The right rolling papers make all the difference to your smoking experience.

Rolling papers are more than just a vessel to light up with. Between the quality of smoking material available and the variety of papers on the market, the modern RYO smoker is spoiled when it comes to rolling possibilities.

What seems as simple as choosing the small piece of paper used to roll up your smoke is actually quite the nuanced selection process. The papers that you use have a significant effect on your final creation.

Your preferred smoking material is just the beginning; much of the strength and flavour also comes from the rolling papers (or cones/tubes) that you use.  This combination is also called a "blend" or "recipe."

Choosing the right rolling papers is a personal decision that has a huge impact on your smoking experience. So to ensure you make the most of your next smoke, take in everything you need to know about rolling papers before you move on to the good stuff.

Take your paper (and smoke it)

Smoking papers come in an array of colours, flavours and materials (including 24 carat gold leaf, for those who are feeling opulent.) If you can smoke it, chances are you can find it - even transparent papers that are made from cellulose.

The subject of rolling paper flavour is hotly debated in the smoking world. Some branded varieties do add to your smoking experience, other flavors use additives that arguably harm the taste (and your health, too.) Novelty papers are fun for showing off, but I’ll tell you plainly that they don’t make for a good smoke.

Good rolling paper will help you fully taste and enjoy what you’re smoking without masking the flavour. I suggest you learn how to roll with the thinnest unprocessed paper available to avoid spoiling the taste.

Burn, baby, burn

Each kind of rolling paper has its own unique characteristics that appeal to different kinds of smokers. Different textures and flavours will produce a different smoking experience. For example, size, thickness, material, and burning speed of the paper are various features that come down largely to personal taste.

The major factors to consider when evaluating potential papers include rolling difficulty, burn rate, smoke-ability, taste, and environmental impact. The size, length, thickness, and type of glue used on the paper you choose also have an effect on how well your smoke burns.

You may ask, what am I smoking when I talk about smoke-ability? Rolling papers have different porosity to control ventilation and burning rate. Some contain additional substances that slow down the burning, stabilize the paper itself, its smoke, and its ash.

Personally, I avoid conventional papers rife with bleach and other toxic substances and will steer you towards natural fibres at every opportunity. The choice between wood, rice, hemp, or other fibres depends on taste, smoking speed, rolling skills, and other factors. Good rolling papers burn slowly and evenly.

 

Cones and tubes: a “fill-your-own” adventure

Pre-rolls revolutionized the smoking industry because they’re much faster and easier to fill than a normal rolling paper. Literally, cones or tubes of paper that come with filters at the end, that you put your material in to smoke it - if you picture a cigarette with the tobacco taken out of it, what remains is a tube.

As opposed to papers, which generally come in booklets and do not have filters (which must be purchased separately) cones and tubes are made for both people who smoke a lot, and people that want an easier way to roll.

Like the sizes of papers mentioned previously, pre-rolls come in a wide variety of lengths, thicknesses, and flavours. King size or 100's, full flavor, lights, ultra lights, or menthol, and in every combination and permutation you can think of.  

Preserve your papers and smoke them well

Your favourite rolling papers are a treasured discovery worth protecting, so don’t stuff them away in a plastic bag or a utilitarian soft case that looks like it was sitting around in your high school backpack.

That’s why we designed a premium metal case to protect smoking supplies from being crushed, and seals flavours in while keeping odours out. The Traveller offers all these great features, plus a built-in arc lighter, in an all-in-one compact carry created for style-minded smokers like you.