How to Grind Weed for Beginners

If you’ve never used an herb grinder, rest assured that learning how to grind weed using one isn’t a daunting experience like navigating your first wax pen or dab rig. By design, a marijuana grinder is fairly intuitive and user friendly. However, a bit of preparatory information won’t hurt so today we’ll guide you step by step through your first weed grinding process and even throw in a tip or two for when you’re left high and dry with no weed grinder in sight.

Is it Really Worth it to Use a Weed Grinder?

If you’ve been relying on fingers, scissors or kitchen knives (who are you?) to reduce your buds to something more manageable, you may think investing in a decent metal grinder is a waste of time. You’ve made it this far without an herb grinder and done just fine, right? But why are you going to settle for “just fine” when you could be getting more impact out of your herb? Even if you go for the top-of-the-line, best weed grinder on the market, you won’t break the bank. A decent 3 piece grinder is highly affordable and will let you get the most from your bud. If you think that’s a myth, think back to the last time you got some ultra-sticky herb. Do you remember the resin sticking to your fingers as you pulled apart the nugs or gumming up your scissors? The best herb grinder models are designed to keep that resin on your granulated herb which means you’ll ultimately smoke it, vape it, or eat it but you won’t wash it down the sink like you’re doing now. If you get a marijuana grinder with a kief catcher, you’re also efficiently collecting a future secret ingredient to make your bowl pop when you really need it. If you’re using your fingers or scissors instead of herb grinders, that kief is just going to waste. So, yeah, using a weed grinder is actually worth it.

Why Should I Use a Weed Grinder in the First Place?

If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re well acquainted with our favorite plant and have been getting along just fine without an herb grinder. So why should you start using one now? One of the chief reasons you may want to consider investing in a decent grinder is for the smoother smoke you’ll enjoy as a result. It’s also way easier to roll joints and blunts if you’re working with a finely ground product. If you’re using finger-picking methods, you’ll save a lot of time by upgrading to a grinder. Finally, if you’re weed grinder is one of the many that come equipped with a kief catcher, you can begin to enjoy that added bonus which we’ll delve into a little later. But first, let’s break down how to grind weed using a 3-chamber grinder.

Step 1: Properly Loading Your Herb Grinder

The first step consists of properly loading your weed grinder. Now, this isn’t an industrial juicer that you just chuck product into and await the results. You’ll want to break larger nugs into manageable pieces and then try to evenly distribute them among the teeth of the grinder (after you’ve removed the lid, of course). It doesn’t have to be a science but you want to get as close to an even distribution as you can. The central portion of the grinder is vital to the function of the mechanism, so you’ll want to keep this area clear of any bud.

Step 2: How to Grind Weed for the First Time

Close the lid of the grinder in such a way that the magnetic center fits in place. Once secured, give your weed grinder a few twists, a bit like opening a can or something to that effect. However, this should be a gentle motion. The resistance you feel will depend on the quality of your grinder and how well you prepped the nugs. Once you get to know your grinder, the number of rotations needed to achieve the preferred fineness will be determined but you can start out with about 7 – 10 twists.

Step 3: Accessing the Ground Flower

To access the compartment of a 3-chamber grinder that holds the ground result, you’ll want to grip the base of the grinder and use your free hand to remove the top 2 portions using a similar twisting motion to securing the lid. Once you’ve accessed the chamber where the resulting flower is stored, you can use the herb as desired.

Bonus Round: Taking Advantage of Your Kief Catcher

Those 3 easy steps are really all there is to it but your kief catcher can be accessed as a 4^th bonus step. The kief catcher can be removed from the other chambers in a manner similar to removing the upper 2 chambers in step 3. You can sprinkle the kief from the catcher itself or, better yet, use a scraping tool to handle the fine granulated kief. Add it to your joints, bowls, and more for a little extra zing. An old trick is to toss a sanitized penny into the kief catcher so that it aids in removing kief from the screen.

How to Grind Weed Without Grinder Assistance

If you’re between herb grinders right now, there’s an old college trick that can come in handy assuming you have access to a pair of scissors and a shot glass or similarly small glass container. Toss the separated nug into the glass and simple cut it to shreds with the scissors. The result may not be quite as thorough as you’d expect from a decent weed grinder but it beats pulling it apart with your fingers. Obviously, learning how to grind weed isn’t brain surgery but you’ll hone your technique as you get better acquainted with your herb grinder. With minimal effort, you’ll have smoother smoke sessions, quicker and cleaner results, and most likely the extra benefit of kief. What could be better than that?

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