What is a Pollen Press and How Does It Work with Cannabis?

what is a pollen press

What Is A Pollen Press?

There are many ways you can increase the shelf life and potency of your marijuana.

But among the myriad of ways to do so, few can beat the efficacy of a pollen press. In short, this is a simple device that enables you to press plant material together into a coin, pellet, puck, or disk. There are several different kinds of pollen presses in the market though they all aim to produce the same results: a pressed version of pollen, or kief. This is the same type of cannabis that is used to make hash.

How Pollen Presses Work

All the various types of pollen presses can be categorized into one of two: one for pressing hash into thin disks or coins, while others press ground, loose cannabis and make them into compressed pellets or cakes.

Pollen presses are a simple to use and humble tool that is already widely used to make hash coins, though it can also be used by recreational users for personal benefit. Even if you aren’t manufacturing hash, the use of a pollen press is a fantastic way to maximize your stash. Once you have the pressed product, you can then use it in so many ways instead of wasting it: vaporize it, dab it, and sprinkle them into your bongs or blunts.

Benefits Of Using A Pollen Press

Pollen presses are a popular contraption because of its many features and benefits. You can use it for pressing both kief as well as loose marijuana leaves, as mentioned earlier, both of which have many uses on its own for medicating and getting very high.

Below is a list of the advantages of using a pollen press, whether for personal consumption or commercial use:

Pressed marijuana product such as hash, disks, and coins require significantly less storage space
Instead of worrying about your kief being blown away by the wind, scattered, or wasted, a pollen press allows you to compress it into a more solid form. This way, it’s much more convenient to store and you have peace of mind that you are making the most out of your stash.
Hash can be mixed with other ingredients to create edibles or other creative marijuana products. The pollen press makes it easier to blend with other ingredients since you can use force to portion the mixture.
Pressing kief into hash or pollen will extend the shelf life of your cannabis. On the other hand, the leftover kief or trim powder loses its potency when exposed to air over time.
Companies can emboss coins or disks with your logo or brand to help with marketing.
Shipping and packaging pressed product is much easier to deal with compared to loose powder.

Pressing loose leaf marijuana also has benefits:

Loose leaf marijuana can be pressed into pellets or cakes. This reduces the size of your stash and the storage space needed.
You can create cakes of varying flavors and ingredients with loose leaf marijuana. You can also add flavor enhancers of different kinds.

Types Of Pollen Presses

There are a few different models of pollen presses to choose from. Generally they all work the same: by compressing the plant material into a compact form. Pollen presses are usually hand operated so it does take some elbow grease to operate, though there are some hydronic models as well.

The T-style handgrip pollen press is the most popular and common form. Also known as the T-bar, the T-shaped handgrip is used for easily controlling the pressure applied. It works simply by twisting the grip in a clockwise manner to press into the kief while removing all the air from the contents. When you twist and apply pressure in one direction, a metal or steel column is pressed into the kief to compress it.

There are also other pollen presses that make use of dual direction pressure systems, such as the flat cap press which features two lids on either end plus two shafts and a column. It works by loading the kief inside the column, then the lid caps and shafts are used to compress the material.

There are other designs available though when it comes to choosing the right pollen press for your use, always go with the ones you find easiest to use. In addition, always go for durable models with high reviews from other customers. Generally speaking, stainless steel models are always recommended though they do tend to cost a little more.

Conclusion

For anyone who wants to make the most out of every last bit of their stash, a pollen press is always a great idea. Additionally, you can create new things out of shake and kief at home without the need for complicated equipment. There are several different options of pollen presses to choose from, with varying levels of difficulty. They can cater to all kinds of budgets too.

Even if you’ve never used a pollen press before, you might be surprised at how easy it is to create amazing little coins, pellets, and cakes at home. You only need a little practice before getting used to it. Before you know it, you’ll be producing professional-grade marijuana products with leftovers that would have otherwise been sitting or even wasting in your marijuana storage containers.

Don’t let those precious trichomes go to waste! It’s never too late to give the pollen press a try.