One of the most important components of the cannabis flower experience—and one that, in our opinion, doesn’t get talked about enough—is the importance of reducing flower to a fine, uniform grind.
Because while cannabis can certainly be enjoyed as-is, grinding it increases the surface area, allows for a far more even burn, and ultimately produces a more consistent and consistently enjoyable smoking experience. Here’s something else you might not know: learning how to use a weed grinder is very easy—and satisfying!
For many of us, it hearkens back to the pleasures of working with our hands, and it’s not unusual to hear that breaking up dense, aromatic flower brings us into an even closer relationship with the cannabis plant, our favorite leafy green.
In today’s post, we’ll explore the question of how to use a weed grinder or—lacking that—how to hand grind weed to get a similar effect. We’ll share answers to:
- How do you use a weed grinder?
- What are all the parts and components of a weed grinder?
- What if you don’t have a grinder? How to hand grind weed.
- How to clean and care for your weed grinder.
Are you ready? Let’s get grinding!
The Anatomy of a Weed Grinder
At the simplest level, a weed grinder is simply a tool for breaking flower into smaller pieces, but as with many such things, it’s all about the details. The trick is to end up with small, more or less uniform pieces of flower.
Why? Similar sized pieces burn more consistently than odd-sized ones, providing a more reliable smoking experience—especially important if you’ve made the investment in a dry herb vaporizer, which uses precisely controlled heat to volatize the cannabinoids and terpenes in flower without actually combusting them.
The most common style of grinder you’re likely to encounter is the rotary grinder. It typically takes the form of two metal or plastic cups that fit together to form a single chamber, with both halves able to rotate freely with gentle hand pressure.
The grinding action comes from the fact that both cups have “teeth” that slide around each other when the cups are rotated. When small pieces of cannabis are placed into the chamber and the cups rotated, those teeth break down the flower into pieces that are fairly uniform—while still being large enough that they won’t fall through the screen of a pipe or bong.
Some models have additional cup-shaped chambers that attach to the top and bottom of the grinder cups. They’re included so that you can more easily store unground and pre-ground flower for later use. Other models employ a screen so that the ground flower falls through into the bottom chamber for easier collection.
Beneath this mesh screen, you might find yet another small compartment to catch any kief, or loose trichomes, that fall off the flower while grinding. A simple cannabis concentrate, the kief can be saved and added back to the flower for extra flavor, aroma, and potency.
How to Use a Weed Grinder: Step-By-Step
That’s the anatomy of a hand grinder. But…how do you use a weed grinder? Here are the basic steps:
- Pull apart the top and bottom cups from your weed grinder
- Tearing off a few pebble-sized chunks of cannabis flower, place them between the teeth of the grinding chamber
- Fit the cups back together and ensure they’re properly joined with a slight twisting motion
- Now twist the cups back and forth until all the weed is sufficiently ground
- Depending on the style of grinder, open up the cups and collect your weed either from the base of the bottom grinding cup or from the attached collection chamber below
That’s it! You’ve successfully ground your weed. But…what if you don’t have a grinder? Don’t worry, we can help with that too.
No Grinder? No Problem: How to Hand Grind Weed
If you don’t have a purpose-made weed grinder, you can still achieve about the same results. While some sources recommend using a coffee grinder or your fingers, there are downsides to both. In the first case, your weed will taste like coffee and your coffee like weed—hey, not that that’s necessarily a bad thing!
If you resort to your fingers, you’ll probably find it pretty enjoyable, but you’ll end up with precious cannabinoids and aromatic terpenes on your fingertips instead of where they should be—in your joint or bowl. You won’t lose enough for it to be a deal-breaker, but some of us prefer the neatness and cleanliness of using a grinder, which by its nature doesn’t absorb any cannabis compounds.
In our experience, the best way to break up cannabis flower by hand is to use a chef’s knife—or small pair of scissors—and a cutting board. Using a gentle cutting or snipping motion, break up the flower into small, reasonably even chunks—it may help to rock the knife back and forth over your pile of flower.
How to Clean Your Weed Grinder
You’ll find that over time, bits of plant matter may get stuck to the grinder teeth. When this happens, disassemble your grinder and give the grinding surfaces a gentle bath in rubbing alcohol—we recommend anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. One exception: If your grinder is made of anodized aluminum, consider using warm, soapy water instead, as alcohol can strip the color from the metal.
When the time’s elapsed, rinse your grinder with warm water and, if necessary, use a gentle brush—such as a decommissioned toothbrush—to remove any bits of cannabis from the grinding teeth. Let it air dry, and voila! You’re ready to get grinding again.
How often should you clean your grinder? Whenever it seems a bit funky; depending on use, this could be anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. But do remember to do it in order to get an optimal grind—and an optimal smoking experience.
Shop Mission Dispensaries For All Your Grinding Needs
One thing’s for certain: To get in the practice of grinding your weed for optimal results, you’ll need to start with a top-shelf weed grinder. And that’s where we come in.
At our family of Illinois and Massachusetts dispensaries, you’ll find a huge array of grinders and other cannabis accessories waiting for you. Plus, of course, all the top-quality, locally grown flower you could want to practice with. Come in and see what’s waiting for you; we can’t wait to hook you up!
