How to Use a Grinder: A Step-by-Step Guide

Novice cannabis users who have just stumbled upon a grinder may have more than one question about it. Marijuana grinders, also known as grinding cards, are essential to all cannabis users. These indispensable and portable smoking tools can be purchased from almost all reputable headshops or smoke stores. 

A grinder pulverizes dried cannabis into finer pieces for smoother hits in smoking bongs, blunts, and joints. It has magnets to keep everything in place while grinding, so you won’t waste a portion of your herb. The grinding chamber’s blades, or teeth, break down the cannabis. Its lid attaches securely to prevent spillage or wastage. 

Why People Prefer a Grinder

While it’s true that there are other means to crush cannabis, using a grinder saves more time. The grinder also extracts the cannabis compounds more evenly. Because there’s finer cannabis in no time, it enables users to roll more easily and experience an even burn from start to finish. The fine marijuana from a grinder also enables bong users to pack larger and denser bowls. 

Well-ground cannabis also emits a powerful and thick smoke or vapour consistently. With a marijuana grinder, many recreational and medical marijuana users can collect a potent residue called kief. 

How to Use a Grinder Properly

If you are planning to buy or have just purchased a grinder, here are the all-important steps in using it the right way.

Step 1 – Get your preferred cannabis strain. With your fingers, break the big pieces and put them in the gaps between the blades of the grinder. Remember that the center of the grinder is the pivoting point of the magnet. Your herb will not be shredded there. 

Step 2 – Do not overfill your grinding chamber. This ensures that pieces of your herb will not spill as you grind. It also makes sure that every bit of herb is ground up evenly. Also, it can be tempting to fill the grinding chamber up to the top with herbs, but if you do this, your grinder will not perform efficiently. It is always best to just grind your herbs in small batches. This may take more energy and time, but you will understand once you experience the results. 

Step 3 – Put the lid back on but not with too much force. This prevents you from damaging your grinder. Remember to lock the lid firmly.

Step 4 – Rotate until every bit of herb has already fallen through the screen. The number of rotations depends on the coarseness of your herb. Ten rotations may be enough, but you can always rotate more. Keep in mind that you might get a bit of resistance at first as the teeth start to grind up the herb. You will eventually find yourself exerting less and less effort as the grinding continues. 

Step 5 – Flip your grinder as you grind. This will give you a finer batch of herbs to work with. Before you flip the grinder, make sure you close the lid tightly to prevent your herb from bursting free into the air. 

Step 6 – Remove the lid and use it to tap the side of the grinder. This loosens any gummy pieces adhering to the grinder’s teeth. 

Step 7 – Detach the grinding chamber to reveal the basket that holds your ground cannabis. If you still aren’t satisfied with the consistency of your herb, repeat the grinding process.

Step 8 – Once you’re content with your ground cannabis, place your ground marijuana into your blunt, bong, or joint and experience the smooth hit. If you have any excess, place it in a dry container. 

Step 9 – Check the bottom chamber of your grinder. With a scraping tool or a piece of paper, scrape out some of the kief, which are pollens that dropped through the screen. Kief is known to have the highest level of THC. Collect the kief and sprinkle some into your joint, blunt, or bowl. Some weight in the bottom chamber helps remove the resin from the screen. You can put a clean nickel or penny inside to provide the weight.

After Using Your Grinder

A cannabis grinder becomes saturated with sticky resin after using it several times. The gummy substance accumulates, making the grinder more challenging to open. To make your grinder last a long time, it is best to clean it immediately after every use.

Step 10 – Disassemble your grinder so you can clean each part thoroughly.

Step 11 – After using your grinder, place it in the freezer immediately. This prevents the kief from sticking to surfaces.

Step 12 – Apply salt and isopropyl alcohol on the sticky parts of the grinder. This is an effective technique in cleaning bongs and pipes, as well. 

Step 13 – With a small beard brush, paintbrush, or a toothbrush to remove the kief that adheres to the screen. 

Step 14 – Avoid using any metal-based cleaner or a hard cleaning tool. This will only damage your grinder. 

Step 15 – Clean the innermost part of your grinder. You can soak it in clean water, so the bits of stuck dried weed will be easier to strip off. 

Step 16 – Assemble the parts of your grinder once you have finished cleaning them.

Step 17 – Store your grinder in a dry place, away from water or oil, to prevent it from rusting. 

Step 18 – Keep your cannabis grinder away from pets or children to avoid damage. 

Conclusion

You can break your cannabis into small pieces with your hands or with a pair of scissors and a shot glass, but using a grinder is far more efficient. There are many types of cannabis grinders on the market. It doesn’t matter if you bought the most expensive or the least expensive grinder: If you know how to use it and maintain it the right way, your grinder will last a long time. This holds true even if you have the best grinder. This means more satisfying and smoother cannabis sessions each time.