Blunt, vape or bong: how do you use cannabis?

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

When I get to know a new stoner, I always enjoy seeing how he or she rolls a joint. Lots of tobacco, little tobacco or a tobacco substitute? Is it a thick, fat joint, or a slim one? Eco papers, or those extra thin ones? Also, it's always nice when someone can spin interesting tips.

The highlight of judging joints was during a culture night in the town where I lived. I was asked to play judge and give my opinion in the "joint rolling contest”. The participants had to roll a decent joint as fast as possible, which we then tested for 'smokability'. 

The ritual of rolling a joint

There are different ways of using cannabis. For me, the traditional joint with tobacco was my favorite way of using it for a long time. It was quick, easy and part of my daily ritual. At one point I even had a special little bag where I always kept my supplies.

Rolling a joint became second nature to me at one point. Even if I didn't want to smoke a joint, I wanted to roll one. So with pleasure I rolled joints for friends, if they couldn't do it themselves or were too lazy to do so. 

Step-by-step plan:

1. First, make a filter. There are several methods for this. The easiest is to use a packet of filters, but you can also cut a piece of toilet roll about 1 cm wide and 4 to 5 cm long. The idea is to roll a solid cylinder from a piece of sturdy paper or thin cardboard, holding your joint firmly. Roll the end of the filter as finely as possible, letting it get less and less tight, so you get a spiral. 
2. Take a long piece of rolling paper. Lay it with the sticky side up on a flat surface (or, if nothing is available, your thigh). 
3. Place (possibly) a tuft of tobacco or tobacco substitute on the rolling paper and make sure it is spread out a bit. Make sure you leave room for the tip on one side. For me this is the left side, but there are also users who have their tip on the right.
4. When your weed is grinded, carefully sprinkle it over the tobacco. How much weed you use depends on your tolerance. You can work the herbal mixture a bit more with your fingers, so that it lies well together. 
5. Put the tip on one side of the cigarette paper.
6. Now grasp the ends of the smoking paper with your thumbs and ring fingers. The ring fingers slide under the paper and 'carry' the paper.
7. Your index fingers rest lightly on the herb mixture and as you begin to roll the paper between your thumbs and ring fingers, the index fingers hold the weed in place. Be sure not to pinch your fingers. 
8. Take the tip well into the rolling motion and make sure the smoking material is pressed firmly, against the tip, so you don't get a limp joint. 
9. Now use your index fingers to roll the joint so that you only have the sticky side. Give this a lick and stick the joint.

What is inside out joint rolling?

Just as you can roll inside-out sushi, there is a way to roll a joint from the inside out. The advantages of this are that the joint burns more slowly and evenly. You also tear off some of the paper, which means you burn less paper and get a better taste. The technique involves turning the paper over (with the sticky side on the bottom and facing you). Place your material and tip on the paper, roll it so that your smoking material is completely wrapped. The sticky side is now on the inside and you should see it through the paper. Now lick it off along the outside so that your saliva makes the glue stick through the paper. If some paper remains, you can carefully tear it off or burn it.

Futurola KS Roller for perfect joints

The Futurola KS Roller is an ingenious device that allows anyone to roll beautiful joints. Suitable for beginners, people with two left hands, but also for professionals who love ease of use. The Futurola was designed by the Dutch Rietveld Design Academy.

The joy of a good grinder

I never used a grinder, I always crumbled weed with my hands and found a grinder unnecessary. Also, my friends usually had those plastic grinders that were of a lot less quality and made me prefer using my fingers. 

Until I tried this aluminum grinder for the first time, more because I found it aesthetically interesting.

Small, four-piece and with a very smooth turning mechanism. The weed is well ground and then drops into the chamber below. In the last chamber a sieve collects the pure THC crystals and when you have collected enough you can put them in a joint or make hash with it. For me a decent grinder is not an essential (you can do without one of course), but I do recommend it.

What is a blunt?

A blunt is originally a hollowed-out cigar, back filled with marijuana. You can also make your own blunt with special blunt wraps. It takes some practice to work with this because the wrapper does not have a sticky side. 

This way of using cannabis has several advantages: The thick bluntwrap ensures that the weed burns up less quickly. Also, you can easily extinguish and store it. Furthermore, you don't need a tip, like with a joint. An additional advantage is that you do not use tobacco in a blunt. This is good for the taste of the weed and in my opinion also for the effect!

Choose your favorite bong

The range of bongs available from Sirius can get you pretty dizzy: there are many different types of bongs available with all sorts of different sizes and features. My first hit ever was from a simple small plastic bong. When I tried it again some time later with a huge glass honeycomb bong, I was completely blown away. 

This was a lot of fun, but also intense. For me personally, a solid bong hit is a celebration that needs to take place sporadically, to keep it special. 

A bong allows you to inhale a larger amount of cannabis in one sitting. A bong is also called a water pipe because you pour a layer of water on the bottom of the chamber. This filters and cools the smoke, so the experience is softer on the throat. 

The special models also allow you to put ice cubes, for example, so that the vapor is even more cooled and pleasant.
 

An advantage of a good bong is that it is easy to use and lasts a long time. It is an investment in the beginning, but you will get it out of your system when you realize that you don't have to buy rolling papers, tips and other joint supplies. For a bong you only need good weed and a filter. 

Which vaporizer do you prefer?

For me the winner is the vaporizer. I've noticed that I regularly hear people say that using a vaporizer is 'too electronic' or too complicated. And that it doesn't give the old school feeling of a joint.

I don't entirely agree with this. Ultimately, the effect of the weed gives you what you need, to get that pleasant experience. And with a vaporizer, the cannabinoids are absorbed much better by your body, giving you the best experience ever. 

It is also possible to socialize with a vaporizer and share it among friends. Storz & Bickel brought special mouthpieces on the market, which you can change on your device, so you can still enjoy cannabis together in this day and age. Speaking of this vaporizer brand, they produce one of the best models of vaporizers you can get.
 

Durable, high-tech and easy to use. If you're thinking of switching to a vaporizer, I can highly recommend the Mighty. You'll get double the investment out of it later, because you'll be able to get by with your smokes for much longer. 

Take good care of your vaporizer!

It's important that you take good care of your vaporizer so that it lasts the longest. For this, it is best to use pure ethanol (90% pure). Use a cotton swab soaked in ethanol to clean the chamber and parts of the vaporizer from sticky residues of resin. 

A beautiful pipe

I myself have never experimented much with a pipe, but I've always found them to be nice little instruments. You get them in all sorts of different materials, from glass to wood to metal, and different shapes and characteristics. 
 

ActiTube has a special kind of pipe on the market in which you can put an active carbon filter, which softens the smoke and makes it purer. 

Furthermore, there are also the very small one-hit pipes, which you easily tuck behind your ear and take anywhere without any problem. 

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

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