Pure convection - To grind or not to grind ?

[MinnBobber]

If I use scissors to finely cut my herb right before using it will this be the least destructive?

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Fine scissors do a good job of preserving the herb vs grinding, if you snip precisely. Herb also goes thru an intermediate bump and handling as you snip over a big catch area, and then have to scoop and load into chamber. Very few vapes where you can snip directly into the chamber as the snipped nugs sometimes shoot off the stalk wildly.

IMO, a careful tweezer-ing, where you gently twist off each tasty calyx is the best for preserving the herb. Mini mini nugs go directly from bud to chamber. Minimal handling / minimal disturbance of the goodies.

Both work great to preserve goodies, with careful technique
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EDIT: very related side topic
both of these methods create small nugs that IMO require a downstream change in technique to work best.
My experience is that nugs, even in a vape that never needs stirring for ground herb, NEED TO BE STIRRED. After a few nice draws on lower temps, they are ready to be stirred and easily crumble. This leads to a temp big increase in vapor.
My favorite discovery is the Arizer Glass Stir Stick. Glass with nice ergo feel in the hand. Nice point for stirring. Nice blunt end to lightly compress new herb in chamber. Glass seems better than metal or wood for non-stick element.
Pic with my trusty miniVAP Flexicone modules, where stick works like a charm

 

[bigbossgrayfox03]

I first started using unground herb for the Vapolution 2.0 and I definitely feels like the way to go for me. Less mess and wasted trichomes, plus better flavour.

Have been using the Ascent though and find that grinding it is the best way to go but I must do more tests. Anyone use the Ascent w/ whole nugs?

edit: try squishing the abv from whole nugs with your fingers and smell it... very strange and unusual smell but I can't stop smelling it. It's quite nasty

 

[sesh732]

For sticky nugs I start a whole tiny bud in the capsule of my Firewood3. Vape at low temps for 2-3 tasty draws with little or no visible vapor. Not too much extraction helps avoid powdered bud in the next step: break it up with a tool, hearing it crunch. Last, I finish at a higher temp to whatever degree of brown or selective dose I'm looking for in that session. Or save the bud for a bed time session later.

I find I prefer a loose packed medium grind to this whole bud method in the FW3, but as others have noted, sticky buds can clog up the grinder. First World Problems, eh?

 

[Winegums]

I grind and reclaim. I'm not extremely concerned with how much is falling off my bud as it all gets captured at some point. When I run dry I usually can get a good few sessions from a grinder cleaning.

 

[manos]

edit: try squishing the abv from whole nugs with your fingers and smell it... very strange and unusual smell but I can't stop smelling it. It's quite nasty

That's really fun stuff BigBoss...

On topic...
I grind mostly...
I think your outer layer of trichomes are pretty messed up already, from manicuring and jarring.
Maybe growing strains with less compact flowers are better?

 

[howie105]

I can get consistent results easily with ground so its good way for me to get to know a sample. On the other hand for taste a slower roast of a denser load often works best. Guess it depends on what we want from Ms Jane.

 

[biohacker]

Went from grinding to not, and now i'm back on grinding.... just feel l get better results, although the flavour does suffer a touch. I'm sure i'll keep switching it up for fun!

 

[Winegums]

I tried splitting the bud with tweezers and loading it in my Herbie but it really didn't improve taste. I think it actually reduced the flavour by a good margin.

 

[VapeKnight]

for better or worse, I find that I need a fine grind for the Pax and Vapman, but for my Herbalaire or Aromed I get great results with nugs. I can't wait to do some testing with my Grasshopper if it ever ships.

 

[Winegums]

Time and time again I find that the only time you can have too fine of a grind with the Herbalizer is if it starts to plug your screens too fast for your liking. I think that a 1-2mm size is perfect and it vapes very evenly. My little space case does the trick but it's still a bit coarse for what I'm looking for.

 

[HomeFree]

I picked up a quarter of some Tahoe, the stuff is perfect to just put into a stem and then stir after a few pulls. There is some dense cannabis that I must grind, every so often - or else performance is not so great with any of my vapes. I stir with every vape myself. Took me almost a year to try it out because people said no grinding needed and once I did I was sold. I have two pulls, stir, one more, and stir again, then one more draw and I am done.

 

[BadDog No]

Great thread guys. I'm new around here and just kind of gathering ideas by immersing myself in the archives. I'd always just broken up herb by hand until the MFLB came along and I started grinding. Big time necessary and the finer the better. So even though the MFLB is long retired, old habits die hard, and that little black grinder they sell is just the right diameter to mate with a willing receptacle. Still, I made the switch to one of those old style "rosewood and nails" grinders from India when I got a Firefly. OK I was too broke afterwards to buy a decent shredder. Anyway the grind was minimal and the results fluffed up the bud nicely. I was a very happy puppy. Still, only got 2 great hits and then a couple OK before the flavor turned.
And then I rediscovered the FC forums. Someone in the GH thread recommends just mashing a bud in there and going for it. Someone else in the FF thread recommends the same thing. A few days ago I go for it. Wow. Now half a dozen or more great hits and more complex flavor. Much better for the way I like to vape. I still end up "finishing" the herb by heatgunning it into a bag, but whole unground buds have transformed the way I use my FF and made it even more wonderful. I might be a little extra happy as I write this...