I'm sure nothing in this post will be new information for the experienced members, but for those that like me are still learning - read on.
I've been playing around with different grinds in Herbie and I don't think the results are surprising, but still interesting...
Common sense says the greater the surface area of your plant material the faster the heat can reach all of it, so faster extraction times.
Each of the tests below were based on a carefully weighed .075-.080g of the same strain from the same batch.
1. Not ground at all - just pop in a small whole nug
This works fine, but it takes quite a while to get full extraction, and you can have mini-explosions if your nug traps hot gas/oil in a closed pocket. Those are kinda fun.
2. Not ground, but just torn by hand in a few pieces
Again, works fine, just a little more effective then a whole nug, but about the same.
3. Course grind with a wooden pin style grinder
I think this is my favorite for whip use. The course grind allows the heat to penetrate the plant much faster overall, but still slow enough to keep it from all coming out at once.
4. Med grind with a 'give away' plastic grinder
This works about the same as the pin grinder
5. Fine grind - almost to a powder, using a sharpstone grinder.
This is my favorite grind for balloons or BIG hits using water. This grind is so fine the heat can reach all of the plant very quickly, so the extraction is done very fast. If you do this - you will get one or two MASSIVE hits once the heat penetrates the plant. Minor downside is it does tend to clog the top screen.
What this tell us is we can control the length of time it takes to extract all the goodies based on the size of grind. If I want a slow relaxed session that takes 10-15 minutes I'll use the course grind and just enjoy. If I need to medicate quickly I use a fine grind and I can be done in under 3 minutes.