Joint Rolling made easy!

One of the biggest problems of a beginning pot smoker is how to roll a joint. I have tried to make a guide on how to roll a joint. I hope this helps, just keep practising!

• big sized rolling paper (about 5cm by 11cm). I usually use "King Size Smoking" manufactured by Miquely Costas & Miquel S.A., Spain. For small one person joints you can also use regular size rolling paper (Rizla, Mascotte, Drum). You can find rolling papers in a good tobacco store.
• a piece of thick (writing) paper or thin cardboard, size about 2cm by 6cm (here in Holland we call it a "tip"). This is used as a mouthpiece. It gives you something to hold on. No more burned fingers or lips while trying to inhale the last of the joint! Don't use the filter of a normal cigarette, as they tend to filter out too much THC.
• tobacco (handrolling tobacco works best, tobacco from a normal cigarette usually is too dry and is in general very bad tasting imho)
• weed/hash, as much as you like; 0.5 gram of good Dutch weed is more than enough to get 2-4 people very stoned. It depends on the quality of the stuff. Experiment to find the right amount.

You need the small piece of paper to use as a mouthpiece. (see picture number 1). Roll it up tight into the form of a cylinder. You should be able to inhale through it, as it will be a mouthpiece, so don't roll it TOO tight.

Take the rolling paper with the "glue" side on top, away from you. Put the tobacco on the rolling paper. I use tobacco because the superb dutch weed is simply too strong to be smoked pure. And I like the taste more. I know this is considered a big sin in America, but here in the Netherlands, almost everyone smokes with tobacco. Be sure to use good handrolling tobacco, because tobacco from filtercigarettes is too drie and of low quality. If you don't like tobacco, just leave it away and use more weed instead. This won't make the rolling part easier however. Also, joints with tobacco burn better.

Spread the weed over the tobacco, and mix it. The mix is perhaps the most important part of the joint. Make sure the consistency is even and break-up or remove any lumps or 'woody' bits. Then put in the "tip" or roach. If you put in the roach before rolling, the rolling will be easier.

Then the trickiest part: pick everything up and start in the middle, rolling outwards. Let your thumbs do most of the work and give support and pressure with your forefingers. You should start to feel the mix firming inside the paper. Don't worry if some stuff falls out; you can put it back in later. Let the tip stick out a few mm.

When you have an even consistency, tuck down the facing paper edge with the tips of your thumbs, wrap the excess paper around the joint, wet the glue and seal that baby. Then you can push the tip inside to firm the joint. Happy smoking!

Picture 3 shows the joint as it should be: slightly cone shaped with the tip rolled tightly in the rolling paper. The best joints are firm but not so tight you have to burst a lung drawing smoke. Loose joints taste rough, burn too fast and have a nasty habit of setting light to clothing and furniture.

The other end of the rolling paper (with no tobacco/weed in it) can be twisted so that the tobacco won't fall out. Now light it up, smoke and have fun!

The joint decribed here is the "basic" design. For more exotic designs (f.e. the diamond, windmill or tulip) I'd like to refer to a nice book with everything on joint rolling, plus additional information:

The Joint Rolling Handbook expert edition
Available by Bobcat Press
242 Clarendon Street
MANCHESTER M15 SED
United Kingdom
Telephone and fax: 0161 226 7288

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