How to Grind Cannabis Using a Grinder

Put 0.3 to 0.5 grams of dried flower in the grinding chamber. Close the lid. Turn the top piece 3 to 5 full rotations. Open the lid and check the texture. Stop when the pieces are the size of a grain of rice.

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Flower at 58% to 62% relative humidity grinds clean. Flower that is too dry turns to powder and clogs the teeth. Flower that is too wet sticks to the lid.

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What You Need

  • A grinder with 2, 3, or 4 pieces
  • Dried, cured cannabis flower
  • A small brush
  • Isopropyl alcohol at 91% or higher, for cleaning

Step by Step

  1. Break large buds into pieces about 1 cm across. Pull out seeds and stems.
  2. Fill the grinding chamber halfway to two-thirds. Do not pack it down.
  3. Close the lid. Hold the base with one hand and turn the top with the other.
  4. Turn 3 to 5 rotations for a coarse grind. Turn 6 to 10 for a fine grind.
  5. Tap the side of the grinder so material drops into the middle chamber.
  6. Open the lid and look at the texture. Add rotations if the pieces are still large.
  7. Empty the middle chamber. In a 4-piece grinder, kief passes through the screen into the bottom chamber.

Grind Size by Method

Coarse

Use 3 to 5 rotations. Pieces stay at 2 to 4 mm. This size works in pipes and water pipes because airflow stays open.

How to Grind Cannabis for a Vaporizer: Medium-Coarse Guide

Medium

Use 5 to 7 rotations. Pieces land at 1 to 2 mm. This size suits most dry herb vaporizers.

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Fine

Use 7 to 10 rotations. Pieces sit below 1 mm. Fine material burns at a steady rate inside a rolled joint.

How Much to Grind

Grind only what you plan to use in 24 to 48 hours. Ground flower dries faster than whole buds and loses terpenes. A full chamber holds about 1 gram of flower and yields about 0.9 grams of ground material. The rest stays on the teeth and screen.

Cleaning

Clean the grinder every 2 to 4 weeks. Soak the metal parts in 91% isopropyl alcohol for 20 to 30 minutes. Scrub the teeth and screen with a brush. Rinse with water and let the parts dry for 1 hour. Collect the kief from the bottom chamber with a small scoop before you soak the base.

Common Mistakes

  • Overfilling the chamber. The lid jams and the teeth bind.
  • Grinding wet flower. Resin coats the screen and blocks kief.
  • Turning the lid past the point of resistance. Plastic teeth crack.
  • Keeping a coin in the middle chamber. Some guides suggest it to knock kief loose. On thin screens it tears the mesh.