Smoking weed is an experience like no other and if you ask any long-time stoner, he or she would tell you that it is best enjoyed in the form of a joint. Yes, there are many other alternatives to rolling a joint these days – you can vape up your weed, or you can choose to smoke it in a pipe or in a bong, or in any of those fancy-new forms that you get it in, but there’s no joy as good as what you find in rolling a joint. Many people have mailed us for a tutorial on how to roll the perfect joint and hence we have now decided to come up with the best and the easiest guide about how exactly should you be rolling a joint!
There are many types of joints that you can create and we shall be looking at quite a few of them here. However, our focus here is on rolling the basic joint. Once you master the art of rolling the perfect joint, it then becomes easier to create advanced ones. Here, we shall also be taking a look at the different types of rolling papers and what constitutes a good rolling paper. We shall also familiarize you with some tools that you need in order to prepare the perfect joint for your needs. However, let us first begin with the basics:
Step by Step Tutorial: How to Roll a Joint?
Before we start off with the tutorial, you must first understand what a joint is. It is basically weed rolled up in a rolling paper (which may or may not carry a flavor). It has a filter at the bottom from where you smoke it and the tip is usually twisted and that is normally the place where you set it on fire. Joints can be of different shapes and sizes and can carry different amounts of weed but the most basic of joints are in the shape of a regular cigarette. However, you might find some advanced stoners making them in the shape of the crucifix, the spider, the christmas tree, etc. Let us now take a look at how to roll a joint –
Step 1: Grind Your Weed
The weed that you have is almost always in the form of buds. Buds cannot be smoked in the form that they are in. They need to be grinded and made a little powdery so that you can smoke them properly. This can be achieved with the help of a grinder but you can also choose to do it using your hands. However, many stoners tend to use grinders because buds (especially when fresh) tend to be quite sticky even after they are dried for a long time and sticky buds take a longer time to break using hands and they also create quite a mess. Hence grinders are optimal for crushing and grinding them. In case you don’t have a grinder you might also want to use your key, credit card, or any similar object.
Step 2: Clean Your Weed
After you’ve grinded it, just go through it once to see if there’s any twigs or seeds that have accidentally come into the new mix. Sometimes these small elements survive and cause quite a nuisance when you smoke them. Hence, it is always better to clean your weed by hand once you’re done with the grinding process. Getting seeds and twigs is less common if you use a grinder but if you’re doing this process by hand then you must check for these things before you lay it inside the rolling paper.
Step 3: Prepare the Filter
Next, you need to prepare a filter. The filter is the part from where you pull the weed smoke in. This is also known as ‘tip’ or ‘crutch’ in different areas of the world. Different stoners like to make this filter out of different material – however, business cards are among the most common and a universally accepted item to make a filter out of. Some people also make use of thin cardboard to make these filters. Some brands of rolling papers also come with a filter or a tip packaged along with them so that you don’t have to make it yourself. Simply cut it out in the right size and roll it tightly. The primary purpose of this ‘filter’ is that it will make sure the weed does not fall off from the joint and that it does not enter your mouth while you smoke the joint.
Step 4: Fill the Rolling Paper
Now that you have grinded the weed and prepared the filter, it is now the time to fill your weed inside the joint. The first step is just placing it on the rolling paper. You need to put it carefully. Neatly place the filter at one end of the joint on the center while from a little below the other end to just where the filter begins, place the weed carefully and in the center. Then just tug it from the sides a little to make sure all the weed and the filter are in the center.
Step 5: Packing the Joint
Now that you have placed the weed, make sure it is in the middle of the rolling paper. Next, pinch the paper between your fingertips and pick it up and slowly begin to wrap it around the weed carefully. This is tricky part and you need to spiral it in such a way that the weed that is packed inside of it does not fall off from the joint that you are making. Most people prefer to do this process over a rolling tray so that in case any weed falls of, it falls on the tray and can be easily collected.
Step 6: Sealing the Joint
Now that you’ve rolle the joint you need to seal it in order for it to stick together while you’re smoking it. This is the process that is commonly known as ‘licking the joint. One end of the rolling paper then has to be licked so that it sticks to the other and seals the joint completely. We would strongly recommend you start licking it bottom-up from the filter to the tip, but you can go as you please. Make sure you press it a little after you’ve licked and stuck it so that it stays firm. Some people give it a gentle shake to check if it has been sealed properly but this is a precarious position to be in as an unpacked joint will just fall off so be careful.
Step 7: Finishing Touches
Now that everything has been done and the weed is ready to be smoked, all wrapped up nice and clean in a rolling paper, just twist the tip to complete this packing process. The twisted top is where you will ultimately be placing the lighter or the matchstick when you want to start smoking your joint. Talking of smoking it, here’s how exactly to smoke a joint:
How to Smoke a Joint?
- If multiple people are smoking it, the person who has rolled and packed it should ideally be the first to smoke it because he has put in the effort behind doing so and should get the ‘first hit’. This is often called ‘rollers right’ and is a commonly followed etiquette. If you’re smoking it alone, well its all yours anyway!
- Follow the puff puff pass rule too. This means that you take two drags and pass it on to the person next to you who takes two drags and either passes it back to you (if there are just the two of you) or passes it to the next person after taking two drags. Usually, it is passed on to the person sitting to your left but you may choose to pass it as per your convenience as long as you’re taking just two drags and passing it along.
- Another thing to be kept in mind while smoking weed is that you must never add so much saliva to the joint that the filter becomes wet. This is for two reasons – first it is disgusting to do so and you might be passing along many germs with it, and second, the moisture from your saliva will weaken the joint and there’s a chance it might just fall off or break down from there which is really not cool.
