How Fine Should I Grind My Weed?

How fine is too fine? Is there such a thing as too fine? Do you even really need to grind it at all?

Every cannabis consumer has an opinion on this it seems, but it really comes down to what your personal preferences are and maybe a little bit of how you plan to consume.

For example, if you are vaporizing you’ll want a nicely ground bowl, if you are smoking a joint maybe you can get away with a finger chop (although missed stems will poke through your paper, ruining the pull).

People who are cooking with cannabis may want a really fine grind. When I make tinctures, I don’t bother with any kind of grinder, I simply pull the flower apart and once it’s been decarboxylated I soak it in Everclear then strain the whole thing.

The Case for a Fine Grind

It’s often said that when you are packing a bowl, the more surface area available the more consistent your burn will be so a finer grind is optimal here. If you decide instead to just pop a little nug into the bong bowl you’ll wind up with one side of your flower burnt and the other relatively untouched.

For joint smokers, to avoid poked out stems and lumpy, pregnant looking joints a fine grind is the best way to evenly distribute your herb throughout the paper.

The Case for Manual Finger Chopping

Grinding your cannabis can knock trichomes off so if you are looking for a hit that really packs a punch you’ll want to reduce the amount of grinding and chopping overall. This is said to ensure a much higher potency, interestingly another argument against grinding is to allow the consumer a less potent hit. By smoking a chunkier chunk of weed you could maintain a smaller dose by only burning the edge of a chunk of flower in a bowl.

For older consumers who may be experiencing joint pain from arthritis or similar, a typical grinder may prove to be painful to use. A coffee bean grinder might be ideal here but it will grind it really well so if that’s not what you’re after you’ll want to check out this post with a few more suggestions on how to achieve your ideal grind.