10 Awesome Facts About Herb Grinders

 

 

 

1. The first herb modern herb grinder was patented in 1905

The herb grinder was invented by William Wingfield and John Balding of Boort, Victoria, Australia.  They patented their novel grinder in 1905.  Their invention closely resembles the modern hand grinder (which shows that the original design has largely proven reliable over the past century).

Check out our article on the history of herb grinders to learn where these cool machines came from!

 

 

2. There are herb grinders for those with problems with manual dexterity

Hand grinders typically require a strong grip and two hands, but there are products on the market that now allow someone unable to use a hand grinder to take part in this activity.  The Mamba V2 electric grinder, for example, is just such a product, and allows for fast, consistent grinds with true one-handed operation.

 

 

 

3. Grinding herbs releases more taste and aroma

We use herbs to add taste and aroma to our lives in areas such as cooking.  If large, fully-intact pieces of the plant are used, you may not be unlocking the true qualities of the herb. 

Grinding gives plant material more surface area for greater effect.  A nice grind will allow for more access to the wonderful qualities of the plant and quicker effects.  Just like how coffee is better from ground beans than running hot water over whole beans, herb grinders allow you to get the taste you want out of the herb.

4 - Grinds need to be consistent

A consistent grind is a happy grind. If a grind is not consistent, cooking won’t work well or at all.  What’s worse, if the size of pieces in the grind are all over the place and you’re trying to ingest your herbs, one taste may be too strong while the next won’t be anything more than a mouthful of nothing.

 

 

5 - A freezer is part of the cleaning equipment for a herb grinder

You might not be surprised to learn that isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush are part of a cleaning kit.  However, a freezer also plays an important role in a grinder’s cleaning!

Many herbs leave oily, greasy residues inside the grinder and these can be difficult to remove.  If you cool the grinder down in a freezer, these residues become more solid and far easier to remove.

Check out our grinder cleaning article for more information on keeping your grinder in excellent condition.

  

 

 

6 - Grinders are made out of many different types of materials

Wood, stone, metal, plastic: all materials used to make grinders!

We should say, though, that not all grinders are created equally and a big part of this is the chosen material.  Plastic and acrylic grinders suffer from fragility, so don’t be surprised if your plastic grinder starts losing teeth after a few grinds.

Wood and stone are more for novelty grinders, and these can be hard to clean.  If you want to grind your herbs consistently and reliably, go with metal.

 

7 - Milling to a Fine Grind

While all grinders grind herbs, not all work if you’re trying to produce grind for fine mill.  Milling require a consistent, fine grind, so if this is your intended use of your grinder make sure you get one that can give you the right results.

Many electric grinders - like the Mamba V1 - are designed to produce the perfect grind for such applications each and every time, and do it quickly.

 

 

8 - Electric grinders have simplified the grinding experience

Grinding with a hand grinder is a bit of a process, and requires some practice to use effectively.

Electric grinders have made grinding easier.  Of course, they are faster and easier to use because a motor provides the power, but many now also dispense the herbs while you’re grinding and can be used with one hand.  Such innovative features remove steps in the grinding process.

Related Article: The Future of Electric Herb Grinders

9 - The importance of grates and screens

Many grinders hold the grind inside themselves while grinding, and have to be opened up to remove the final product.  Grates and screens on some grinders make grinding easier by allowing the ground herbs to fall out of the grinder while grinding and then be directed into a container, speeding up the process and keeping everything cleaner.

Electric grinders like the Mamba V1 combine screens and special teeth to also make the grind more consistent by only allowing particles of the right size to leave the grinder while keeping larger pieces inside until they have been properly ground.  This produces consistent grinds, and produces them quickly.

 

 

10 - Some grinders dispense while grinding

This final fact builds upon #9.  Grinders that have screens and grates on them often allow the perfectly ground herbs to be dispensed while grinding.  This makes it easy to get your grind where you want it by grinding over top of a container, resulting in less waste.  Hand grinder that have to be opened up to get the herbs out often lose product when opened, since the fine particles of herbs can be released into the air. 

The Mamba V1 has a funnel dispensing system that allows for easy, clean herb collecting while grinding.