How To Roll A Joint: A Beginner’s Guide

By Author: Stephen Rogard
Total Articles: 240
Comment this article

Joints are the icon of smoking marijuana. Sleek and crisp, they’re a thing of beauty when perfectly rolled. They’re portable and subtle, smoother than smoking from a pipe, and are the ideal vessel for puff-puff-passing

But they can be a bit of a doozy to roll! Sometimes they look pregnant, crooked, have holes, or don’t smoke - which is irritating after you buy marijuana online and all you want to do is smoke it! Don’t worry; practice makes perfect (or at least better), and these tips will help you roll doobies like a pro!

The Necessities of Rolling a Joint

To roll a good joint, you need a few things to get you set up. As with any creation, starting with the right tools will make your job easier and give more successful results.

Before you get rolling, make sure that you have:

A grinder: these quick and handy little devices bust up your weed to an even consistency and help you eliminate the stemmy bits. Some grinders also have a catch for kief (the crystals that fall off as you grind) that you can collect and save for later, more-mighty joints.
Papers: choices ...
... are myriad when it comes to choosing your rollies. There are all kinds of different sizes, flavours, and materials to choose from. For someone who is a noob to doobs, pick up a pack of 1 ¼” papers - they’re a good starting place for getting the feel of rolling joints. As for material and flavours, those choices are up to the roller and are less critical in learning techniques.
Dry weed: aside from papers, this is the most essential material for rolling a nice joint. The weed itself has to be properly dried and cured for the smoothest rolling and smoking experience. If your bud is too wet, it will be clumpy and burn irregularly,
A filter: Filters can be made from any stiff paper or thin cardboard. Even tearing a little strip off the rolling paper package will do in a pinch. Ideally, your filter will be about ½” - ¾” long and tightly rolled - look up a video if needed, as there are several techniques.

To Filter, or Not To Filter?

There are two schools of thought on putting a filter in a joint: use one always or use one never. While the latter-minded folk have the right to do as they please, there are many good reasons for using a filter.

Also known as a crutch or tip, filters are great for keeping plant matter out of your mouth while smoking. Due to the nature of taking strong inhales from a joint and the finely-ground bud, the littlest bits of weed are bound to be sucked towards your mouth when smoking. Filters help stop those bitties from flying into your mouth, which is undoubtedly an unpleasant experience.

Filters also provide structure for your joints. Some people salivate more than others, and it seems the droolers are often unaware of their prolific spittle - it’s gross when your buddy slobbers all over your beautiful joint! Adding a filter helps keep the smoking end open and your friendship intact.

Not to mention, filters help give your joint shape while you roll.

How To Roll A Joint

After you buy Weed online Canada, acquire papers and a grinder, and prep your preferred style of filter, it’s finally time to take a crack at rolling!

First things first: be sure to orient your paper correctly. Make sure the sticky strip is at the top across from you on the inside. There’s nothing worse than rolling a beautiful joint only to realize it’s inside out!

Once your paper is lined up, place the filter at the end opposite your dominant hand (for example, if you’re right-handed, place the filter at the left side of the paper). Now add your finely-ground bud - half a gram is a good starting place for regular-sized papers. Sprinkle it evenly along the paper, tamping it gently as needed. Some will probably fall out, and that’s okay - it’s better to overshoot a little than be struggling to match the width of your filter.

When your paper is full, it’s time to start rolling. The motion should be just that - rolling the paper back and forth between your fingers and thumbs while applying gentle pressure. The goal is to pack the weed together enough to hold a log-shape, but not so tight that it won’t let air through to burn.

This might take a little trial and error, but if you go for a gentle-firm pressure, you’ll probably end up with smokeable results. If you find the paper a bit slippery, give your fingers a tiny lick, then rub most of the moisture off - this gives you just enough grip to stop the paper from sliding around.
The Technique to Perfect: Tuck and Roll

The final roll can be the most frustrating step, even though it sounds easy in theory. Never give up! Once you give it a few tries, you’ll figure out how it feels and what works for you.

Tuck the side closest to you (the non-glue side) over the back of the rolled up bud. Some people like to start with the corners, some like to start at the filter end, and some like to start in the middle and work their way out. Whichever way feels best, tuck that edge in and then roll the joint over itself up to the sticky edge. Give the glue strip a lick and finish the roll, smoothing the edge down with your fingers.

That’s it! You can use something slim and pointy (like a pen or a match) to pack the loose end in a bit. If you’re saving the joint for later, twist the open end closed. If not, light that doobie up and see how she smokes!

Trouble-Shooting for Rolling Joints

Until you’re a seasoned roller, your joints may not smoke perfectly. While it’s not a science, it is somewhat of an art. If your joints aren’t burning properly, go over the following checklist:

Hard to smoke: you probably rolled it too tight. Use less pressure during the rolling/compacting stage
Hits don’t feel full: check to see if any stems poked holes along the paper
Joint is smoking unevenly: either your weed isn’t properly dry or wasn’t ground up fine enough

Buy Marijuana Online and Keep On Rolling!

That’s the basics of how to roll a joint! This is just the foundation - joints can be so many things. You can add tobacco to make a spliff, or add some hash for a little extra oomph. Once you’ve dialled down your technique, you can make cross-joints (with three tips for triple smoking fun!) or braided joints - the sky's the limit!

If all else fails and you still want to smoke a doobie, there are such things as pre-rolls joint available for purchase. But don’t give up! Try the above techniques to enjoy a time-honoured, ritualistic method of smoking your favourite marijuana.

Mark Smith is an experienced content writer with a passion for crafting engaging and informative articles. With a diverse background in various industries, he excels at creating compelling narratives that resonate with readers and drive results.