How to Roll a Blunt Step-By-Step
Rolling a blunt is a bit like origami for grown-ups, only way more rewarding! Here’s how to roll a blunt like a pro so you can quit waiting on someone to do it for you and start pulling your weight. Okay, we may be projecting a little but it’s still a quality party trick and life skill.
If you’re not familiar, a blunt is like a big joint. A big joint that is rolled in a tobacco leaf instead of paper. Because blunts are rolled using a tobacco leaf versus standard joint paper, they tend to burn slower and more evenly than their joint counterparts. Because they are larger and burn slower, one of the best things about a blunt is their ability to be enjoyed in larger groups of friends or at special occasions.
So gather round as we impart the wisdom of our ancestors and teach you one of the oldest traditions in modern culture*- The Art of the Roll. With a little practice and our step-by-step guide, you'll be the stand in roller for your favorite celebrity stoner in no time.
How to Roll a Blunt with Ease
Step 1: Gather the Necessary Supplies:
Because we feel like it is necessary to state the obvious, you are going to need weed and you are going to need some kind of blunt wrap or cigar wrap. Outside of those two essential items, the rest are modern luxuries that can help expedite the process and are more personal preference than anything else. Some things you may find handy:
Filter
Step 2: Prepare Your Cannabis
This step is the first of a few that can really aid in a smooth blunt rolling experience. While you can always dismantle your buds by hand, one missed piece of stem can rip your tobacco wrap putting you in quite the pickle.
Whether you are using fingers to break apart your cannabis or tossing a few nugs in a grinder, making sure your weed is amply broken up will make twisting one up way easier. Most joints contain about a gram of flower so, considering the size difference, you can expect to need 1 to 2 grams of ground weed to roll a blunt.
Our “friends” on the internet less than politely advised us that when rolling up a blunt, you should break the weed up by hand versus using a grinder. Apparently, that’s what defines a smokable versus non-smokable blunt? Do with that what you will.
Step 3: Prepare the Blunt Wrap
The next step in this journey to blunt hood is to prepare your wrapping. When it comes to blunts, there are two, possibly three, types of wraps you can go with:
Cigars /Cigarillos
Wraps
Pre-rolled cones
To prepare your blunt wrap, you are going to want to a) split the blunt and empty the contents (guts) or b) unroll your wrap. If you find that your wrap is a little on the dry side, you can reinvigorate it with a little water (or let’s be real, saliva) to help prevent it from tearing when you start to roll.
We can feel the side eyes already. Don’t look at us like you’ve never used so good ol’ fashioned spit to help heal blunt cracks and make it rollable again. Rolling a blunt with a cracking wrapper is the final challenge before you reach Snoop Dogg level. If your blunt starts to crack and salivia/water just won't bring it back to life, you can always use a joint paper to make a blunt bandaid and cover any cracks or holes.
Step 4: Fill the Blunt
Once your blunt wrap is prepped, you can start to fill and shape the blizzy. Laying the wrap on your rolling tray or flat surface, begin to fill the wrap with ground cannabis. You can dump your grinder out onto the wrap or sprinkle it in there like salt bae- whatever makes you feel alive inside.
Step 5: Roll and Seal
After you’ve filled your blunt wrapper with the desired amount of weed, you can get ready to twist her on up. Rolling up the blunt is what separates the amateurs from the professionals and as with most arts, practice makes perfect. Don’t get discouraged if you are all thumbs the first few times you try to roll-up.
To roll the blunt, carefully move the weed back and forth in the blunt wrap between your fingers- this helps make for an even roll and avoids having a “pregnant” blunt. Don’t fret if some of the cannabis comes out of the ends. This is just nature's way of trying to make the entire process easier on you.
Once the cannabis is of a uniform thickness, you can begin to tuck the wrap around the weed by tucking the bottom of the wrap over and behind the bud to begin to roll it into a cylinder. Once the weed is rolled up some the crucial step of sealing the blunt. With saliva or water, wet the exposed edge of the blunt and press down lightly with the tip of your finger, almost like you are sealing an envelope.
