Joint rollers, this list will come in handy.
Prerolls are great and all, but I love rolling joints. There is a great joy in rolling a good joint for the sesh. And papers are the mechanism that delivers your weed, which makes them important. This list is an ode to the joint papers that make our smoking sessions great.
I have personally tried every single one of these brands listed below. Some, I have known like close friends, historic brands with lineage over 100 years. Others are the new papers on the block that should be tried at least once.
From the very affordable to the very fancy, here are 10 of the best rolling papers for weed:
Juicy Jays
Colorful, fruity Juicy Jays are made out of hemp fiber and are beloved by many. The popular 1 ¼ inch papers are adored by smokers who seek to match a flavor profile with the natural terpenes in their cannabis. I have found they taste strongest on my tongue right after I roll it, or just after I lick my lips after hitting the joint, and not necessarily in the smoke itself. Favorite flavors of mine include Sticky Candy, Pineapple, White Grape, Peanut Butter, Peaches & Cream, and Wham Bam Watermelon.
Blazy Susan’s Pink Rolling Papers
The pink papers you have been seeing all over Instagram? The cannabis accessory company Blazy Susan coined them. These are vegan, non-GMO, and made with organic pink pigments in a factory in France. Some may consider these girly, but joints made with Blazy Susan’s rolling papers are quite simply a stunning way to smoke. Most importantly, they offer function alongside their cute aesthetic form by burning slow and evenly and tasting super light.
OCB
If you like good rolls with an air of sophistication, then the French-made OCB papers are perfect for you. Founded in 1918 (yep, we been rolling that long), OCB — which stands for Odet, Cascedec, Bollore — is sold on six continents.
Today, it’s just a super chic, thin paper most cannabis consumers know for their holographic-reflective accents. The flax plant fiber paper themselves are so thin, they are transparent, and include an adhesive strip of Arabic gum that is vegetarian and non-GMP. Most OCB packs of papers come with 32 leaves and 32 perforated tips attached so you can roll a crutch for every joint.
Raw
Founded in 1995, Raw papers are produced in Alcoy, Spain, a town for which the history of paper production is attributed, dating back to the 1600s. People love RAW papers because they have no added chalk, dyes, or additives. The lineup of Raw papers, according to the website, are made of just plants and plant starch, are vegan, non-GMO, chlorine-free, gluten-free, made using windmill power, and with a special criss-cross watermark that helps them smoke more evenly.
One thing we love? The paper packs and cones come in quite literally every size imaginable, including extra-long “RAW Classic Challenge Con” that is 2 feet long (600 mm). The company has done its share of special collaborations and artist series including a line with Wiz Khalifa, Clipper lighters, B-Real’s Phunky Feel glass tips.
Pure Hemp
Pure Hemp is as classic and minimalist as its name implies. Made in Barcelona, Spain, by a 125-year-old Spanish paper company Miquel y Costas Miquel S.A., these rolling papers put “earth’s oldest crop,” hemp, on a pedestal. These papers are thick to the touch, making them a bit easier to roll, but burn even and clean. Beloved Pure Hemp packs also have a clever “last 5” warning strips with a little cartoon dude. Try them for yourself to see.
Elements
Elements, as its name implies, is obsessed with earth-friendly materials and green energy in making its papers. Made with sugar gum for its adhesive, these sweet packs come with perforated crutches for rolling, and the paper itself is made out of rice, making them almost completely translucent. To be even more eco-friendly, the papers production facility in the Spanish region of Alcoy (the birthplace of rolling papers) is entirely wind-powered.
Elements are also uniquely dope for its “perfect fold” engineering, as well as its watermark which is in a criss-cross shape, meant to prevent runs and allow for a smoother burn. One last plus: their packs are great for throwing in your pocket because of their magnetic closing mechanism.
Randy’s
Ah, Randy’s, the original wired joint papers. Founded in 1975 in San Francisco, these bad boys are an engineering marvel, so simple yet so extraordinarily easy to use. And they smoke well, too. The classic ”Randy’s Wire” is made out of 100% steel made in America, which gradually bends and folds over as you smoke the joint. About halfway through, the wire becomes a joint holder that enables you to finish the rest of the j with ease, even when it gets teeny-tiny.
Lift Tickets
These are the only paper on the list that you need to purchase in a dispensary because they are finely coated with cannabis concentrate. Lift Tickets are sticky but surprisingly easy to roll, because the added layer of stickiness helps cohese all the ground-up cannabis together. Strains that the 5-pack of Lift Ticket papers come in are terpene-infused varieties like indica Larry OG, the concentrates produced by cannabis company LoudPack. Only available in California, these papers are one of the best flavored rolling papers around.
Zig-Zag
People have been rolling these babies for 130 years. A Zig-Zag pack looks and feels like an old, familiar friend. They are one of the most widely-accessible (they’re available over the counter is most convenient and grocery stores) and popular rolling papers in the world. The slow-burning orange pack is a go-to for cannabis consumers to roll with.
Other Zig-Zag options today include their unbleached and organic hemp papers. At 32 papers per pack, they are going to be one of the most affordable rolling papers on the list. The man on its cover, a 19th-century French soldier and mythic rolling paper innovator Le Zouave, is a countercultural icon.
“80 Benny” Papers from Empire Rolling
These are a cool party trick. Smoking benjamins has never been easier, thanks to the $100 bill papers from Empire Rolling. Their “80 Benny” papers are colorful and look exactly like a modern $100 bill, Ben Franklin smirking-and-all. The 80 Bennys are made with natural plant fibers, non-toxic vegetable oil coloring, and organic sugar glue. Their “wallet” packs have 20 perforated filter crutches in them for your rolling convenience. They are thick and make for a tougher roll, but super worthwhile to make your friends think you are a baller smoking tiny Benjamins.
Feature Image: Juicy Jays are one popular joint rolling paper that made the list. (Gina Coleman/Weedmaps)