How to Pack a Pre-Roll
Rolling up Your Own Pre-Roll
Do you ever want to smoke a joint, but don’t know how to roll one? It’s 2020, and the cannabis industry continues to reach astounding heights year after year. As more consumers hit the market than ever before, we at Hara have a serious question; How many cannabis users actually know how to roll a joint?
We’d have to guess not many. As surprising as that may be, the facts remain: There is a wide variety of ways to ingest weed, so not everyone has received the required training to master the art of joint rolling. If you have a bong, you probably have never needed to roll a joint. Some people may be new to consumption post-legalization, and others probably have a buddy who’s main job in the smoke circle is to roll the good stuff for the team, thus never acquiring the skill.
Whatever the reason may be for not knowing how to roll a joint, we don’t judge you. We actually have good news from HaraSupply: Being an expert joint roller isn’t necessary to experience a genuinely gorgeous joint in 2020. Want to know why? Because we are going to teach you how to pack a pre-roll cone today so you can smoke a great joint without the inconvenience of actually rolling it.
The Pros of pre-roll Cones:
If you’re not convinced that pre-rolls are the greatest, we urge you to read on. The thing that makes pre-roll cones so special is the sheer convenience of both crafting and using one. In a three-step process, you’re going to have the nicest looking paper smoking apparatus you’ve ever laid eyes on.
What’ not to be excited about? It is going to smoke evenly, taste incredible, have a crutch incorporated into the design, and is going to burn all of the weed without burning your fingers, and won’t fall apart at the end. Did we mention that nobody, and we mean not you, your friend, cousin, sister’s neighbor, or whoever you’re smoking with - has to lick it for it to seal? Are you convinced yet? Okay, good. Let’s get started.
Learn More: Why Pre-Rolls are So Popular
How to pack a pre-roll step by step:
What you’ll need:
- Cannabis from your local dispensary
- Rolling Tray or Clean Surface
- Grinder (optional)
- Cones
- Plastic tube from cone pack/something similar to a chopstick to use for packing
- Lighter
1. Prepare Your Weed:
Grab a rolling tray or clean surface that will act as your pre-rolling workstation. If you have a grinder (it is recommended, but not necessary), you will use it to break down the weed for the pre-roll. Put a few nugs of your favorite strain into the grinder; we recommend anywhere from a half gram (0.5g) to one gram (1.0g) of flower, depending on your personal preference. You’ll then break the buds down to a fluffy and semi-leafy consistency. Grinding the product creates a better texture for pressing up against the delicate paper by breaking down any poky-ends or stems that could potentially damage the pre-roll.
If you don’t have a grinder, just use your pointer finger and thumb to gently crush the bud. Pull out any stem and break down the smaller pieces, and remember that you’ll want to remove any hard or poky pieces that you come across. The goal is to achieve the same consistency that the grinder provides, not too bulky or too fine. Keep in mind that you can use as much or as little cannabis as you want for this process. When shopping around for cones, you can find sizes ranging from the standard 1 gram to king-sized, so you’ll have options to choose from.
Check Out: Rolling Paper vs. Pre-Rolled Cones
2. Pack it Properly
When purchasing cones from a dispensary or local smoke shop, they will likely come with a small plastic tube so that it keeps its shape. You can use this tool to evenly pack the pre-roll cone as you fill it. If you have a cone but not a straw, find something thin and long like a chopstick or or pencil eraser that will work in the same way.
Packing the pre-roll cone will prevent any gaps or unfilled portions of the paper, causing it to slump or burn improperly (potentially wasting your weed). It is a necessary part of the process that will ensure you have an enjoyable smoking experience. Without packing, you might wind up with a lopsided pre-roll that won’t burn properly.
To start, put a small amount of cannabis into the bottom of the paper cone by the crutch and pack it down. This initial “packing” is going to seal the deal for the remainder of the cone. If you forget to pack this portion correctly, your entire joint will fold at the base and potentially break. Once you’ve formed the foundation of your pre-roll, you are free to add more little by little, and pack it down.
Don’t pack it so tight and full that it can’t pass air through. To test your progress, use your pointer finger and thumb to lightly check the fullness as you pack it. Fill as high as you’d like, but be sure to leave about a quarter of an inch at the top free of any flower for the next step.
3. Twist it Shut
The top portion of the paper (at its widest point) should be left empty so that you can properly seal off the pre-roll cone. Twist it between your thumb and pointer finger in one direction so that it rolls up into a little wick, like a candle. It’s at this time that the pre-roll will truly take its shape.
Twist it tightly enough that the top of the cone is packed (it will take on a rounded shape) and the wick should be poking out off of the top ready for you to light. Take a moment to congratulate yourself and admire what you’ve just done. You just made a beautiful joint, congratulations! That wasn’t so hard, was it? It's no wonder that Pre-Roll Sales are Rising.
4. Light & Enjoy
This is the most important step, needless to say. Pat yourself on the back! You’ve just learned a thing or two about crafting an exceptional joint using a prerolled cone and your own two hands, and now it’s time to reap the reward. Light the wick and let it catch for a moment so that the top of the pre-roll burns. Take deep puff (you don’t have to inhale it, just puff it like a cigar if this is your first time), and check to make sure that it’s burning evenly.
If at some point while you’re smoking, you notice only one half of the cone is lit while the rest isn’t, it’s called a “run”. This can occur for a few reasons that we will highlight below, but usually, the simple fix is to just re-light the joint, making sure that you sufficiently burn that area. Use an ashtray to catch any ash that falls.
Don’t’s:
Just as it is important for us to teach you the correct way to pack a pre-roll, it’s equally important to highlight a few common mistakes that occur when packing a pre-roll so that you can avoid them. If you happen to run into one of these in your cone-packing lifetime, don’t worry! They happen to almost everyone. Pre-roll packing, like anything else, requires some practice if you want to reach absolute perfection. Here’s what to avoid:
- Don’t grind your weed too fine.
It’s a concept that many new consumers don’t understand. Just because you can fit 2.5 grams into a 1 gram cone doesn’t mean you’re going to enjoy it. In fact, it’s likely the opposite. The finer the product going into the cone, the harder it is to ventilate and pass smoke and air through to you for inhalation. The joint will likely go out frequently; without proper circulation of air, it can’t burn for longer than a few hits.
- Don’t forget to pack the base.
We mentioned this earlier, but it is worth throwing out there again. Don’t forget to pack the base of your cone near the crutch. If there is a gap in the base of your cone, it will lack stability and fail to keep its form while you smoke it. Plus, it’s not easy to get weed back out of the paper cone once it’s full, and you risk damaging the cone by attempting to remove it.
Conclusion
We are totally sold on pre-rolled cones and hope after using this guide to pack your own that you are too. They’re quick and convenient. They appeal to the majority of non-joint-rolling cannabis users, and best of all, pre-roll cones now come in many sizes and prints, so not only do they complement the majority of cannabis users, they can be used to promote different themes and personalities as well! Not everyone is like Snoop Dogg, and we get that. That’s why we offer a wide variety of 100% organic hemp cones that are a great accessory at any smoke sesh. We’ve said it before and will say it again: You don’t need to know how to roll incredible joints to enjoy one!