What's your Ideal Grinder?

[badbriar]

You know - those tough flakes or plugs. What do you use for grinding them for best results?
A plastic herb / weed hand grinder? A coffee grinder? Or, is there a small electric herb grinder you care to recommend?

I have a medium-large hand herb grinder that works, but needs some careful attention to keep from turning some flakes to powder.

 

[Sig]

Fingers for flake.
Sharp knife and fingers for plug or rope.

 

[dottlejockey]

Almost thought this was a misplaced thread about coffee beans!
I usually, roll, fold and slightly twist flakes into the bowl and top with whatever tinder falls off in the process.
As Sig said, with plug, cut it in slices with a knife or tobacco slicer (if you have one) and do the above or rub out.

 

[PaulRVA]

Flakes get cut with Scissors into 1/4 - 1/2 inch strips, aired out, rubbed out and jarred.
Plugs get the straight razor and cut into slices and jarred.
It’s been my prior experience that grinding just makes it too fine or atleast a good portion of it is too fine and doesn’t smoke consistently for me.
YMMMV.

 

[Sig]

You also need to remember that flake and plug tobacco is meant to be smoked very compacted. Once its completely rubbed out, the flavor does change.
I have a pipe that I can fold and stuff 2 flakes of PS Luxury Navy Flake into.
But, if I rub it out, not even half of that will fit.
See where the flavors will be different?
Cube cutting allows you to fit much more tobacco in the pipe while still being able to keep it lit.....kind of the best of both worlds.
For that, just use scissors to cross cut the flake into tiny little "cubes".
Tiny as in less than 1/16 inch......in my opinion.

 

[GardenStateoftheArtBriar]

i like scissors
grinder for my coffee beans

 

[renfield]

Sharp pocket knife.

I 3D printed a grinder that works well but I don’t use it very often.

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

I usually prefer my grinder with ham, turkey, and roast beef, piled high with onions and some sort of cheese…. baked a bit in the oven before squashing both halves together. *

Actually, never used a grinder for any tobacco….. just “ground” it bwtween my fingers till it was a consistency that seemed good.

*In case it is a regional thing…. in my area, a “grinder” is another name for a sub sandwich.

 

[verporchting]

Kingtop aluminum herb grinder. Works great! No muss, no fuss.

 

[OverMountain]

Flakes get folded and stuffed (thanks Chasing Embers), any thing else gets crumbled by hand.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I tried grinders for a while, and now pretty much use them if I’m blending a large ribbon cut with a shag or such.

Plugs/ropes I cut as thin as I can then treat like I’ve taken to treating flakes: I take and roll them between my palms longwise to loosen them up then switch to a circular rub to roll into a loose ball. This yields a fine ribbon or shag-ish texture.
This is about a third of a Peterson Perfect Plug I prepped last night:

 

[Sobrbiker]

You also need to remember that flake and plug tobacco is meant to be smoked very compacted. Once it’s completely rubbed out, the flavor does change.

With due respect and being pretty new to this, I’d learned that plug and rope predated tinning as a portability method for varying portions of tobacco blends, and the flavor came from the pressing.
I think there’s a benefit to smoking pressed tobacco in its pressed form for some, but while perhaps different, I haven’t found the flavor to me much diminished by rubbing out-it’s about the same level of difference one gets smoking a ribbon cut blend at tinned moisture level vs dried for a while.
I know that for me personally, preparing a plug or rope in a manner that allows me to enjoy the smoke without constant tending and relights is worth it (as I also know that for others the constant tending is part of their enjoyment).

Here’s at least one guy that probably is more knowledgeable than me that doesn’t seem to think plug is meant to be smoked compacted:

But as he mentions, enjoying yourself is the goal.

 

[newbroom]

I too grew up in a locale that called submarine sandwiches: grinders. New Hampshire.
I used to love Italian ones. I like the hard crust, the soft inside of a good sandwich loaf. I love the onions, red vinegar, salt, pepper, a blend of prepared meats, lettuce, peppers, oregano, olive oil.
In High School, everybody went to a place in Concord after games or dances to get 1/4 roast beef on an onion rolls with a little au jus sauce. It was in H.S. that the first McDonald's came to town with those 15 cent hamburgers and those tasty salty french fries and thick shakes.
I tried smoking pipes back in my youth a few times. I never got it. I wish I had learned the ropes back then!
I was focused on drinking beer and getting with the ladies.

