There are nearly 80 million adults who consume cannabis daily. Despite this, only a fraction of those adults knows how to roll cannabis in a cigar or paper. No worries, Stickyleaf is here to help!

What’s a blunt?

If you are an avid paper smoker, then chances are you are not familiar (nor interested in) with blunts. Blunts are cigars, cigarillos, and other tobacco leaf-based smokables. The term was coined based on how the finished product looked like an unshapely blunt object such as a baseball bat. Popular brands of blunts you have probably already heard of include Swisher Sweets, White Owls, Phillies, Goodtimes, Games, and Garcia y Vega. In 2016, Swisher Sweets stated that they are aware that approximately 90 percent of their cigar and cigarillo purchased for Cannabis consumption. Side note: If companies like Swisher Sweets know that 9 out of 10 of their purchases are for Cannabis, why do they put roughly 3 grams of tobacco in these cigars that are ultimately going to be thrown away? Anyway, we will walk you through how to roll the perfect blunt with just a few simple steps and a rule of thumb (all puns intended).

Rolling the perfect blunt

When it comes to rolling a blunt, it is relatively simple. The only essentials here are your ground bud and choice of the cigar. Here are the steps:

1. Take your choice of cigar or cigarillo and split it evenly down the middle with a blade, cigar splitter (which you can purchase at any head shop), or even your hands. If you are using your hands, starting from the top, then lightly pull apart the cigar using your thumbs and continue down the length of the cigar evenly until the cigar has been fully split. The more even your split, the better your blunt will smoke.
2. Once your cigar has been split, empty the excess tobacco into the garbage. If you are rolling a spliff, which is weed with a sprinkle of tobacco, then you may want to save just a pinch of the ‘guts’ (tobacco inside a cigar or cigarillo).
3. Gently and evenly wet the inside of the cigar with your saliva or even water to make the cigar more flexible for your buds. It is tough to roll a crispy (stale) blunt.
4. Add your freshly ground bud to your lightly moistened cigar evenly from end to end. Another rule of thumb is that the tapered end of the cigar or cigarillo is usually reserved to be the ‘mouthpiece’ of your blunt.
5. Once your greenery has been added, using your thumbs in the front and index fingers behind the blunt, carefully roll your thumbs and index fingers together to compact the ground bud into a log fitted inside the blunt.
6. Once your bud has been fitted for your blunt, it is time for the tuck. Take the side of the leaf facing you and lightly or firmly tuck the leaf behind the logged Cannabis. Begin the tuck from the mouthpiece until the end of the blunt. The tuck is crucial because your weed may hit too hard or even slide out of the blunt if it is tucked too lightly. However, if it is tucked too firmly, then chances are you won’t be able to pull (hit) the cigar properly. The choice is yours, depending on your smoking style. However, a general rule of thumb is to tuck with the natural weight of your thumb. ‘Don’t torque the tuck.’
7. Once you have tucked the forward part of your cigar behind your Cannabis, it is time to seal your blunt. You can do this lick-by-lick you make your way from the mouthpiece to the end while tucking. This will ensure that none of your contents fall out.
8. Let your freshly blunt dry off any excess water or saliva. This usually only takes about a minute or two. Some smokers will tell you to run your lighter down the length of blunt underneath. We do not recommend this as it can scorch your tobacco leaf, leading to uneven burns. You can also close the end of the blunt with a simple pinch (opposite of the mouthpiece) to further ensure your Cannabis doesn’t roll out. However, if it is adequately rolled, then nothing will fall out. That’s It! You have just rolled your first blunt! However, to perfect your rolling, there is a pearl test you can try.

The ‘pearl test’

As mentioned earlier, the term ‘blunt’ comes from the often uneven and misshaped finished cigars. To evaluate how you did rolling your first blunt, you can perform the pearl test. Take your finished products (without pinching the end) and roll them across a flat and even surface (i.e., glass table, hardwood floor). If the finished product rolls like a tire down the road, then congratulations, you have rolled a perfect and pearly blunt!