To grind or not to grind

[snerval]

Hi,
It's almost 10 years that I completely stopped smoking - tobacco, weed - for health issue.
I switched to oil extraction, tinctures, etc, which is fine, but I missed the terpenes and flavors of well cured herb.
So I decided to try vaporization, which I love - I use a volcano hybrid.
Like many, I grind my cannabis in order to vape it.
Then, I read a post by @Briteleaf in which he explains that we shouldn't grind at all, an @MIAutomatic adds that it's ok to vape chunks of weeds, as hot air will likely extract all the good stuff from it.
As far as I understand the reasons why we shouldn't touch the buds (loss of trichomes), I lack a scientific back-up regarding this statement.
I'm eager to change my practice, but I would love to read something backing this.
Maybe @pop22 can chim in too, as well as anyone else ^^
Thanks !

 

[parsing_trees]

It's worth trying. I mainly use a dynavap dry herb vaporizer. I've tended to load the tip with ground flower, grinding a bud at a time, and anything that doesn't get consumed in a week or two goes in a mixed jar for edibles or dry sifting. The tip has serrations for grinding, though, so it works well to poke it into a cured bud and twist to remove a chunk. The airflow is a little different that way, not clearly better or worse.

 

[automan2]

Trics hold on like glue and any loss due to handling is negligible. IMO.
For magic flight vape-ing, I always gring to almost powder form so each piece can release their treasure. For the extreme q,
I grind only until buds reach 'tobacco' consistency....some firm nuggs are tricky for a good even burn.
I always grind but it's according to end use. Buds just don't burn evenly in anything.

 

[pop22]

I feel this is really just a preference issue. I have an HerbalAire tabletop vape and I just stuff the little crucible full of bud. When I use ground material, I actually get TOO much vapor! I'll cough my lungs out, no joke! Yes, grinding knocks off trichs, that's why there is a kief cacther in many grinders. But, I defy anyone to tell me they got higher on a bud than on ground material, it just doesn't make much difference. My grinder catches most of those "lost" trichromes, and every now and then, I sprinkle them into a joint! You could do the same with a vape, just blend some kief into the ground weed or coat a bud with it. If you have a concentrate pad, the kief will work with that too. I place a little pile on the pad, then heat the pad with a lighter until the kief melts a little so it doesn't fall off, get blown away. Works great!

So as long as you don't handle

Hi,
It's almost 10 years that I completely stopped smoking - tobacco, weed - for health issue.
I switched to oil extraction, tinctures, etc, which is fine, but I missed the terpenes and flavors of well cured herb.
So I decided to try vaporization, which I love - I use a volcano hybrid.
Like many, I grind my cannabis in order to vape it.
Then, I read a post by @Briteleaf in which he explains that we shouldn't grind at all, an @MIAutomatic adds that it's ok to vape chunks of weeds, as hot air will likely extract all the good stuff from it.
As far as I understand the reasons why we shouldn't touch the buds (loss of trichomes), I lack a scientific back-up regarding this statement.
I'm eager to change my practice, but I would love to read something backing this.
Maybe @pop22 can chim in too, as well as anyone else ^^
Thanks !

 

[MIAutomatic]

I agree with everything that people have said, and mainly this is a preference. Grinding definitely has its advantages. You will get denser vapor and get the maximum extraction of terps and THC in less draws. I am not sure what type of scientific explanation you are looking for, but it comes down to surface area. A finer grind will create more surface area and allow things to vaporize more quickly and evenly. I am lazy and I am also never in a hurry. This means my preference is to use loosely broken down flower. I find that the vapor to be a little smoother when it is not as dense, and I don’t mind if it takes me a few more puffs to get all the good stuff.

I agree that the amount of trichs lost during a quick grind before packing is probably minimal, but some is still lost. Part of this is also my lazy drive towards minimalist puffing, by not grinding my flowers I don’t need to carry around a grinder. I do however feel that just like good fresh roasted coffee beans, grinding your flowers even a few hours before use will result in a noticeable (for me) loss of aroma and terpene character, and to me the terpenes are even more precious than the THC.

happy vaping!

 

[CannabisMingus]

the terpenes are even more precious than the THC

 

[Olderfart]

I am not much of a stoner, so may not count as much of a connoisseur. However, I now pre-grind a goodly amount of bud, put the ground bud in a pill jar with a small Boveda 62% pack for storage until used. I keep pill jars of a bunch of strains in a large jar with larger Bovedas in it. That way, I have a nice selection of strains immediately available for stuffing my Arizer stems into for a load. Quick, easy, and I do not notice a lack of flavour. And I don't need as many grinders as strains...

 

[Drownomatic]

I grind for any use, even to make butter.

Why?

I use a grinder with a very coarse screen, and a quarter on it. I shake as I grind, and the coin knocks kief through the screen.

The result of this mechanical extraction is less potent grounds, but I build up my kief reserves for when I really want it.

The times that I've ground ahead, I regret it after it sat for even overnight. Something happens even stored in CV with boveda in it.

Same with fresh peppercorns BTW.

 

[BII]

I usually dry and grind well to get maximum vapor and potency. But I'll also here and there vape some not finely ground herb, just to make sure I'm getting all the (supposed; Has anyone proved this in clinical trials yet?) synergistic benefits from all the terpenes.

Unless some screening or other separation is going on, I don't think grinding affects trichome or THC content - the trichomes and their parts are all still there.

 

[parsing_trees]

Some strains' effects seemed more impacted than others by being ground ahead of time and terpenes dissipating. For example, stale 3 Bears OG seemed pretty flat to me, whereas Anvil wasn't affected much. Not a double-blind study or anything, just something I noticed.

Since commenting several months ago, I tend to use my dynavap tip to stab and break off a chunk of buds rather than grinding, unless I know the flower has some seeds.