With all of the ways there are to consume cannabis, smoking a good old joint is still one of the most popular ways to do it. Some people are great at rolling joints; others, not so much.
Lots of people don't like to mess with pipes and water bongs because they have to be cleaned, or they taste bad. Vapes also have to be cleaned and maintained.
Joints are portable, and can go anywhere you go. You can roll a joint as fat or as skinny as you like. You can smoke half of it now, and save the other half for later. We looked at a couple of different types of joint-rolling styles to figure out if a straight joint is the best roll — or is a cone joint better?
What Is A Cone Joint?
A cone joint looks like a long cone, just like its name. It's thick with flower at the top, and slender with less weed at the bottom. It usually includes a filter.
If you buy pre-rolled joints from a dispensary, you're likely getting cone joints. Pre-rolled store-bought cone joints are generally about three inches long, including a filter.
Pros and Cons Of Cone Joints
When you bring out a cone joint at a party, people will be stoked! A cone joint is usually a pro sign that the person who brought it knows what's good.
A con is that rolling a cone joint can be difficult. Badly rolled joints of any kind are not funny or entertaining. They can run, they can be hard to smoke, and they can be a waste of good weed.
Cone joints can be especially difficult to roll if you're new to it, or aren't a good roller even with straight joints. Pre-rolled cones are the best choice for a perfectly rolled cone joint every time.
How To Roll A Cone Joint
If you want to try and roll a cone joint, it's entirely possible to do so if you're already a good roller. Just follow the steps laid out below, and learn how to roll a perfect cone all by yourself!
Step One: Grind Your Weed
You need to grind your herb. You can chop up your weed with scissors, or break it up with your fingers, but using a grinder makes for a consistent texture of weed that will burn smoothly.
Step Two: Pick Your Filter
You can call it a filter or a crutch, whatever you prefer. You can use a pre-made filter like a wood or glass tip, or make your own from thin cardboard, like a piece of a business card. To make your own filter, cut a small rectangular shape from the material of your choice. Make it into a small “M” shape, then roll it into a little tube around the M, until you reach the desired thickness to fit the joint you're making.
Even though a filter isn't necessary to roll a cone joint, it's handy in preventing bits of weed from slipping into your mouth and lungs as you puff. Choking on particles of weed while you smoke your joint would be a real buzzkill.
Step Three: Pick Your Rolling Paper
Select your rolling paper, and lay it open. Most rolling papers come with a crease, but if it doesn't have one, make one down the center. Line the filter up at one end of the paper in the crease. Fill up the middle of the paper with your weed, increasing the amount as you reach the top of the paper creating a conical shape. You should end up with a shape similar to a baseball bat from the filter to the top of the paper.
Step Four: Roll It
When you pick up your set-up, do it carefully and gently. Begin to roll the paper up and down between your thumb and index finger. This will lightly compress the contents. The set-up must be picked up completely for it to roll smoothly. If you don't want to spill the contents of the cone joint, you must learn to master this step.
Once you have the contents in a bat shape, start from the filter end holding the end of your soon-to-be-cone joint, and slide your thumb across fully while at the same time tucking and rolling the paper into the cone shape.
Remember to slide your thumb the length of the joint with every roll so that the cone is tight and smooth! Once the non-filter side, or fat end of the joint, runs out of paper to roll, pause and lick the glue strip all the way across the paper. After you have moistened the glue strip, finish up the rolling process and admire the cone joint you just created!
If your first (or your fifth) attempt at rolling a cone joint doesn't look just as it should, unroll it and try again with a new paper and possibly the same filter. Practice makes perfect!
Step Five: Pack It
This is an important step because it affects how well your cone joint will burn. Pack it down by gently tapping the filter end on a tabletop or other hard surface, at least four or five times. If the herb still feels loose inside the joint, you can use a pen or any other long skinny poker to pack the herb down, gently compressing it.
The joint should feel packed snugly, yet loose enough to allow air to flow through while smoking. After packing, there should be a bit of empty paper left at the top of the joint. Twist the excess paper and pinch it off, or leave it to allow for easy lighting.
Step Six: Smoke It
There are definitely no rules to step six. Even if your first cone joint didn't turn out perfectly, it's still a joint you put your heart and soul into creating! You may not want to break it out for guests yet, but even if it's ugly, there's no reason you can't still sit back, relax, and enjoy it. After all, the weed it holds is still great, and will give you everything you want from it. Keep practicing, or take a simpler route and buy pre-made cones from one of the companies listed below.
Raw Classic King Sized Pre-Rolled Cones
These pre-rolled cones come with tips and a cone loader! They are an excellent choice for those that aren't great rollers or for those those that just want to forego the hassle! These are 100 percent authentic cones from RAW and repackaged by ESD for an enhanced experience. They are slow-burning and prevent runs for a smoother smoke. Made from unbleached fibers and finished with a natural gum line. The packing Stick Plus Cone Loader makes it easy to make to process faster!
Jware Pre-Rolled King Size Cones
Jware papers are perfect for those that hate trying to roll their own cone joints! If you want more efficient smoking sessions with less harsh taste, then these are the papers you need. Just pack them up, and smoke away. An adhesive formula allows for fantastic adhesion with limited taste and odor because it uses only a small fraction of glue that is necessary when compared to other brands. It's one of the thinnest and most translucent brands available and no harmful substances are used.
Juicy Jay's Grape Flavored Cones
With tip included, these Juicy Jay's grape-flavored pre-rolled cones are perfect for those that like a little extra sweetened flavor with their weed smoke! Each cone is comprised of a special blend of hemp and rice which provides a smooth burn. A soy-based ink and natural sugar gum is what is used to make Juicy Jay's cones so luscious! A triple-dipped system makes the paper safely infused. The set comes with packing sticks to help in loading the cones. Also included: reusable tips that help enhance the flavor!
Elements Cones
Kudos to this company for their environmental efforts! These cones are 100 percent windmill-powered and built to provide a top of the line experience! These papers are made from rice, which makes them an exceptional choice. Not made with standard hemp or pulp, the makeup is a result of a slow premium burning session with an impressively thin paper. These cones burn slow, clean, and evenly every time! These cones have run-preventing technology that will result in uniform and slow- burning satisfaction.
Zig-Zag Ultra Thin Paper Cones
Get an enhanced experience from pre-rolled cones with tips included! All you need to do is fill, pack, and enjoy. These Zig-Zag pre-rolled cones are so much faster and easier to fill up than normal rolling papers. They help prevent runs give a smooth burn. They are made from a blend of natural flax fibers and are finished with a natural Arabic gum line.