If this is your first time using cannabis, you may ask plenty of questions about grinders and how to use this piece of equipment.

Grinders can be bought at any head shop or smoke store you come accross, or you can purchase one online from one of retail outlets.

They come in a variety shapes and sizes, from a simple grater for cannabis to more complex units like multi-chamber grinders.

This tutorial sheds light on how to use a weed grinder using the most common type of this device: a 4-piece grinder with a kief collector. Later on, we’ll elaborate on some useful tips to get the most out of your favorite strain with a weed grinder.

But first, let’s talk about the purpose of using marijuana grinders. 

What is a grinder?

pot grinder

As the name suggests, a grinder is the tool for breaking your weed(Purple Gods Green Crack or any of you favorite strain) up into small bits for a more effective use in a bowl or for wrapping it in blunt wraps and rolling papers.

There are plenty of ways to grind cannabis without using a grinder, but grinders make the whole process quicker and more convenient.

Plus, they offer such perks like kief catchers to make sure you use every single bit of your stash.

A kief catcher is usually located at the bottom chamber below the screen that collects all the potent cannabis resin knocked off the buds when you grind them.

Kief can be scooped out of the grinder and added to the top of your joint or bowl, or used later to make your own hash bricks or cook powerful weed infusions.

The area above the screen is where the grinding chamber with the blades (or “teeth”) is located. The grinding chamber does all the crumbling job and is finished with the lid attached to its top.

Metal grinders are typically equipped with a magnet to make sure your weed doesn’t fall out of the piece during the process.

How To Use A Grinder

pot grinder

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use a grinder. Enjoy!

1) Load Your Grinder

Remove the lid. With your fingers, break your bud into smaller pieces. Don’t put anything in the middle of the grinder. This is where everything pivots. Anything placed in the center won’t get ground.

2) Grind Your Ganja

Replace the lid. Hold the bottom of the grinder with one hand and rotate the lid with the other hand. At first, there will be some resistance, so give it a little muscle. Rotate the grinder until you feel the resistance disappear.

3) Tap That Grinder

Before removing the lid on either collection chamber, give your grinder a tap against the table or the palm of your hand. This helps dislodge the cannabis into the collection chamber and pushes more kief through the screen.

4) Collect Your Cannabis

Separate the grinding chamber from the collection chamber and scoop out your newly ground weed. Be careful not to damage the screen if you’re using a four-piece grinder.

If this is your first grind, you may not have much kief, but you can separate the kief chamber from the collection chamber to see for yourself. Eventually, it’ll be full of powdery goodness!

5) Enjoy The Fruits Of Your Labor

At this point, the sky’s the limit on what you can do with your ganja grounds. Here are just a few suggestions:

  • Roll a joint (it’s super easy with ground-up bud)
  • Roll a cross joint
  • Pack a bowl
  • Steep some weed tea
  • Whip up a batch of your favorite edibles

If you have more patience than we do, you could use this cannabis to make a tincture, isolate, extract, or oil.

Tips for using a grinder

Whether you buy a manual or automatic grinder, the process of grinding weed is fairly straightforward. Here are a few expert tips to get the best output from your herb grinder.

Be gentle: You don’t have to exert much force when twisting a manual grinder. About a dozen steady turns should get you the perfect weed grind on a well-maintained grinder with sharp blades. It’s also important not to overfill the grinder. You can always go back for a second round to avoid taxing the grinder.

Turn it upside down: If you want a super fine grind, remove the kief chamber, turn the grinder upside down, grind, and then put the kief chamber back in place after you grind. This technique prevents the buds from dropping into the bottom chamber, allowing for finer grinding and resulting in smoother ground weed.

Clean the grinder: As with other cannabis accessories, like water pipes and ash catchers, it’s crucial to keep a grinder clean. A soft cloth and brush should do the trick, but avoid abrasive materials like scrubbing pads, which can damage an herb grinder. Use rubbing alcohol as a cleaning agent, rinse with warm water, and thoroughly dry. This basic maintenance can help your grinder last longer and allow you to enjoy a smooth cannabis experience every time.

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