For as long as cannabis has been used, people have been grinding it up for smoother hits and an overall more potent experience. Today, there is a great variety of marijuana grinders and options and deciding which to choose can be quite time-consuming. If you search online, you will find everything from inexpensive plastic marijuana grinders to luxury edition box sets and everything in between. You can also get info and purchase grinders at your local head shop, smoke store, and even some dispensaries.
Whether you are a new cannabis user or have been reaping the benefits from cannabis for years, the right grinder is a great tool for anyone who is looking to maximize their experience. Let's take a closer look at what you need to know when choosing and using your new grinder.
How have Marijuana Grinders Evolved?
Today's sophisticated individual grinders are an adaptation of an early 20th-century industrial device, the centerless grinder. The original miniaturized version of the grinder was first implemented in apothecaries and compounding pharmacies of the era, due to their efficiency in processing herbs and other plant materials. Designed only as two-piece models, early grinders did not feature the conveniences we see today such as magnetic centers and multiple chambers for collecting flower and kief.
The most popular personal grinders today typically feature four pieces and three chambers. Collectively, these components provide a great system for breaking up your bud. Marijuana grinders also help ensure that precious trichomes are not lost by manual grinding; simply handling marijuana can leave a lot of THC resin on your hands and manual tools can knock trichomes everywhere.
Commonly, grinders have a cap that has teeth on the underside that line up with teeth in the grinding chamber. After you have placed your bud into the grinding chamber, give the cap a twist and ground flower will fall into the next chamber or the top chamber. Top chambers typically have a screen in the bottom of them that collects kief, or concentrated trichomes, in the bottom chamber or 'kief catcher' as it is often called. This type of system is something that breaking up your bud manually simply cannot match.
What are the Benefits of Using a Marijuana Grinder?
Collecting kief is just one of the great advantages of using a marijuana grinder. There are a variety of other reasons to properly grind your weed as well.
If you are smoking from a pipe, joint, or bong, finely-ground cannabis will burn more quickly and evenly. This also reduces the chance of air being blocked or your pipe becoming clogged.
For those making tasty edibles with cannabis, grinding marijuana into a powder will reduce the earthy taste that often accompanies the health and mind-altering benefits of edibles. Terpenes, THC, and other cannabinoids are also more easily absorbed into your cooking medium when using ground flowers or kief.
You may notice that each gram seems to go further when using a grinder. Each puff will also have more of the compounds that provide the medicinal and mind-altering benefits cannabis users are looking to reap. This will help you conserve bud too, as you will not need to ingest as much or smoke as often.
How Do You Use a Marijuana Grinder?
Step One
Make sure your grinder is clean and free of any debris that may have found its way inside. Then break your bud up into small pieces that can easily fit into the teeth of the grinding chamber.
Evenly fill the chamber but not so much that you cannot get the cap to close properly. Also, it is important to avoid the center of the chamber, or else the magnet will not catch properly.
Step Two
Next, place the cap on, making sure it is completely closed. Then turn the cap several times, full and half rotations.
You will feel the twisting become easier as the bud is broken up and emptied into the top chamber. You may want to gently tap the cap to loosen any remaining flower that may have become stuck in the teeth.
Step Three
Open the top chamber by removing the grinding chamber to find your freshly ground flower. Collect your flower and use it as you please.
Some individuals like to put a small coin in the top chamber to help knock the kief into the bottom chamber before using any of the ground bud, but that is primarily just a preference. This is especially popular among those who enjoy collecting kief for cooking.
Step Four
This step is not always required, but useful if you are trying to build up your kief. To collect the kief, separate the top chamber from the bottom chamber to find all the trichomes that have been gathered through the screen.
Kief makes for a great addition to the top of a bowl, sprinkled into a blunt, or added to oil or butter in edible recipes.
What are the Different Types of Marijuana Grinders?
While you may prefer the aesthetic of wood or the durability of titanium, grinders are also made from a variety of other materials including plastic, aluminum, and steel. As with many things in life, experienced cannabis users will tell you that you get what you pay for when it comes to marijuana grinders. On the low end, you can expect to spend between $5 and $25, while some automatic and electric grinders cost upwards of $100.
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As you can imagine, plastic grinders tend to be the least expensive to purchase. However, a big issue with plastic grinding teeth is they sometimes end up in your bud.
Lightweight and affordable, aluminum grinders are popular because of their durability.
A bit heavier, but certainly the most durable grinders are made from titanium. Because of this, they are typically the most expensive manual grinder you can find on the market.
There is also a variety of battery operated grinders that are composed of multiple chambers and metal blades that pulverize your weed into a perfect consistency. These 'automatic' grinders also tend to be on the more expensive end of the price spectrum, due to the added convenience of a perfect blend every time.
No matter what type of grinder you choose, or how expensive it was, properly preparing your cannabis before use is of great importance. Not only will it improve your experience, but it can save you time, money, and of course, marijuana.
Featured Image: DepositPhotos/© KooCS
