If you’re trying to figure out how to roll a perfect joint, look no further. These steps will have you impressing your friends with your finesse in no time.
Step 1: Gather Supplies
You need more than just weed and papers to roll a perfect joint. Before you get started, make sure you have all of the following supplies on hand:
- Dried cannabis
- Grinder
- Rolling papers
- Thin cardboard or crutch paper
- Pen, chopstick or another packing tool
Step 2: Grind the Cannabis
Before you put your weed into a joint, you have to grind it up into small pieces. Otherwise, the air can’t pass smoothly through the dried flower and you could end up with a clogged joint.
A traditional grinder is your best bet here. Technically, you could use your fingers or a pair of scissors to break up the flower, and while that will get the job done, you’re likely to lose precious kief in the process.
Kief is the beautiful, sticky, THC-rich crystal substance that falls away when you break up cannabis. Commercial grinders have a special chamber to collect kief as it falls. That way, it ends up in your joint instead of on your fingers.
Step 3: Make a Crutch
A crutch, also known as a tip, is the filter of your joint. Technically it’s optional, but if you make your joint without one, you could end up accidentally inhaling tiny pieces of flower. It also makes the joint easier to hold, in terms of both structural stability and protection from heat.
A crutch is easy to make from some thin cardboard or an old business card, or you can buy a pre-cut crutch. Commercial crutches are made specifically for rolling into joints, so their texture and structural integrity are pretty perfect.
There are lots of different ways of rolling the crutch. Experts usually recommend doing a few accordion-style folds at one end, then rolling the rest of the crutch around the folded part in a spiral.
The completed crutch should have a little bit of give to it so it springs apart when you put in the joint.
Step 4: Fill It
Grab a piece of rolling paper and place the crutch at one end. Take about a half gram of your ground-up cannabis (which insiders will usually refer to as “shake”). Use your fingers, a chopstick or a capped pen to spread it evenly into the paper’s seam.
Step 5: Roll and Seal
If you’re truly committed to learning how to roll a perfect joint, this is the step you’ll want to practice. The procedure itself is simple. Tuck the non-gummy side of the paper around the shake. Lick the gummy side and roll the joint toward that now-sticky edge. Seal it by pinching along the edge of the joint.
Step 6: Pack It
This is another technically optional step. Slide a pen or chopstick into the joint to pack down the shake so it burns evenly. Twist the tip closed to finish (or leave it open if you plan on lighting up right away.)
And that’s how to roll a perfect joint. In time, you’ll develop your own technique, figuring out exactly how tightly to hold it and how to roll it just right. It’s all about the practice!