Are you ready to make a recipe but feel confused, thinking, “should I grind the cannabis before making edibles?” Read on to learn more about when you should or should not grind the cannabis before cooking and why it matters.
Table of Contents
Features
- Answers for when you should and shouldn’t grind
- Reasons why you should not grind before infusions
- Tips and tricks for making better-tasting edibles
Why You Will Love This Guide
Recently a member of my Well With Cannabis Community asked me whether or not she should grind her cannabis flower before making edibles.
My answer? It depends on your final goal and your personal preferences!
What are you trying to make? How do you want it to taste?
Answering these questions is the easiest way to decide your next step.
In this guide, I will explain why you don’t want to grind before making cannabis infusions, but you may way to grind for other purposes, and what the difference is to get the best results.
Skip the hard work and have perfectly dosed, delicious, pure Bliss Cannabutter delivered directly to your door! Shop Now →
When Not To Grind
Grinding is simply breaking cannabis flower buds down into smaller pieces with a grinder.
Before we talk about when you should grind, let’s talk about when you should not grind:
- When making cannabutter or any type of oil
- When making the QWET Golden Dragon tincture
You will notice that I do not call for ground weed in any of my DIY methods for making cannabutter or infused oil, like MCT oil at home.
In fact, I recommend skipping the grinding process altogether and simply breaking the sticky bud into smaller pieces.
But why? Great question. To get a better-tasting final product!
It’s All About The Chlorophyll
Cannabis plant material contains a compound known as chlorophyll, the green pigment that gives a very grassy taste and color.
This chlorophyll is found within the plant cells of the flower and leaves.
When we grind raw cannabis, we increase the surface area and release more chlorophyll from the cells.
This chlorophyll can be transferred into your final product, causing more opportunities to absorb the strong taste and smell.
Another reason to avoid grinding is that you may leave behind trichomes containing CBD or THC in the grinder itself, thus limiting your potency.
By skipping the grinding process, you can achieve a better-tasting final product that will likely be less green and taste better.
Note: Keep in mind that cannabis contains terpenes which will also contribute to its overall taste and smell.
Instead of Grinding
If you’re ready to make cannabutter or oil, let’s get you started!
Rest easy, knowing you can skip the extra step and break the flower apart by hand.
You do not need to break it into very small pieces; popcorn-sized pieces are just fine.
When You Should Grind
Now that we know when to avoid cringing, we can now talk about when you should grind:
- Before smoking or dry herb vaping
- When using just decarbed cannabis in edibles
Griding For Smoking
An herb grinder is the best way to prepare your cannabis buds for smoking or dry herb vaping.
There are many types on the market, from simple manual grinders to fancy electric weed grinders.
When using a manual grinder, you place the whole buds in the grinding chamber and use your hand to twist the chambers manually.
The best weed grinder comes with a kief catcher in the bottom. This kief can be smoked or decarbed and used in edibles.
Keep in mind that you will want to decide how coarse or fine you want the ground flower to be based on what apparatus you will use.
Hand-rolled items like joints and blunts will require a finer grind; the last thing you want is small bits of flower tearing your rolling paper.
Other smoking options with larger exit holes, such as water pipes or bongs, may need a coarser grind to keep the small size pieces from pulling through.
Grinding for Edibles
For cannabis users who want to skip the infusion process and get right to the edibles, it is possible to add just ground, decarbed cannabis to your food.
While you will be consuming plant matter, it is an easy way to consume cannabis with maximum potency.
I recommend using an electric grinder or a coffee grinder to create a fine powder that can be used just like any other herb or spice in your kitchen.
The help of a grinder is especially beneficial for processing larger quantities that you want to end up in powder form.
Just keep in mind best practices for this method involve decarboxylation first.
Removing this carboxyl group will produce the activated forms of THC and CBD.
How to Pick a Grinder
If you are new to grinders, there are many different kinds of grinders to choose from, which can feel overwhelming.
The first step is to decide what kind of grinder you want, a manual or electric grinder.
Manual grinders can be made of different materials, from wood to aluminum, to stainless steel.
They have sharp teeth and require minimal effort to twist by hand. They can also come in various sizes, such as a 3-piece grinder.
A small grinder will contain the teeth and a collection chamber. Some have a third compartment, known as a kief chamber, to collect the good stuff.
While it doesn’t take much time to grind by hand, many people prefer an electric marijuana grinder.
Depending on the type you buy, investing an in electric grinder is a great way to get better results.
Another great grinder option is to check out bundle options which typically come with a grinder, a grinder card that looks like a credit card, a brush for cleaning, and more.
Remember, the best grinders are the ones you will actually use. Good luck!
Notes & Expert Tips
- Want to skip all the hard work and get perfect butter the first time? Buy my Bliss cannabutter and have it shipped directly to your door.
- If this is your first time making marijuana edibles, check out my beginner’s guide before starting.
- Remember, the effects of edibles can be stronger than the smoking experience. Dose accordingly!
- Whether you are here for the recreational use of marijuana or a medical marijuana patient, be sure to reach out to your doctor if you are trying to treat a medical condition.
- Remember, if you make cannabutter, natural separation will occur if you use regular butter.
- Feeling defeated by weak cannabutter? We have a guide to help fix that! Or check out my flower-to-oil ratio guide to help get you started.
- Don’t let your cannabutter go to waste! Learn to refrigerate and freeze cannabutter for long-term storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many people get creative with household items such as a cheese grater, a pair of scissors, or a sharp knife with a cutting board. The closest thing to a grinder would be a food processor. I know desperate times call for desperate measures, but be safe, use common sense, and order a grinder online from Amazon when all else fails. You don’t want any of these impromptu methods to cause any harm.
Ground more than you can use right away? Good news! You can store it in an airtight container like a mason jar or even an empty pill bottle. Even a shot glass or other small container will do in a pinch. Learn more about how to store edibles here.
While using a good fine grind to make cannabutter is an old-school technique, there is certainly nothing wrong with it, and you did not ruin a batch of butter. It may have more taste and smell, but that does not affect the potency. Enjoy!
Ready to Infuse?
Check out these recipes to get you started infusing at home:
Cook With Cannabutter
Already have your cannabutter prepared? Use it in these amazing recipes, like our cannabutter steak.
And don’t forget; it’s perfectly OK to bake your cannabutter at the higher temperatures called for in these recipes.
Take your edibles to the next level…
My Edibles Made Easy Online Cooking Course will teach you how to easily make cannabis edibles and topical recipes at home. This step-by-step video course will teach you how to infuse, extract, and create edibles with many different product types – all from the comfort of your own home.
