How to Grind Weed Without a Grinder
As a cannabis consumer, grinders are an important tool to have when you buy a high-quality weed. Without it, you’d lose some of the essential compounds found in cannabis. But grinders can be pretty expensive though. However, with a little creativity, you can use ordinary tools found in your kitchen as a grinder.
Why Grind or Chop Weed
Grinding herbs has a long history. People chop herbs to get the most out of these beneficial plants. But using a homemade grinder then was a little messy, and the chopped up herbs can also be a bit difficult to contain.
By the 20th century, at the peak of the industrial age, the first grinders were invented. But these grinders though were used by the food industry to process vegetables and herbs. Later on, smaller grinders were manufactured for home use.
Because herbs, including cannabis and hemp, were used as a medicine, apothecaries began using the smaller grinders to create their plant and herb-based medicines. Grinders allow them to make use of all the essential parts of the plants.
Pretty soon, cannabis consumers were using grinders to separate the trichomes from the buds.
– Why do you need to grind weed?
Learning how to grind weed gives you many benefits.
One, the finer pieces of a well-ground bud allow even burning of the joint. Imagine rolling a whole bud into a joint. It won’t burn completely, and it definitely won’t burn cleanly.
Two, grinding buds by hand can be pretty messy. The trichomes are sticky and will stick to your fingers. You will lose some of the vital trichomes this way. But there’s a technique to this though, which we’ll discuss later.
Three, using a grinder allows you to extract and collect kief, which is very rich in cannabinoids and terpenes.
Four, you get to enjoy smoother and better hits.
– Is there a difference in grinding different types of weed?
No, actually. The process of grinding the different types of weed is the same. When you try to grind bubble-gum cannabis bud, for example, it is the same as grinding Girl Scout Cookies. What’s important is that you break the buds up into small, even pieces for smoother and cleaner hits.
However, if you’re using different cannabis strains for different purposes, then it’s wiser to use two or more grinders. One grinder is for high THC buds, for example, while the other is for high CBD strains. You can even use one grinder for Sativa, another for Indica, and a third for Hybrids.
Using different grinders makes sure that you won’t be mixing some leftover high THC kief into your high CBD kief.
What are the ordinary types of homemade grinder?
As mentioned earlier, high-quality grinders can be pretty expensive. If you want to save some money, then there are common kitchen tools that you can use as a grinder.
– Pestle and Mortar
Pestle and mortar is a great kitchen tool to break up your cannabis buds into smaller pieces. To do this, simply place the buds inside the mortar, and with the pestle, gently crush the buds and grind them against the sides of the bowl. Once the buds are finely ground, collect them with a clean spoon.
Of note, mortar and pestle work best for dried flowers. So it would be wise to allow your buds to dry for a few hours before grinding them with your mortar and pestle. Not allowing the buds to dry can leave you with a sticky mess
– Coffee Grinder
Some people use their coffee grinder for weed. They find that coffee grinders can effectively and evenly chop the buds up into smaller and even pieces. Depending on your coffee grinder, too, you can even control the setting or the fineness of the buds.
But if you’re going to use your coffee grinder though, make sure that you clean it very well. You don’t want your joint to have some traces of ground coffee in it. Or maybe this is a good thing since this will give your joint a unique twist.
Also, make sure that you thoroughly clean your coffee grinder after use.
– Blender
If you are after a very finely ground cannabis, then you can use your blender. This is a powerful kitchen tool that can quickly and efficiently grind your buds. You can also easily control the setting if you don’t want your cannabis buds finely ground.
But there are some disadvantages to using your blender as a weed blender though. For one, while you get to enjoy finely ground buds, cleaning your blender and making sure there are no traces of cannabis can be a bit of a hassle.
Two, the blades can be a bit too powerful for the tender buds and can easily pulverize them.
– Knife and Cutting Board
Another easy way to grind weed is to simply use your kitchen knife and cutting board. If it can chop up your herbs and vegetables into finer pieces, then it can definitely chop up your buds as well. You can also easily control how fast you chop the buds up into smaller pieces.