- Always make sure you have enough water and food around you while you’re smoking weed. You need water for two reasons – firstly, weed tends to give you ‘cottonmouth’ and will make you feel very thirsty. Secondly, you need food because weed tends to give you ‘the munchies’ where you feel very hungry from time to time.
- About the actual smoking process – take short drags but inhale them deep and exhale them away along with all your worries. Smoking is a pleasurable experience if done slowly and calmly – avoid taking rapid and deep puffs. Also the second thing that you need to keep in mind is that you must not blow smoke on someone else’s face – that’s not appreciated and is considered rude by a lot of people.
What Equipment Do You Need While Rolling a Joint?
While smoking a joint is quite easy and simple, there are some ‘equipment’ that you might need in order to smoke weed too. Note that you don’t need all of them at the same time but it’ll be good to have them as they will enhance your smoking experience. Here are some of them:
- Grinder: A grinder is a small tool that will help you grind your weed with ease. Grinder helps you break down the bud into smaller, finer pieces which can be smoked up with ease. While you can use your hands to crush weed too, using a grinder is quite beneficial as it ensures that your hands don’t get dirty and the weed is really finely grinded making it optimum for smoking.
- Rolling Tray: A rolling tray is basically a small tray upon which you can carry out a number of activities related to rolling your weed. The primary purpose here is that if the weed falls off, it falls directly on to the weed from where it can be easily collected, ensuring that you have a clean and easy to manage place rather than having it fall on the floor. It is a small yet handy equipment to have.
- Rolling Paper: Rolling paper is of course, the basic element when you want to roll a joint. This is where you roll your joint in! Rolling papers come in different flavours as well as can be made out of different material. However they all serve the same purpose – you are basically supposed to pack up your weed in it and smoke it up. Many brands also offer pre-rolled joints which is great for stoners who are just beginning out and find it hard to roll or are short on time.
- Rolling Machine: A rolling machine is something totally different. It is a small device which helps you roll a joint, fill it and seal it. You stretch it open, put weed inside it, and just pull out the papers and it comes out a packed joint. However, most old-school stoners will be against using this as they enjoy the whole process of ‘rolling’ the joint.
- Lighter: A lighter or a matchbox is required in order to light up the joint! We mean how else are you going to smoke it up?
- Doob Tube: Doob tubes are not a necessity but a great add-on, especially if you are smoking alone and don’t want to finish off the entire joint, you can store the half-smoked joint inside it so that it remains fresh the next time you start smoking it again.
Recommended:
What are Some Other Ways to Smoke Weed?
While joints are the most popular way to smoke marjiuana, there are a number of other ways in which you can do it too. Many stoners are particularly fond of smoking weed using bongs where they can get a ‘bigger hit’ by smoking larger quantities of weed. Some stoners, particularly in the past few years, have taken to vaping and have been promoting it as the future of smoking weed – they consider it a safer and more classier alternative to other forms. Then there are many stoners who prefer to smoke thicker blunts rather than a regular joints. Lastly, there are some stoners who prefer consuming marijuana in the edible form and don’t really want to smoke it – this is also getting pretty popular and different forms of edible weed have also been popping up recently.
However, while all these trends and fads come and go, the one thing that has been constant is that for a really long time, joints have been the most common form of smoking weed – and that this is a trend which is still going strong. There’s just a different kind of magic to rolling up a joint, stuffing it up with weed, lighting it up and then taking the first hit! Puff Puff Pass! Let us now take a closer look at some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about rolling a joint:
Frequently Asked Questions About Rolling a Joint:
1. What is a rolling paper?
A rolling paper is basically the paper on which you stuff the marijuana and smoke it up. Rolling papers are special types of papers which can be used to pack up tobacco as well as weed and they are prepared in such a way that they give those smoking them a proper and even burn. Sometimes they also carry flavors which give the smokers a unique experience.
2. What are the different types of rolling papers available?
There are a number of different kinds of rolling papers available for stoners
- Basic Rolling Papers – the most common type of rolling papers that you get in the markets.
- Then there are papers made out of wood pulp, or rice
- There are some rolling papers made out of cellulose
- There are some rolling papers made out of hemp
- Some stoners prefer to smoke rolling papers that are flavored. Juicy Jays makes some of the best flavored rolling papers which might come in grape, watermelon, mango, blueberry, strawberry etc flavors
- Some rolling papers are categorized by the size – 1¼ is the most common size. However, you also get king-sized, jumbo and XL rolling papers which differ from brand to brand. RAW is usually considered the standard brand for rolling papers.
3. What different shapes can you make a joint in?
This depends upon how creative you want to get with the weed that you are going to be smoking. You can choose to cut holes in your joint from the sides and stuff in other joints into them to add more parts to a joint and then stick them up well, giving them a proper shape. Some people get really creative and create shapes like a candelabra, a christmas tree, a spider, a cross, etc. It allows you to pack in more weed and is something you’d generally like to do for a special occassion or a gathering.
Conclusion
To conclude, we hope that this article gives you a good insight into everything that you need to know about how to roll a joint. We have provided a step by step tutorial which is primarily aimed at giving you a good idea into how exactly are you supposed to do it. We have also given an insight into some equipment that you might need, as well as at the different kinds of rolling papers that you can find in the markets. Do check out our other articles for more information on rolling papers. Let us know in the comments below or drop us an email if you feel we’ve missed out on something or if there’s something more that you would like to know about!
Happy Smoking! 🙂
Table of Contents
 with Frequently Asked Questions About Rolling a Joint.){kind=link}