7 steps to the perfect hand-wrapped Joint
Oh, the holidays! Friends and family have all come together to celebrate with food, joy, harmony, music, all that stuff... but what you’re looking forward to is THE PRESENTS.
But at the end of the day, what’s really the ultimate gift? What is that perfect thing that speaks to every heart and soul in this crazy world?
It’s WEED.
So go ahead and give the gift that keeps giving (for at least a few hours) – a perfectly rolled joint! Here’s how to give that special someone in your life a beautiful, meticulously wrapped gift (dope joint).
Step One: Get The Goods
First, lay out everything you need.
- Cannabis flower. Arguably the most important part of the joint! Get around a half gram of fresh, fluffy, sticky flower for the best joint.
- Rolling papers. Go for hemp papers for a smooth pull that lets you get the full flavor of your flower. 1 ¼" will give you a typical cigarette-sized joint.
- Grinder. A smooth even grind will give you a nice long burn and save you flower.
- Filter/Crutch/Tip. Give your joint some stability, don’t burn your lips, and don’t throw away roaches with perfectly good flower! Many rolling paper packs come with cardboard tips.
- Lil pusher or packer. A paper clip, a slim pencil, anything like that to help get all the flower in place.
Step Two: Get Grinding
The perfect joint has well-ground flower and smokes evenly the whole way through. Use a metal, plastic, or wooden grinder – they all have their pros and cons, so go with whatever you prefer. Don’t get your fingers all sticky by pulling your nugs apart by hand. Pull buds off the main stem and grind it good!
Step Three: Just the Tip
If you’re using a cardboard tip or crutch, get it into the right shape. The best method is to fold a small “W” at one end, then roll the other end around it in a tube shape. Then pick up your paper (glue side facing up) and drop your rolled tip right in the crease at the end.
Step Four: Shake it Baby
Dump your ground flower onto your rolling tray or take it straight from the grinder barrel – again, up to what you prefer. Pick up your rolling paper by placing your index finger in the crease while holding the outside with your thumb and middle finger. With your free hand, delicately place pinches of flower into the paper crease and evenly spread it out.
Step Five: Rolling, Rolling, Rolling
You should have a little folded envelope of ground flower in your hands with a crutch at the end. Pinch this with both thumbs and index fingers underneath the flower and gently roll it up and down to form the flower into a tube shape (think back to rolling playdough into a small snake). When the shape feels good, pinch it shut tight and slide the paper down against itself so the glue side sticks up on top and the glue-less side is holding your flower in place.
Step Six: Lick It and Stick It
Put that tongue to work and gently moisten the glue on your paper. Don’t overdo it, nobody likes a soggy joint, and your glue might fail anyway. Once it’s moist (sorry), roll the joint upwards to meet it and fold the glue side down to seal it.
Step Seven: Pack It In!
Using your little packing tool, push in on the open (tipless) side of the joint and pack the flower tight. You probably have some shake left over, so sprinkle that in and pack it tight as well. Now give your paper a little twist to close it off and hooray! You’ve rolled the perfect joint.
Practice makes perfect, so don’t feel bad about tearing it open and starting over if you’re not happy with the results. On the plus side, your flower will already be in a nice tube shape for round two!
When you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll have a gift wrapped so perfectly you’ll probably want to keep it for yourself. It may look absolutely beautiful, but as always, it’s what’s inside that counts! So find your favorite flower and get rolling!
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