Step 7: Finishing Touches
After you seal the blunt, it will need to cure or dry for a moment to acheive the best results. One of the best ways to do this is to lightly glide the flame from a lighter over it to dry out any remaining moisture and seal the blunt. Alternatively, you can let the blunt rest like a nice steak for 5-10 minutes.
Step 8: Enjoy Your Blunt
The time has finally come. You can enjoy the fruits of your labor. The blood, sweat and tears that went into rolling this sucker have finally paid off. Before you spark up the finished product, there are a few things to keep in mind while you are chiefing away.
Blunts, because they are rolled in a tobacco leaf, have a much stronger odor than a joint or rip from the bong. If you are smoking indoors, it may be worth doing some scent mitigation (unless that’s the vibe you are going for). Even if you are partaking in the fresh air, the heavy blunt smell may cling to your clothes and need to be toned down.
Wrap Options for Rolling a Blunt
When it comes to wraps, you’ve got options. And then your options have options. If you talk to anyone who identifies as a 'blunt smoker' they will probably have a small speech prepared on their favorite wrap and why. We won’t dive into all the brands and subcategories out there but there are two subcategories of blunts worth discussing.
Cigarillo
One type of blunt wrap is a cigarillos or cigars. These are small cigars that you can break apart, empty the tobacco from and then roll cannabis in for a blunt. They can typically be purchased at any convenience store or smoke shop and come in a variety of flavors. With these, you will need a razor blade, blunt splitter or knife to cleanly split the tobacco leaf and empty the loose leaf tobacco aka "guts".
Wrap
Tobacco leaf wraps are like cigars/cigarillos except you don’t have to empty the guts out. Something to note about wraps: they tend to be substantially more moist than their cigar counterparts. We don’t know if this is good or bad but we did feel like we should bring it up.
Cone
Another option is a pre-rolled cone. With a pre-rolled cone, you simply fill and pack the blunt. No rolling of any kind required. What a time to be alive, we tell ya.
Tips for Rolling the Perfect Blunt
How Much Weed to Put in a Blunt
How much weed you put into your blunt is really up to you, though most people pack somewhere between 1-2 grams of flower in a blunt. This amount can vary based on the size of the wrap and how thick you want your blunt to be.
Adding a Filter
If you are feeling fancy and smoke blunts with your pinky out, you can add a filter to end the blunt. By adding a filter, you are-wait for it- filtering out some of the potentially harmful carcinogens and toxins produced by tobacco smoke. Because blunts are traditionally rolled in a tobacco leaf, a filter can help provide for a less harsh smoking experience.
Additionally, filters can help capture any loose pieces of weed that could be drawn into your mouth when inhaling. You can either buy dedicated filters from your local smoke shop or make one by folding and rolling a small piece of paper and placing it into the end of your blunt. Either way, filters may be a smoking accessory worth investing in.
Avoid Overpacking
When rolling a blunt, there are really only two things that you need to be mindful of when it comes to being able to technically smoke a blunt: over packing and under packing. Having the right amount of cannabis to roll with will ensure a slow burn of your blunt.
If you overpack your blunt, you will find that the lack of airflow will make smoking virtually impossible. Not only will it not stay lit but you may pass out from the energy exerted just to try and hit it. If you go to hit the blunt and it feels like you are trying to drink a Blizzard from Dairy Queen, it’s packed too tight. To loosen things up a bit, you can roll the blunt in between your fingers and let some of the marijuana fall out.
Conversely, if your blunt is packed too loose, you may end up with a mouth full of weed and a blunt that burns crooked or runs unevenly. If you are a little bit of a loosey goosey, you can take some more broken up cannabis and pack it into the end of the blunt to tighten things up some. One way to control the amount of cannabis in your blunt more closely is to use a blunt roller. This handy dandy machine will help you roll the perfect blunt, every time.