Wooden Grinders

Information About Wooden Grinders

Fancy a new grinder? Or perhaps this is your first one? Either way, a wooden grinder can make a fantastic alternative to the more common plastic models. Sustainable, attractive, and retaining all the functionality of their inorganic brethren, wooden grinders are a great addition to any smoker’s life.

Often leaning toward subtlety, wooden grinders would look as comfortable on a mantelpiece as they would in a stash box. This ability to blend in makes them a good choice for smokers who want their habit to simply merge with the rest of their life—but in a stylish way.

What Is a Wooden Grinder?

A wooden grinder is a grinder like any other, but made from wood. Used to grind herb into a fine powder, making it suitable for rolling in a joint or packing into the bowl of a bong, they make preparation and smoking much more pleasant experiences.

Ultimately, the main difference between wooden grinders and those made from either plastic or metal is aesthetic. With functionality more or less the same across models, it comes down to your own personal style when choosing which sort of grinder to embellish your life with.

Which Features Are Often Found on Wooden Grinders?

Wooden grinders don’t come lacking in functionality—far from it! Alongside the necessary grinding function, wooden grinders are likely to come with storage compartments and kief catchers.

Storage compartments are particularly useful for storing already-ground herb. Grind up enough weed for a couple of smokes and pack it into the storage compartment, ready to be accessed at a moment's notice when you're out and about. Alternatively, they can also be used to take unground herb out with you, ready to be ground at your convenience.

Kief catchers—also known as crystal catchers—are like small sieves that sit beneath the grinding compartment. Only the small trichomes (the cannabinoid-rich glands that grow on the outside of the cannabis flowers) fall through this mesh. Over time, you can collect this kief and smoke it, or, if you have large amounts, press it into hashish. Taking a big hit of pure kief can blow even seasoned smokers away, so the addition of a kief catcher is well worthwhile.

Why Would You Use a Wooden Grinder?

Wooden grinders look great. They tend to have a much subtler, more natural look compared to plastic or metal grinders. Moreover, if a time comes when you decide to dispose of it, or it becomes lost, wooden waste is far less damaging to the environment compared to plastic. Therefore, wooden grinders are often the more sustainable option.

Maybe you just like to keep things looking natural. If you're the kind of smoker who prefers unbleached, pure hemp papers and tips packed with organically grown weed, then a wooden grinder is what you need to complete the vibe.

How To Use a Wooden Grinder

Grinders are very simple to use. Place the desired amount of weed into the chamber with the teeth, close it, and twist until your herb is ground to a satisfactorily small grain.

As mentioned, you can then store this in a storage compartment, or smoke it immediately.

Over time, many trichomes will accumulate in the crystal catcher. Some grinders even come with little spatulas to help you collect this. If not, the corner of a card should work well too. Scoop it up, sprinkle it over a bowl, and prepare to get very stoned!

How To Clean a Wooden Grinder

It’s best to clean grinders fairly often, before they become so resinous that they jam. Cleaning a wooden grinder requires a little more care than plastic, as you don’t want to damage it. Some cleaning products, such as those containing alcohol or bleach, may degrade wood, so take this into account when cleaning your wooden grinder.

Warm, soapy water and something to scrape away the resin should work well to get your grinder back into good shape.