How To Roll A Blunt: The Easiest Method For The Best Smoke
There comes a time in every smoker's life when they need to learn how to roll a blunt.
No longer can you depend on that friend who’s rolled you every joint you’ve ever smoked, and no longer can you afford the extra cost of pre-rolled blunts.
This guide is your path to empowerment. Below we explain everything you need to know about smoking and rolling blunts.
And this isn’t just any old advice. It comes from our team of experienced smokers so you know you’re going to get the best and most solid advice and guidance you can find.
Let’s spark up and read on.
What Is A Blunt?
A blunt is a method of smoking marijuana that involves no other combinations of products, like tobacco. In other words, a blunt is a joint of pure weed.
The most distinguishing feature of a traditional blunt is the rolling paper or wrapper used. Blunts are often smoked using cigar paper, sometimes made of tobacco leaf.
These blunt wraps can hold more weed, burn more slowly and also offer a unique flavour, depending on the type of wrap you get.
However, the phrase has become synonymous with those who smoke cannabis straight, with no tobacco added. Not everyone wants to smoke tobacco after all and if using a cigar wrap you have no choice unless it’s made from hemp.
The “blunt” is contrasted with “joint” which people use to refer to smokes combining both weed or hash and tobacco.
What Do You Need To Roll A Blunt?
While you could try to smoke a blunt with any bit of paper that rolls and burns, smoking marijuana is an experience that should be enjoyed and savoured.
With this in mind, there are certain things you need to make sure you roll the best blunt you can.
Skins, Wrappers and Rolling Papers
One of the most integral and obvious things you need are rolling papers, also referred to as blunt wraps or ‘skins’.
Rolling papers come in a variety of sizes and are made from different products. Some of the most common sizes are:
- Cigarette size - the standard size of most cigarette rolling papers
- 1 and ¼ size - a cigarette size plus a quarter for an extra bit of smoke
- King size - the go-to size for many blunt smokers
- Tobacco leaf wrap - these come in different flavors and sizes and are usually made of tobacco leaf, ideal for big blunt rolling
The best size is the one that matches your smoking habits. If you don’t like to smoke much, smaller might be better. If smoking in a group, over a longer period of time or if you just want to have a spacey night to yourself, king size would be best.
It’s possible to buy rolling papers made of different materials. Examples include standard paper, rice paper, and hemp, as well as tobacco leaf.
Some rolling papers offer a slower burn and some offer flavorings. Some just come in different colors. Again, what you decide to go for all comes down to personal preference.
Smoking Tips Or Roach Material
The end of the joint that you smoke from is often constructed with something called a roach, or smoking tip. This is usually a small bit of cardboard that you roll into a cylinder and place at the end of the blunt or joint.
As for material, you could use any bit of cardboard capable of rolling. Many rolling papers offer smoking tips as an additional extra now. These are usually made of thin cardboard.
Of course, you don’t need a roach to smoke a blunt. Some people prefer it without.
Grinder
Something that will help you get more out of your weed is a grinder. This little device originated in the kitchen, grinding up herbs and spices, but has found itself a staple requirement of many a pot smoker.
A simple plastic grinder will do the job. However, if you’re a long-term smoker you may prefer a tiered grinder that can collect the lovely golden crystals that drop from buds as you grind them. Sprinkle them on a joint and you’ll be flying high all day long.
Again a grinder is optional, but we find picking your weed from a bud can see you use more than you need. Plus, a weed grinder is an inexpensive investment.
Rolling Tray Or Station (Optional But Useful)
One thing we find tremendously useful is a rolling tray, station or platform. Rolling a joint on a flat surface can be messy. A flat rolling paper is hard to pick up, for one.
One thing we like to use is a V-shaped device to rest your rolling paper in. If you smoke a lot this will save you a lot of sweeping up time!
A ‘Pokey’
One final thing we recommend for rolling a perfect blunt is a pokey, or in other words, something to poke down your weed and compact it together once rolled.
Something small, cylindrical and solid works well, small enough to fit down a tobacco wrap or rolling paper. If you don’t compact your blunts you’ll find that they’ll extinguish often as the bud is too spaced out to burn effectively. Well-compacted blunts burn slower too.
Worst comes to the worst, use the tip of your shoelace! (We’ve all done it)
How To Roll A Blunt: A Simple Step-By-Step Guide
So now that you know what you need to roll a blunt, here’s how you do it. We’ve broken each step down into its simplest form, plus we have a video tutorial below.
