Education
How To Roll a Blunt?
Oct
In this guide, we dive deep into the dank and wondrous world of blunt rolling to teach you step-by-step how to roll blunts like a pro.
But first….
What is a Blunt?
A blunt is a cannabis cigar. If you’re new to rolling blunts and wondering how to roll a blunt with paper, it’s important to know that blunts are different from joints in a number of ways.
Unlike joints, which are rolled with thin rolling papers, blunts use heavier tobacco cigar wraps or leaves from other plants, like palm or hemp.
In addition to providing a richer, more flavorful taste, blunts also produce a different kind of high due to the nicotine often found in the tobacco leaf or wrap. Of course, blunts are also more substantial, making for a king-sized smoking experience.
Why Smoke Blunts?
To be blunt (pun very much intended), blunts aren’t for everyone. Much like the lung-expanding intensity of a big bong rip, the intense aroma and taste of a blunt can be a bit much for some.
That said, this is exactly why many blunt smokers prefer blunts. The addition of tobacco via the cigar leaf provides an added depth of flavor and a nicotine buzz some find stimulating.
Unlike joints or any other medium for cannabis enjoyment, blunts offer a lingering smoky flavor as well as pine and citrus notes from the cannabis strained used. Each hit becomes more and more intense and robust as resins build up throughout the smoking process.
Blunts also burn slowly. Combined with their hard-hitting potency, this makes blunts perfect for extended smoke sessions or group enjoyment.
Some still prefer rolling cannabis with paper but paper burns quickly. A blunt, on the other hand, will keep on smoking slowly and surely just like a Sour Diesel truck.
Rolling a Blunt – What You’ll Need
Sure, you could make the job easier by investing in a blunt roller, but blunt rolling often takes place in social settings like parties or on the move during road trips and treks in the great outdoors when lugging around anything extra in your pockets just won’t work.
Whether you’re at home or wanting to roll a blunt with your backwoods pack, you’ll only need a few things to roll a great blunt and maximize your experience:
• Blunt wrap or cigar
• Gram or two of your favorite cannabis
• Grinder
• Rolling Tray (optional)
How to Roll Blunts – O.G. Technique
In addition to only requiring a handful of materials, even without a blunt roller, blunts only take a few steps to create.
Step One – Empty a Cigar or Begin with a Fresh Wrap
If you opt for a cigar, you’ll want to start by carefully cutting it open length-wise. Then, gently open the cigar just enough to dump the tobacco out.
If you want to incorporate some tobacco flavor into the blunt, you may want to sprinkle a small amount in with the cannabis. However, keep in mind that cigar tobacco is quite intense and not meant to be inhaled like cannabis.
If you go with a wrap, which is more common these days, there’s no need to cut or dump anything. All you have to do is remove any lining or insert it may come with and then unroll it and flatten it out.
Step Two – Grind Your Cannabis
With your cigar or blunt wrap ready to go, the next step is grinding your cannabis. In order to roll a session-ready blunt, it’s important to grind your herb to the right coarseness. A medium grind is the perfect size to ensure a smooth, evenly burning blunt.
A blunt filled with too fine of a grind will burn hot and too quickly. A perfect blunt should burn slowly yet stay lit from end to end. For a medium grind, only give the grinder a few turns. A weed grinder with larger holes also helps.
How Much Weed is Needed to Roll a Blunt?
Some people prefer their blunts larger than others, but if you’re aiming for a typical Swisher or Black & Mild-sized blunt, a gram or so of cannabis should do just fine. Obviously, if you want to spread the love with a party-sized blunt, more weed will be needed. That said, you can also get creative by adding tobacco, kief, or even dabs into the mix.
Unless you choose to split and empty a true fatty cigar, a blunt rolled with a typical cigarillo-type cigar will be smaller than a blunt roll with blunt wrap. Unlike cigars, blunt wraps are specifically made for smoking cannabis, so they tend to be on the larger side for those Netflix and chill days or those looking to puff-puff-give.
Of course, blunt wraps can also be trimmed to suit. If you want to roll a blunt but don’t want to mess around with cigars or pony up a gram, you can trim a little bit off to keep from having too much wrap and affecting the blunt’s smoking performance.
Step Three – Wet the Cigar or Wrap
Blunt wraps, and especially cigars containing tobacco, are dry and crisp. To make them easier to work with, it helps to lightly wet them with a little bit of water. If you don’t have a spray bottle that gives a good mist, the easiest way to do this is to just wet your hand and run a finger or two across the wrap.
Ideally, the cigar or wrap paper should be pliable and flexible but not wet enough to tear when shaping. As far as shaping the blunt paper goes, it can be shaped into a half-barrel or V-shaped in order to hold your freshly ground weed.
Step Four – Load the Blunt
To roll a proper blunt, evenly sprinkle the ground up cannabis into the shaped paper from end to end. If you want to roll a spliff in Marleyesque fashion by adding some tobacco, make sure to evenly mix it into the ground herb for a nice, smooth flavor.
At this point, you can also up the dank level of the blunt by sprinkling a little kief or crumbling some dabs atop the weed across the blunt. Once the open blunt has been loaded with cannabis or your preferred smoking mix, it’s time to roll it up.
Step Five – Roll the Blunt
Alright, now on to the good stuff – it’s time to roll it up! Begin by lightly squeezing each end of the blunt with your thumbs, index fingers, and middle fingers of both hands. Then, while still squeezing, begin rolling and shaping the blunt to help pack the weed and start forming it into shape.
Once the cannabis is packed and formed, use your thumbs to carefully roll and tuck the bottom of the wrap over and around the cannabis. Then, with the blunt still resting between your fingers and thumbs, use your thumbs to begin rolling it into a cylindrical shape.
Since the blunt wrap will be damp, it should hold nicely after making the initial fold. Sometimes, however, the top edge may need to be remoistened to ensure the blunt sticks nicely after rolling it up.
If you did a good job of grinding the flower, you shouldn’t have to worry about stems poking through. However, if this happens, you can try to wet the area and fix it using the adhesive section of a joint paper. If this doesn’t work, you can always start over with a fresh wrap and try again.
Step Six – Seal the Blunt
With the blunt now perfectly rolled, you may be tempted to light it up and begin enjoying the fruits of your labor. However, this is a mistake. If you try to smoke the blunt right now, the moisture of the damp wrap will keep it from burning evenly or even staying lit. Once the blunt is rolled, it should be left to dry for a bit to ensure it burns smoothly and evenly in true blunt fashion.
If you’re feeling impatient, you can speed up the drying process by running a lighter across the blunt from a couple of inches away. This will help dry the blunt quickly, but pay close attention to avoid burning it and ruining your hard work.
Final Step – Fire It Up and Enjoy
Once you have a nicely packed, shaped, and dried blunt, it’s time to fire it up and begin enjoying it in all its piney, citrus, and rich, tobacco-infused goodness. A well-rolled blunt will burn slower and deliver a bigger yet smoother hit than a joint. If you can’t finish it in one session and decide to save it for another, the bold resinous flavor will only intensify along with your toking experience. A good blunt won’t disappoint!