 

[Chalaw87]

Sharp pocket knife.

I 3D printed a grinder that works well but I don’t use it very often.

Would you please post a picture of your 3D printed grinder? I’m curious to see how it came out.

 

[PaulRVA]

With due respect and being pretty new to this, I’d learned that plug and rope predated tinning as a portability method for varying portions of tobacco blends, and the flavor came from the pressing.
I think there’s a benefit to smoking pressed tobacco in its pressed form for some, but while perhaps different, I haven’t found the flavor to me much diminished by rubbing out-it’s about the same level of difference one gets smoking a ribbon cut blend at tinned moisture level vs dried for a while.
I know that for me personally, preparing a plug or rope in a manner that allows me to enjoy the smoke without constant tending and relights is worth it (as I also know that for others the constant tending is part of their enjoyment).

Here’s at least one guy that probably is more knowledgeable than me that doesn’t seem to think plug is meant to be smoked compacted:

But as he mentions, enjoying yourself is the goal.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I have a grinder that I've used for many years, that's for herbs though.

For the flakes, coins or slices from a rope I just dry them and stuff the folded pieces in the pipe. Same thing with plugs just make thin slices.

No grinding needed for me, with tobacco that is.

 

[JOHN72]

I prefer the razor, scissors and shreds with my fingers.

 

[BingBong]

Plugs: thin slices, fold, stuff. Flakes: fold, stuff.

Thanks @simong who impressed upon me the necessity of density for flavour.

 

[woodsroad]

First off, it's a "hoagie", not a grinder. Traditional Italian is the only way to go.

 

[Sig]

With due respect and being pretty new to this, I’d learned that plug and rope predated tinning as a portability method for varying portions of tobacco blends, and the flavor came from the pressing.
I think there’s a benefit to smoking pressed tobacco in its pressed form for some, but while perhaps different, I haven’t found the flavor to me much diminished by rubbing out-it’s about the same level of difference one gets smoking a ribbon cut blend at tinned moisture level vs dried for a while.
I know that for me personally, preparing a plug or rope in a manner that allows me to enjoy the smoke without constant tending and relights is worth it (as I also know that for others the constant tending is part of their enjoyment).

Here’s at least one guy that probably is more knowledgeable than me that doesn’t seem to think plug is meant to be smoked compacted:

But as he mentions, enjoying yourself is the goal.

I guess I should have worded my post better.
Like you said, the pressing(condensing) of the tobacco gives it a richer, deeper flavor. As you rub out the flake, plug or rope, the flavor will obviously change because you have less tobacco in your bowl....less tobacco burning.....flavor change.
And yes, originally plug and rope tobacco came about as an easy way to carry/store your tobacco and it would stay more "fresh" because there is less air touching the tobacco. Flake is just sliced plug.
But, as many blenders website or tin description states, the plug, rope and flake tobacco is still very popular long after the need for easy carrying because the pressing or twisting changes the flavor and has a deeper, darker flavor. And that the point of compacting the tobacco is to get that rich, deep flavor from putting two flakes in a pipe, versus one flake rubbed out.
Again in this thread my point is NOT to say one method is better than another. Its pointing out that the flavor and strength of the flake, plug or rope does change....some more than others.
And my point for ever even mentioning this is that I have heard a lot of new smokers say they were taught to always rub out flakes and plugs. Im just letting people know that there are other ways to smoke pressed tobaccos.
I personally do it all. Some flakes smoke better wet and stuffed, some taste better rubbed and dried. Some taste better roughly rubbed and wet, some taste better fully rubbed and wet.....or dry.......you get the point.
Im not going to post names, but several times on this site I see people saying they do like they were told, fully rub the flake, but they still don't get the point of flake tobacco. Then someone tells them to try folding and stuffing and they report that they now "get it".......or something of that nature. I see people all the time say you need to rub and dry flake for any possible enjoyment. There are ways to smoke moist flake with relative ease and enjoyment......even G&H moist!!!
But in the end, you're 100% correct. Do what you enjoy and smoke what you like, the way you like it.........just know there are other ways.
Dang, I must sound like a real idiot to keep posting in these pressed tobacco threads and moist tobacco threads! But after several years of fully rubbing and drying tobacco, about a decade ago I found a whole new enjoyment from forcing myself to smoke moist, compacted tobacco......some blends anyways.