How to Use a Weed Grinder The Proper Way

Watched a buddy use a grinder to prepare flower and was curious on how to use a weed grinder yourself? Ever watch a friend roll a lovely joint in utter helplessness? What about sprinkling the perfect amount of finely chopped cannabis buds into a delightful bowl, never failing to create a disappointing experience? And blunts – how did cannabis fit so perfectly condensed in hemp paper, not to mention burn so elegantly? 

All signs point to the know-with-all of how to use a weed grinder. 

It’s an all too common situation for those who dabble on the periphery of the cannabis arts – you have the cannabis, the rolling papers and a 3-piece grinder, yet you don’t know how to put them all to use so you and your friends can get toking. The bottleneck may be learning how to roll and pack buds neatly into rolling papers, but before doing so, you need to have finely grounded cannabis buds, which requires knowing how to use a weed grinder. 

In this guide, we’ll break down not only how to use a weed grinder for joints, bowls and blunts, but we’ll also provide some tips for after-care so you can collect kief consistently. 

What is a Weed Grinder and Do I Actually Need One?

Grinders come in all shapes and sizes, from being hand-held in shape to being plastic and metal in material. Irrespective of the variation, they perform the very much needed task of breaking down your cannabis buds into a fine consistency, which creates a more smooth and elevating cannabis experience. 

But with this said, the different types of weed grinders aren’t all equal in performance. Plastic grinders are known to unevenly chop your cannabis buds, leaving them clunky and forcing the grinder to be jammed because of its ineffective plastic teeth. What’s left is your cannabis buds in an uneven consistency, which at best is hardly smokable, and at worst, a complete waste. 

In contrast, metal grinders, like the titanium kind, are known to provide the most reliable and finely consistent cannabis buds, which further give you the ideal ingredients for an elevated smoking experience. With a few twists, you can have finely grounded cannabis for your needs. 

If your grinder has a kief catcher, which we recommend it should, you’ll also have potent kief to spice up your experiences, not to mention extra portable storage to keep your cannabis secure and accessible. Such multi-purpose features are typical of the 3-piece grinder variety. 

Ultimately, if you’re particular about not wasting cannabis while saving time by not always having to break down cannabis with inconvenient cutters, and most importantly, you value how your cannabis burns, and thus your experience, then a grinder is well worth the investment. But don’t opt-in for anything less than a 3-piece titanium grinder with a kief catcher and extra storage, if you ask us. 

How To Use a Weed Grinder For The Best Blunts, Bowls and Joints

Ready to get your grind on? Literally? With a 3-piece grinder at your disposal, here’s a multi-step breakdown for creating finely consistent grounded cannabis buds. 

Steps

1. Place the grinder in front of you. Take a good look, as this is the remarkable tool that will give you the ingredients for an elevated toking experience. 
2. Start breaking down your cannabis into smaller nugs with your fingers. Remove the noticeable stems and leaves. You may want to grind the leaves on their own if they’re trichome-filled. Although your titanium grinder is built like a rock, likely made for tearing through stems, this step makes the grinding process more effortless. 
3. Place the nugs of cannabis that were broken down with your fingers into the grinder. You can get creative with this part – why use just one strain? Break down multiple strains into smaller nugs for an interesting experience. Once finished, cover the grinder with its lid.
4. Twist, turn and crank away. As you continue to do so, the cranking will become softer as your cannabis becomes more grounded in consistency, further falling through the holes inside your grinder. 
5. Take a moment and remove the top chamber lid. Check for any stray cannabis that might be stuck in-between your grinder’s teeth. Tap the chamber lid so the stray cannabis falls through the holes. 
6. Continue grinding.
7. When you think your cannabis is grounded enough, take a pinch and sprinkle it into your bowl, joint or blunt papers. 
8. At this point, your chief catcher may have collected enough kief. If so, take your small scooping tool, assuming your grinder provided one, and sprinkle a touch on your joint or store it for later use.

There you have it! Finely ground cannabis buds at your disposal. But wait, your grinder is sticky and clogged- surely it can’t be as effective the next time around, can it? 

How To Clean A Weed Grinder For Repetitive Use

Sticky, clogging-like conundrums are inevitable when using your grinder on a consistent basis, and cleaning it may seem like an extra unwanted chore. However, taking the extra effort not only provides you with reliable grinding action next time you use it, but it will also reward you with potent kief in the future, which is technically a cannabis concentrate. 

In addition to the rewards, all you need is rubbing alcohol, a toothbrush and salt for a thorough clean. Here is a breakdown of how to do so.

1. Start by putting some salt in your grinder, especially in its razor-sharp teeth section. Doing so will ease up the sticky situation in the most difficult to reach places. 
2. Then pour some alcohol in, just enough to notice its liquidy presence. Close the lid, and shake, shake shake! This step should really ease-up the sticky situation in your grinder. 
3. If the stubborn sticky situation still resides, use your toothbrush, no not your goto, and brush and scrub away.

Final Thoughts on Grinding Weed

Luckily for us cannabiseurs who are just breaking into the fascinating world of cannabis culture, learning how to use a weed grinder doesn’t have a steep learning curve. The major steps include breaking down your cannabis into smaller nugs with your fingers, then getting your crank on and lastly, doing some minor upkeep with salt and alcohol. For the time saved, along with potent kief for future use, and a more smooth burning and elevated cannabis experience, the rewards far outweigh the costs. 

Just remember, don’t settle for plastic or hand-held grinders, instead opt-in for your titanium 3-piece variety – their multi-use nature will help you ad infinitum in the future. 

Best of luck!