Step 1: Prepare Your Rolling Paper
First, prepare your rolling paper. Once you pull it from the pack, run your finger along the crease to flatten it a little.
It’s best to place it on a surface that matches the shape of the paper. Make sure the sticky strip (that you lick) is facing you.
Step 2: How To Roll A Roach For A Blunt
Let’s look at how to roll a roach for a blunt.
First, work out how big your blunt is going to be. If you’re using a lot of ground cannabis, use a full sheet of standard roach paper. For smaller ones, rip that sheet in half.
Next, take one end and fold it slightly so that it's pointing at a 90-degree angle.
Place your index finger behind the roach and with your thumb, roll the folded part forwards and toward the opposite end.
This should give you a nice cylindrical roach.
Step 3: Grind Your Weed
Next, grind up your weed. If you don’t have a grinder you can try to pick apart your bud as much as you can. The smaller the pieces the better which is why a grinder is preferred. How much weed you need depends on how big you want your blunt to be.
Step 4: Distribute Your Cannabis Along The Paper
With your marijuana all ground up, place your roach at one end. We usually opt for the right. Then spread your weed along the paper or wrap.
To get a cone-shaped joint, place a small amount of weed by the roach and increase the width of your line as you work your way to the end.
Save about a half-inch worth of paper at the other end for later on in the process.
Step 5: Preparing To Roll
Pick up your joint. The best way to do this is to take your index finger and thumb on your right hand and pinch the skin just above the roach. This will hold it together and stop bits from falling out.
Next, begin to roll the paper by moving your thumb up and down against your index finger. With your other hand, move along the blunt and copy the same motion. This will compact the ground weed into a more solid shape.
Step 6: Rolling The Blunt
This is the part most people struggle with.
Once your weed is shaped, roll the side of the paper closest to you down so that you can see the weed inside. Shuffle your thumb up so that it holds the paper down against the roach. Do the same with your other hand about halfway up the joint.
Holding the paper down, roll it forward towards the raised side of the paper. As you do so, fold that side of the paper over. This will lock the paper in place.
Keep the paper tight as you roll. Once you see the sticky strip, pause rolling and lick up and down to make sure you coat it with saliva (if you don’t your joint could fall apart).
If rolling a cone-shaped joint, the sticky strip should touch the top first and the bottom last. As you twist the final bit of paper, run your finger over the crease to ensure the strip sticks.
Step 7: Poke, Twist And Smoke
With your joint rolled, use something thin and solid to poke down the weed and compact it.
Twist the remaining paper at the top and light it up.
There you have it: how to make a perfectly rolled blunt.
Watch Our Tutorial On How To Roll A Blunt
It always helps to watch someone roll, especially given the wide range of techniques out there.
What you can see in the video here is a super simple method of rolling a blunt that we find easy to pick up for many people.
Common Mistakes People Make When Rolling A Blunt
There’s no perfect way to roll a blunt. As long as it smokes you’re golden. But there are some things you can avoid to make sure you get the most out of your smoke.
- Don’t overpack your blunts. It’ll make it harder to roll and you’ll have bud everywhere. If you want to pack your joints, roll a nice wide cone and then add some ground-up weed to the top.
- Match your roach size to your joint size. So often you see people roll a huge roach for a tiny joint. It makes it a lot harder to roll.
- The ‘brown paper bag’ joint. You may have had one of these, a blunt that inhales and exhales in time with your lungs. If you space your weed out too thinly and don’t pack it together this can happen.
How Long Does It Take To Roll Up A Blunt?
So, how long does it take to roll a blunt?
The answer to this question depends on how well-practised you are at rolling.
For beginners, it might take you a while, say around 5-10 minutes, to assemble it all and roll it.
For the experienced smoker, it takes about 60-90 seconds to roll up a blunt. Though if you have a sticky grinder it could take longer!
Key Takeaways On Rolling A Blunt
- Using the right blunt wrap or papers, roach material and a grinder will make rolling a blunt a lot easier
- Roll a roach that matches the size of your joint, otherwise it’ll be too hard to roll or smoke.
- To minimise the mess you make, try a V-shaped rolling tray or platform or put less marijuana in your blunts when assembling. You can top it up once you’ve rolled.
- Make sure you poke the weed down once you’ve rolled your blunt. This will help it stay lit when smoking.
Thanks for reading. If you need any more advice on how to roll a blunt, please get in touch.