Grinders & Glass: Essential Tools of a Marijuana Kit

This is a guide on the types of items you would have, should have, or might already have if you were hardcore about marijuana use let's get on with the show.

Glass Bottles

Most times when you buy marijuana, it comes in a plastic ziplock-type baggy. The problem with plastic is that it will let the smell out eventually. This is no good when you have a particularly strong strain of marijuana. You want to keep the scent as lowkey as possible. Glass bottles have an added value in that they are used to cure marijuana even further. Curing is a process will aids in adding taste and flavor to marijuana so it's an added benefit to keeping your bud in glass.

Unless you're a grower, you won't need big bottle. Small bottles will do the job fine. The best kinds to use are baby food bottles, Gerber and Beechnut. They are easy to find and they have this "gum" under the cap to keep food sealed in and fresh. This will only help in keeping your marijuana sealed in and fresh!

Personally, I have 2.5oz and 4oz bottles but I keep two 2.5oz in my kit because I may have more than one strain on me at times.

Grinders

The grinder is important because it will aid in breaking up the weed efficiently and effectively. You can always use your fingers but good marijuana will not break up easily with your fingertips. It can be a very sticky situation.

How do you go about choosing a grinder? You have three decisions to make: material, internal structure, and function. Grinders come in plastic, wood, and metal (steel or aluminum). The internal structure refers to the teeth that grind the substance. They have straight metal sticks, triangular shaped shark's teeth, and then the diamond cutters.And then, there are some grinders that do more than grind. They have something called a pollen catcher which contain a screen that will catch loose THC in a lower compartment, collecting it as you go along.

Personally, I have two grinders. Both are made of metal and have triangular teeth. Both did have a screen for catching pollen but one had the screen removed because it was pushed up against the holes causing marijuana to be stuck in between. This particular one is in three parts. My other grinder is in four parts, solving the problem of stuck marijuana by moving the screen down into the separate part. I keep the 3-part grinder in the kit because it is smaller and allows room for other things.

Tips: I would not buy the plastic or the wood because I find they are cheaply made. The grinders that only grind have an issue of sometimes grinding too much AND not grinding enough, turning one side to dust and the other into big clumps. The good thing about the other grinders is that the ground up marijuana will fall through holes so it's the perfect texture - fluffy, not too coarse, not too fine!

Note: In a pollen catcher, the loose THC, or kif/kief, will build over time allowing one to eventually create smokable hash which will have an almost pure THC content. You can either smoke the hash on it's own or put it in a joint or blunt with more weed for an incredible high.

Small Pipe & Papers

Now we need a tool for actually smoking the marijuana after it's taken out of it's glass bottle and ground up. We can either go for our trusty pipe or grab some papers to roll a joint. There are too many types of pipes and too many brands of papers to discuss so I will talk about my current kit and throw in some tips.

Personally, I have what's called a one-hitter, bat, or chillum. It's made of color changing glass (over time, use causes it to change colors a bit). Pipes come in different shapes, colors, and materials including wood, metal, and ceramic. Papers come in many forms: colored, flavored, transparent. It's really going to be up to what the person decides s/he wants to use. For a long time, I used Bob Marley papers. At one point I was in love with chocolate flavored papers. I've even tried the transparent ones, Aleda! It will be up to the individual to pick the type of pipe and papers they will want in their kit.

Tip: Remember when you put fire to marijuana in a pipe, you burn the pipe as well. Wood burns. It sucks if it's been treated because you will be smoking the chemical it was treated with. On top of that, it holds the smell which is what you don't want. A good glass piece will not hold smells as long as it's cleaned properly. And the sign of a good glass piece is that it doesn't have bubbles.

Lighters

Now, you've got your weed, it's ground up and it's all rolled up or bowled. Now what? You need to be able to put fire to it! You need to have at least two lighters in your case. One should be a quality trusty lighter and the other is for back up purposes to be kept in the kit at all times. You may even want to keep more lighters if you want.. Why? Sometimes, you misplace it. If you're already high, it's a bitch to look for something when you really don't want to get up. So it's good to know where there's another handy lighter.

Personally, I keep a Colibri Talon, jet/torch ligther, with me at all times. I actually have two of them in red/silver and gunmetal/black, two Zippo lighters in blue and silver, and a few cheap ligthers for back up. Even when I don't plan on smoking anything, it's good to whip out a nice lighter when if a pretty lady decides to light up in front of you. A Zippo is nice but if there are high winds, a nice jet will do the trick. Besides, you want to have something that will have some level of impression, right? RIGHT!

The Case

A kit can't be a kit if all of the pieces don't have a home! Your individual parts are homeless. They have to belong somewhere. The only important thing to remember is that the case have be able to hold your weed, which should be in a bottle, your grinder, lighter(s), pipe and papers. You can use any container but let's have a little class about it! Find something that you can appreciate! A wooden case, a cigar case for example, if big enough, is a great case to complete your marijuana kit. But, don't be afraid to upgrade over time. Maybe, you can make your own and as many do!

Personally, I use a hardened plastic and metal constructed case with a cheap key lock on it. It isn't meant to be a safe or anything that serious or heavy but it does the trick.

Accessories

This is bascially anything else that can aid in your use of marijuana. For example, I have one friend who purchased a metal bowl which could be used for other things if necessary.

Personally, I keep an old metrocard, small blue plastic case, razor blade, metal stick, pocket microscope, and a pocket scale in my current kit configuration. I used to keep a scalpel and other items but not anymore. I use the metrocard as a way to sort of sweep the area of things. I may use it to collect the marijuana into a pile or scoop it up. I can also use it if I need to clean an area off! The small blue case is for crumbs that may have fallen out during the rolling of a previous joint or blunt; it's the crumb case. I also use it in case I don't finish a blunt, I can salvage the weed from the roach and put it in the case. Why burn my fingertips? I wouldn't want to corrupt the smell of my weed in the bottle! The metal stick is used for pushing weed down in the blunt in case it comes too far up. The scale is just so that I can know what weights I get from my dealer. The microscope is used to inspect the marijuana closely for quality purposes. It's a bit advanced but that's in the next installment, potentially!

So, that's your marijuana kit! You'll be ready for anything once your put your kit together. Take your time in putting it together. This will be your kit for a long time! Don't be afraid to upgrade if you have an opportunity to do so. Finally, keep in mind that it's your choice so choose what you like.

Relevant Link: Grinders & Glass: Four Levels of Marijuana Smokers