Cannabis Tips And Tricks: Finding The Perfect Grind

Cannabis grinders are nifty tools that are designed to make your herbs fine quickly and easily. Since the consistency of your herb affects your smoking experience, using a grinder should be an essential step in your cannabis routine. However, grinders might bring up some uncertainty for those who are new to cannabis. That is why we have you covered with our tips, tricks, and all you need to know about grinding.

What Is A Grinder?

Grinders are cylindrical devices that you can use to grind down your weed to a finer consistency. Their fine mechanisms can expertly shred your flowers into a smoother and pleasant texture that is more suitable for cannabis vaporisers, bongs, and other cannabis consumption methods. 

There are many cannabis grinder options available, each with its own benefits for your cannabis sessions. The most common options on the market include:

• 3-Piece Grinder
• 4-Piece Grinder
• 5-Piece Grinder

3-Piece Grinder

3-Piece grinders are some of the most basic grinder options out there. They are also some of the cheaper options. These devices can be opened up and separated into three parts – a lid, grinding chamber, and collection chamber. 

The lid can be identified by its “teeth”, which are responsible for shredding your flowers into a thinner consistency. The grinding chamber attaches to the lid – which you will load with your flower before you start grinding. The collection chamber screws into the bottom of the grinding chamber, so that the freshly ground flower can fall through the holes in the bottom of the grinding chamber and into it.

After twisting the lid of your grinder a few times, all of your freshly ground flower will be safely in the collection chamber and ready for you to use.

4-Piece Grinder

4-Piece grinders have all of the pieces that 3-piece grinders have, including one extra part. The fourth compartment can be found underneath the collection chamber and it is known as the “kief chamber” or “kief catcher”.

In 4-piece grinders, the collection chamber will have a fine mesh at the bottom for the kief to collect in the kief chamber. Kief is popular because it is easy to collect and very potent. You can press it into hash or add it to a joint, bowl,or any other smoking method to give the THC level a boost.

5-Piece Grinder

As 3-piece and 4-piece grinders are already very functional, adding a fifth compartment might seem like an unnecessary addition. However, it is actually twice as functional. The fifth part in these grinders is actually a second screen for a kief catching chamber.

This is a great way to improve the quality of your kief, as it removes all additional residue and too-fine particles. Kief connoisseurs consider 5-piece grinders a must-have for their cannabis sessions.

Is It Worth It To Use A Cannabis Grinder?

If you are used to using your fingers, scissors, or other utensils to get your cannabis into a finer consistency, you might think investing in a grinder is unnecessary. However, using a grinder can actually make you get more impact out of your herb. Here are some of the reasons why you should use a cannabis grinder:

• Enhanced smoking experience: Grinding your flower will lead to a generally more pleasant smoking/vaping experience. This is due to the fact that ground flowers burn more evenly, giving you a fairly consistent smoking experience. This is especially noticeable in blunts, joints, and one-hitters.

• Better flower distribution: When cannabis is whole, it burns from the outside inwards. This means that you will miss out on a lot of cannabis as everything will already look charred. Besides that, ground cannabis also has a much better flavour as it is lit more evenly. 

• Quick quality analysis: Grinding your cannabis can reveal a lot about its quality. You can tell if it’s dry, old, crisp, fresh, and compare buds to see if you get the same quality every time.

• Collecting kief: As previously mentioned, collecting kief is a big bonus to grinding cannabis. As kief provides an extra THC boost, this is reason enough alone to use a grinder.

How To Grind Cannabis With A Grinder

Using a grinder may seem daunting at first, but they are actually quite intuitive devices that are easy to use once you get the hang of it. Luckily, we have some simple steps to follow when grinding your cannabis flowers.

1. Remove The Stems And Seeds

To make sure that you have the best experience when grinding your cannabis, you need to remove all the pieces you do not need. Seeds and stems should be removed before placing your flower in a grinder as it will bring down the quality of your smoking session.

2. Remove The Lid And Arrange Your Buds

Take some of your buds, breaking them into slightly smaller chunks if necessary, and lightly press them down into the teeth of the grinding chamber. Make sure that you do not pack the buds too densely as your grinder may struggle to turn.

3. Press Down On The Lid

With your flower in the chamber, press down on the lid to set it in place. You will feel your flower being crushed – that is exactly what you want to happen. Make sure that you press down firmly so that the lid locks back in and everything is secure. 

4. Twist And Grind

Once everything is securely in place, you can start to grind your cannabis. Depending on your grinder’s teeth, this process can take anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 minute. It also depends on how fine you want your herbs to be. A good rule of thumb is to grind your cannabis until the grinding chamber is empty or the flower stops resisting the grinding process.

5. Remove The Lid And Serve

Open up your collection chamber after grinding and you will see that your finely ground flower is ready for use! Get into the habit of doing this regularly to see what consistency you prefer. You will now be able to collect your cannabis and load up your smoking/vaping device.

How To Properly Clean A Grinder

Like most cannabis tools and accessories, grinders get sticky and generally dirty after a few uses. This can affect its ability to grind properly and cause it to lock up if you do not take action. In order to keep your grinder clean, you can:

1. Disassemble all the individual parts
2. Mix isopropyl alcohol and salt 
3. Use a toothbrush and the isopropyl solution to clean away the residue
4. Rinse well and air dry

If the grinder is especially sticky, you can put it in the freezer before you clean it to make removing the resin easier.

Grinders are an essential component of your cannabis journey if you are someone that enjoys using dry herbs. They are convenient, compact, and if you buy a quality grinder, you will find that the once off price will give you a product that lasts. Without a grinder, making herbs finer requires much more manual labour, you cannot collect potent kief, and you cannot ensure a consistent texture. If you want to know whether or not to use a grinder, the choice should be obvious. Get quality grinders and other cannabis accessories at Cannarite.