How To Roll The Perfect Joint

Posted 7 years ago by Ian Shutts

Ok – I think it’s about time that I called it on behalf of all the stoners around the world. There is nothing worse than getting handed a poorly rolled joint – especially if it is part of a smoking circle. Standards are extremely important when it comes to rolling joints. Most stoners treat their joint rolling as a ritual, which is exactly what it should be. So this time, you’re going to learn how to roll the perfect joint every time.

You will never need to hand a shitty joint over to your friend which is basically falling apart. You’ll be able to join the hall of fame as one of the sensei master joint rollers of this world. If you don’t think rolling a joint is an art form, just check out the work of Tom Greenhand. He literally gets paid for his joint rolling abilities. So who said that you can’t be a joint artist, too? Start by learning to roll the perfect cone joint, and from there you’ll be able to create joints like the cross joint!

Let’s talk about papers and filters
Not everybody rolls using a filter, but if you’re just learning how to roll a joint, it definitely helps. I prefer filter roaches in a joint because they help to maintain the overall shape of the joint while you smoke it. Plus, they make the whole thing a little bit easier to roll by adding support. I personally think that it requires added skill to roll a filterless joint that smokes perfectly. So for the purpose of giving an instructional that is accessible to all, I will be teaching you how to roll a joint with a filter.

Secondly, the papers you are using are important. If you are using crappy papers from the local store, it is going to make your joint harder to roll and worse to smoke. Unbleached, raw and thin papers are the best kind to use. They are flexible and they smoke well every time. I find that bleached papers have a strong taste that can ruin the flavor of the weed you are smoking. To roll the perfect joint every time, pick high quality rolling papers.

How to roll a perfect joint every time
A perfectly rolled marijuana joint

Have all of your things ready! Before you start, you’ll need a grinder, some papers and a filter. You will of course need some buds, too. It also helps to have a tray to roll over incase you drop anything or fail on your first attempt.

Roll your filter up so that it is tight and round. A loosely rolled filter simply will not do. It will expand or change shape as you are rolling it. The best way to avoid this is to make it tight and well shaped before starting to roll your joint.

Grind your buds down finely. The chunkier they are, the harder your joint will be to smoke. You want to get a nice even consistency from your buds after grinding. Now, hold the paper in your hand with the gummed edge facing you. Put your filter tip on one side. Now, fill up the rest of the paper with your ground up weed and any other herbs you like to mix in with your weed.

Place the top edges of the paper between your thumb and index finger and start gently rolling to achieve a smooth, cylindrical shape. When you feel everything is tightly rolled into a nice cylinder shape, it’s time to do the hard part. You will begin on the side with the filter. Use the thumb on that side to tuck the bottom edge of the paper neatly over the filter, and then use the index finger to push over the other side of the paper, essentially closing the filter within a loop of rolling paper. Now lick the gummed edge and roll the paper around until it sticks to itself.

For logistical reasons, here’s a video to watch that very clearly shows you all of the steps involved in rolling. It is created by yours truly – Tom Greenhand. The professional joint roller.

Get practicing!
Don’t be hard on yourself if the first few joints you roll are absolute rubbish. No one became a sensei master joint roller overnight. The only way to become a great joint roller is to practice – and practice often! The more great joints you roll, the more good joints you will have to smoke! And if it’s really bad, you can always just undo it and start again.

Most of all, have fun practicing your joint rolling skills. Rolling joints isn’t about being stressed! It’s all about relaxing. If it all becomes too stressful, keep a one hitter handy so that you can smoke out of that!