Using this method though requires hand to eye coordination, so make sure that you’re not high or stoned when grinding your cannabis. Doing so can easily result in an injury.
When using the old knife and cutting board method, it would be best to use a non-serrated knife.
– Grinding Weed with Hands
The oldest method of grinding cannabis is using your fingers. This method, after all, is the most old-fashioned of all tools and methods.
To break the bud apart with your fingers, you need to roll the bud between your thumb, index, and middle fingers carefully. You can catch the smaller chunks with a paper or with your other hand.
This method though has many disadvantages. One, you’ll probably end up with uneven pieces. Two, trichomes are very sticky and you’ll definitely get some on your fingers.
But if you’re in a hurry to light up a joint and can’t find a grinder, then use your hands.
What are some of the non-ordinary types of DIY grinder?
People are very creative when it comes to grinding weed. Just take a look around your kitchen and you’ll see common tools perfect for grinding weed.
– Knife Handle and Glass Cup or Plate
If you do not know how to grind weed with hands, then you can simply use a knife handle, a glass cup, or a plate. But these methods though work best for dried flowers.
To grind the buds, simply place the buds between two parchment papers. Using the knife handle, gently pound the buds until they break apart into smaller pieces. As for the glass cup method, you can roll it over the buds until the pieces fall apart.
Of note, do not use moist buds though since they are a bit harder to break apart than a dried cannabis bud.
– Grater
If you want to learn how to grind weed without a grinder, then use your cheese grater. Just hold the bud against the cheese grater and gently scrub it over the shredding holes. In no time at all, you’ll have evenly ground up buds. But be careful though when using your cheese grater. You don’t want to end up with small cuts and lacerations.
Cheese graters work best on dried buds. Not only will the process be faster, but you also don’t have to deal with too many buds sticking on the grater. It’s also easier to clean a grater than cleaning a blender or coffee grinder.
– Nut Presser
You can also make use of your peanut or walnut hand presser to break apart your cannabis buds. Just place the buds inside the presser and gently squeeze the presser closed. The force can easily break the buds apart.
If you do not have a presser, you can also use a shot glass and a clean scissor to chop weed. Place the bud inside the shot glass and tear the bud up with the scissors. The process is easy and less messy compared to breaking the buds apart with your fingers. It is also safer than the cheese grater method.
– Garlic Chopper
Garlic choppers are a great kitchen tool to quickly, evenly, and efficiently chop garlic. If you do not have at home weed grinder, then you can also use your garlic chopper. In no time at all, you will have a finely ground cannabis.
But before using this tool though, you should give your garlic chopper a thorough washing with detergent and clean water. You definitely do not want to end up smoking cannabis that is reeking of garlic and tasting like one, too.
Once done, you should wash the garlic chopper thoroughly to remove all traces of the cannabis buds.
– Shaker and Coin
For this method, you will need a coin as well as a small container tub with a lid. The container can be an old pill bottle or any small bottle that has a lid.
Before grinding the buds, give the container and the coin a good washing. Allow it to dry completely. Once the two items are dry, place the buds, along with the clean coin, inside the container. Close the lid and shake the container. The coin will cut through the buds as they move around inside the container.
Of note, this DIY grinder method can be pretty noisy.
Useful tips on how to grind weed
How to grind up weed is relatively easy if you don’t have a cannabis grinder at home.  Just make sure that you let your buds dry for a few hours first before you cut them up or use any of the kitchen tools mentioned above. This way, there will be fewer trichomes sticking on the tools or your fingers, for that matter, and more for you to enjoy.
You can also use a parchment paper for some of the methods mentioned above. This will allow you to easily collect the buds and not waste any of the precious cannabis pieces.
Final Thoughts
Grinders can be pretty expensive. But you can save some money if you know what kitchen tools to use as a DIY cannabis grinder. The thing to remember when grinding buds without a grinder is to chop them up into even pieces.
