A joint is a marijuana cigarette. Joints are typically hand-rolled by an individual but pre-rolled joints are also available for sale. Rolling a joint is one of the most popular ways to consume cannabis.
When a joint contains a combination of both cannabis and tobacco, it is known as a spliff. Another popular example of a marijuana cigarette is a blunt. To roll a blunt, one must either use a hollowed-out cigar filled with cannabis or use the darker, thicker rolling papers.
What makes a good joint roll?
A good joint roll is firm in consistency, uniform in shape, and burns evenly. If you wish to try out a perfectly rolled joint to know what to aspire to, you can always give pre-rolled joints a try.
Basic joint-rolling tips
- Pick out the seeds and stems: These will get in the way. Sticks can poke against the sides of the rolling paper and break it. Likewise, seeds occupy space without adding any effect and can even pop and startle you if they burn while you’re smoking.
- Get yourself a grinder: Using a grinder to grind your weed will make a huge difference in the quality of your joints. Ground weed is much easier to handle and make into the right shape. Additionally, it burns better and the smoke will travel unobstructed towards your lips. Plastic grinders are popular and inexpensive, but regular smokers find zinc grinders more convenient. If not cleaned regularly, resin can build up inside a plastic grinder. This will make it dull and restrict its movement. On the other hand, zinc grinders are sturdier, don’t require to be cleaned as often, and are easier to clean.
- From the middle out: When rolling your weed into the desired shape, start shaping it by the middle of the joint and slowly move your fingers towards the edges of the paper. Doing it the other way around will make your joints look like used candy wrappers.
- Be gentle: Joints should be rolled in a delicate manner. Never press on a joint harder than you would on a loved one’s finger. When licking the gum on the sticky side of the paper, you should always be tender and use just enough saliva to make the paper a bit moist.
- Don’t overdo it: Rolling papers are designed to turn into the right shape after just a couple of rolls. If you’re rolling and de-rolling your joint to get to the right shape, then you might be doing something wrong. It may be that you’re using too much weed or your joint is too tight.
How much weed is in a joint?
The amount of weed that goes into a joint depends on the person who is rolling it. If you’re just starting out rolling joints (and especially if you are new to smoking marijuana), you may want to use ½ or even ¼ gram of cannabis.
What do you need to roll a joint?
The basic supplies needed to roll a joint are marijuana and rolling papers. Even if not 100% necessary to make a basic joint, using a filter and a grinder can drastically improve the quality of your joints.
How to choose the right rolling paper
There is no best size of rolling papers. The size of the paper corresponds to the size of the joint you wish to roll. Beginners should opt for the single wides or 1 ¼ size rolling papers, as these are smaller and fairly easy to handle.
- Materials: Many rolling papers are organic and made out of non-wood plant fibers like hemp and rice straw. These will burn faster than the white papers but are manufactured without using fire-retardant additives.
- Sizes: This depends on how much weed you want to smoke. King-size papers may be too much for a single person, but they can be great to share with friends.
Is it better to roll joints loose or tight?
When rolling a joint, one should try to make it firm without being too tight. A joint that’s too tight will take longer to light up and the airflow will be restricted. On the contrary, a loose joint will feel flimsy, burn unevenly, and may even fall apart.
Ideally, a joint should have the consistency of a tobacco cigarette. If the weed is too tightly packed, the smoke will not travel all the way to the lips and will stay inside the joint, becoming stagnant. You may have to pull in more air than you should, which can cause discomfort.
Smoking a loose joint is a very unpleasant experience, as you end up fighting against it instead of enjoying it. A joint that is too loose burns unevenly and too quickly, sacrificing a lot of weed for very little effect. The filter and the weed itself may not be well held and will fall off the edges. Even worst, the glue in the paper can come loose mid-smoke, causing all your rolled weed to fall to the floor.
You will be wasting your weed and your time by smoking badly rolled joints. If the joint you roll doesn’t seem right, then it is better to break it down, take your weed, and use it to roll a new one. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts fail, because practice makes perfect.
How to roll a joint without a filter
To roll a filter less joint, all you have to do is use enough weed to occupy the space where the filter should be. This is most commonly done when smoking a small joint or a spliff. The tip of the joint that is going to be lit up should be twisted, while the other one should be left as is. Make sure not to dampen the hole of a filter less joint with saliva too much or press it too hard with your lips when smoking, as it may cause the hole to seal up.
How to roll a cone joint
The rolling technique and amount of weed used when rolling a cone joint are the same as when rolling a normal one. The shape can be achieved by rolling slightly more weed towards one side than the other. Once rolling a normal joint is easy for you, rolling a cone joint will become second nature.
How to roll a cross joint
Aside from the normal joint rolling supplies, you will also need:
- An object capable of piercing small holes, like a needle or pin
- Scissors
- Both large and small rolling papers
The first step of rolling a cross joint is rolling a big, fat joint and a small, thin one. The thin joint should have both tips twisted, as they are both meant to be lit up. Once both joints are nice and ready, you must begin piercing holes. One hole should be made close to the twisted tip of the big joint.
Make sure to be very gentle to keep the paper from breaking. Don’t do the hole too big, as you will need to partially cover it later. A second hole has to be made right in the middle of the thin joint. If the thin joint is not poked through, smoke will not travel through the big joint.
The next step is to insert the small joint inside the big one. This is easier said than done, and the maximum amount of care should be used not to break the joints. You can use slow and steady pushing, pulling, and twisting motions.
When the right cross shape has been achieved, grab a spare piece of rolling paper and scissors. You must cut small vertical slices of paper and use them to reinforce the places where the two joints intersect. You can light a cross-shaped joint by yourself by lighting the big joint first, inhaling just enough to keep it going, and then lighting the sides. Smoking cannabis in this fashion doesn’t change its effects and is just a fun way of enjoying marijuana.
Rolling a joint with a joint roller
If you feel you require some assistance when rolling a joint then a joint roller is just what you need. Using a roller is like rolling a joint by hand, except the roller will keep the paper, weed, and filter stable. To use a joint roller, you must first open its lid and place the filter and the weed. Once everything is in the right place, you may close the roller.
There are a couple of handles on the sides of the roller. These must be spun towards yourself by using your thumbs. Make sure to use uniform motions and roll at a constant speed so the joint rolls evenly. Once the weed is in place, you must place the rolling paper with the sticky side facing up and go back to rolling. When the paper has covered the filter and the weed, you can lick the sticky side and roll it a bit more to have your joint ready.
What to use when you’re out of rolling papers
If you’re out of rolling papers, you can still consume cannabis using a bong, pipe, vaporizer, or other smoking methods. It is not recommended to use materials other than joint paper to roll a joint, as these can release harmful toxins when the joint burns.
If all else fails, some fruits and veggies like apples, pears, and potatoes can be fashioned into a homemade pipe using common household objects like a pen, knife, or a pair of scissors. If you’re feeling particularly daring, you can try using a jalapeño pepper as a pipe to add a spicy touch to your weed.
Buy marijuana products online
As your one-stop destination for all things cannabis, Seed & Stone has everything a marijuana smoker could ask for. Find all the products you need to build the perfect joint, your favorite strain of weed, the best rolling papers, and much more in our online marijuana shop.
