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No matter how much you love your weed, you’ve likely experienced a moment or two when rolling a blunt or packing a bowl was a bit of a cumbersome and time-consuming process.
Luckily, there’s a product that can help! Grinders are just the thing for turning cannabis buds into a fine, almost powder-like form, making them much easier to work with for all your smoking purposes. Plus, grinders help you use your weed efficiently by burning it quickly and evenly.
How to Use a Grinder
Grinders are pretty darn easy to use. Simply remove the top lid and place your buds on the grinder’s teeth. (You may need to break up larger buds to make it fit easily.)
Close the lid back on top and begin rotating. The teeth will break the buds down into smaller pieces. You can stop once all of those pieces fall through the openings between the teeth.
Next, unscrew the chamber with the teeth. Your grounded weed will be inside. When you finish grinding it all, load up your favourite piece and inhale. Easy peasy!
Kief Catchers
Most grinders will have an extra chamber in the bottom below the screen. This chamber collects the tiny trichomes, called kief, that fall off during the grinding process. When you pick apart the buds by hand, kief’s fine texture means it often gets lost.
The more cannabis you grind, the more catchers these catchers will start to fill with kief. This powder is a concentrated version of the plant’s THC. Consider kief the icing to a bowl’s cake.
Sprinkle a little kief on top of your packed cannabis for a more intense euphoria. Or you could save it up and use it for hash or edibles.
Types of Grinders
- The two-piece grinder is great for anyone on a budget. It’s simple to use because you only have to place your cannabis in the middle, close both pieces, and twist the two sides. You may have to put a bit of elbow grease in your grind, but you’ll still end up saving more of your weed!
- The four-piece grinder has three chambers and twice as many pieces. These include a lid, grinding chamber, a top chamber, and a bottom kief catcher. The teeth that pick apart the weed are in the grinding chamber. Below it, ground cannabis will collect in the top chamber. Any residual cannabis will fall down through a screen and into the kief catcher.
- Electric grinders, which are on the pricier end of grinders, provide a more modern approach to grinding. These motorized machines are light and portable and guarantee a perfect grind every time. However, electric grinders have some cons: A kief catcher isn’t always guaranteed, or kief may be difficult to get out. Some models also have limited space, so it might take a while to grind up all your cannabis.
- Card grinders range in price and quality, are eco-friendly, and aren’t much bigger than a credit card. Grinding cannabis involves running your buds over the card’s teeth or blades. Plus, when you finish, you can slip the card right back into your wallet, offering a quick solution to grind and scoop fine cannabis right to your pipe.
Cleaning it Out
Over time, you will start to notice resin build up in your grinder. This might slow down your ability to twist the grinding motion. Luckily, isopropyl alcohol and salt can solve that issue!
Apply a small mixture of these two ingredients to a fine brush and scrub away any excess resin. Then, use the brush to knock any kief loose on the screen.
You also may want to freeze your grinder before cleaning. The cold will make the resin less sticky, giving you less of a mess when polishing your trusty grinder.
Ultimately, a grinder is a worthy investment that makes smoking cannabis more enjoyable and efficient.
This story was made possible by our Community Partners Program. Thank you Revive Cannabis for helping to expand local news coverage in Alberta. Learn more.
