals from your cannabis buds, known as kief. Kief is a potent and purer part of the plant and is a prized additive in everything from blunts to vape pens to oils. After a few rounds of grinding, you will have enough stash of kief to add to your bowl for an even stronger hit or you can use the kief on its own for an out-of-this-world experience.
Grinders come in different designs – a two-piece (single chamber), three-piece (two chambers), or a four-piece (three chambers) design. When grinding cannabis, it is recommended to use the three or four-piece grinder. The additional chambers make it easier to remove the ground-up dry herb. Grinders come in a variety of materials – wood, metal, plastic – and color options. The recommended material, however, would be metal (aluminum or zinc) as these grinder types have proven to last longer than other grinders. Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to grind weed using a grinder:
- Break the buds into smaller pieces using your fingers and load them into the grinding bowl by trying to evenly distribute them among the teeth of the grinder. Make sure not to overfill the grinding chamber as the crusher would become less efficient at grinding with the load. Close the lid tight and make sure it is secured before moving on to the next step. We do not want all your weed to be flying around before we even get to the good stuff.
- Holding the bottom of the grinder with one hand and start rotating your grinder with the other. There will be some moderate resistance at first but all you need to do is continue to rotate the grinder until you feel the resistance disappear. Flip the grinder upside down every few turns. Several grinders come with a transparent chamber where you can see if you have the right herb sizes you need.
- Once you feel that you’ve reached the needed consistency, give the grinder a tap against the table to dislodge any cannabis stuck on the holes into the collection chamber. This also allows more kief to be collected through the screen and into the lower chamber of the crusher.
- Finally, it is time to collect your cannabis from the chamber. Simply scoop out your ground-up weed from the chamber where they are stored while making sure you do not damage the screen of your grinder.
- To gather your kief, a good tip is to put the grinder in the freezer for at least half an hour so the kief will be easier and simpler to collect using a scraping tool.
Grinding weed using a grinder is not brain surgery and the steps outlined above are all there is to it. Many stoners prefer investing in a quality grinder because it beats pulling their weed apart using their fingers. With minimal effort, you are sure to enjoy quicker results and smoother smoke sessions, with the bonus of collecting some kief for yourself.
How to Grind Weed Without a Grinder
If you are not a fan of herb grinders or in between her grinders right now or whatever situation you’re in, you can still grind your weed using some basic tools and a heart to enjoy your smoking session. Here are some ways to grind your weed even without a grinder.
- Grind weed using your hands. This is a classic to-to strategy for any determined stoner who finds himself without a grinder. The process is simple – pull apart the nugs, separate them from the stems and seeds, and make sure to catch the weed with a tray or any flat material below. The ultimate goal however is not to damage the herb while breaking the weed apart. It is important to remember that the trichomes are where all the good cannabinoids and terpenes are concentrated and you need them for the best smoking experience. The only disadvantage of this method would be, regardless of how gentle or careful you are, you will end up with sticky fingers full of resin.
- Grind weed using a coffee grinder. This is an obvious one. Just like you would with coffee beans, simply load your buds in the correct compartment and grind away. While this may sound very simple, you mustn’t forget to clean the equipment before and after using it for your weed. Also, just like in an herb grinder, make sure not to overfill the grinder and pack the buds loosely.
- Grind weed using a pestle and mortar. Another classic way to grind weed just like you would with any other herbs. Like the grinder, though, the tools must be sanitized and cleaned before and after using it for grinding weed. This may take more time but any unwavering stoner will be able to push through with this method to hit that perfect smoke.
- Grind weed using a shot glass and a sharp pair of scissors. Collect your nugs in a shot glass or glass and cut them apart using your scissors. With this method, try your best to slice the cannabis into a uniform size as much as possible without damaging the valuable trichomes. Make sure to clean the tools before and after using them for this purpose and, also, choose the sharpest pair of scissors you can find. If your tools are dull, you will most likely end up spoiling and tearing your buds rather than cutting or grinding them.
Whether to use a grinder or not simply depends on your personal preference and on, perhaps, other factors. Regardless of the method, you decide on how to grind weed, the important thing is to make sure you are enjoying the weed safely, responsibly, and surrounded with friends. Aside from that, make sure that you clean and sterilize all equipment before and after every use.
