We learn how to roll an amazing joint with Zig-Zag

The iconic rolling paper company shows why rolling your own matters.

There are a lot of ways to get high on cannabis these days. We’ve got gizmos aplenty, but it’s hard to look at our myriad of machines and sleek dispensaries and feel like we’ve lost something important along the way. 

Check out this exclusive Leafly x Zig-Zag bundle to save on cones, papers, and more!

Before it was an industry, weed was a passion. Some pioneers risked imprisonment or worse to get us where we are today, and we owe it to them to keep that fierce outlaw spirit alive. These legends didn’t have dry herb vaporizers or vape pens—no, they rolled joints, and when they rolled, they preferred Zig-Zag above all others. 

Zig-Zag has been in business for 150 years, and their rolling papers have been in the hands of every cannabis icon without exception, from Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, and Dr. Dre down to whoever handed you your very first joint. Zig-Zag is more than a household name, more than a legend—they’re an irreplable piece of cannabis culture, as foundational to the weed world as Amsterdam’s coffeeshops or the Emerald Triangle.

Rolling a joint of your own with Zig-Zag papers gives you a direct line to cannabis history and a place in that history going forward.

Rolling a joint of your own with Zig-Zag papers gives you a direct line to cannabis history and a place in that history going forward. It’s a unique experience in the weed world, one that every person who loves the plant should partake in. 

While I know the wonders of rolling joints with quality paper now, I didn’t just a short while ago. The team at Zig-Zag has sent me on a week-long green odyssey to discover the joys of rolling for myself.

I write now as a convert—I have seen the light. Not only have I reconnected with the roots of cannabis, I also learned how to roll some great joints along the way. 

We’ve got the whole saga for you here, including some tips on how to improve your own joints. If you’d like to roll along with me, click the link below to head to Zig-Zag’s website and get some premium papers of your own.

A brief confession

Before we get started, I have something embarrassing to admit to you all. Up until very recently, I rolled terrible joints. It’s true! This isn’t self-deprecation on my part either; they really were absolute garbage. Each miserable attempt I made earned me ridicule from my whole smoking circle before a steadier hand took over, and my sad, lumpy creation was unceremoniously split open to salvage the weed inside. 

This was my secret shame for years—I was a professional stoner who worked for a weed website, and I still couldn’t roll a decent joint to save my life. Embarassing! Mortifying! I lived in fear of the day that my secret was exposed. 

How did this sorry state of affairs come to be? Well, like many cannabis consumers, I only became truly well-acquainted with the plant in a post-legalization world. I preferred to vape or smoke out of glass, and if the situation called for a joint, my local dispensary had pre-rolls.

Now, I can only shake my head at my own ignorance—there was a better world in my grasp, but I was too blinded by short-term convenience to see it. Luckily, Zig-Zag allowed me to go another way.

Gearing up 

Zig-Zag has a wide variety of papers available, from their iconic French Orange papers that have been a mainstay throughout their long history to their modern flavored wraps. For my rolling experiences, however, I opted for the hemp papers, as well as Zig-Zags unbleached variety.

This was my secret shame for years—I was a professional stoner and I still couldn’t roll a decent joint to save my life. Embarassing!

I snagged a few books of Zig-Zag rolling papers and cones, half an ounce of Wedding Cake, and a rolling tray from my local dispensary before heading back home to get started. 

Zig-Zag’s hemp and unbleached papers are both whisper thin, as opposed to the thicker French Orange papers that many first think of. Zig-Zags hemp and unbleached offerings are some of the most sustainable options for rolling papers around. They’re less refined, and they’re untreated by any chemicals, which leads to a smoother, more natural-tasting smoke. In classic Zig-Zag style, each paper also comes equipped with an adhesive strip made of natural gum arabic for easier sealing. 

I get on a roll 

Once I was fully equipped for the joint-rolling boot camp that I was putting myself through, I set The Chronic spinning on my record player and got to rolling. First, I rolled a control joint to establish a baseline for myself and so strangers on the internet could laugh at me. You can take a look at the mess I’ve made below, but take it easy on me, all right? I’ll be better in just a few paragraphs. 

This was me going in blind—I hadn’t rolled a joint in the better part of a decade at this point and followed no guide, save what I’d seen others do in the past. Clearly, trusting my own hands and providence wasn’t going to work out, so I consulted some expert help. Leafly has two incredible articles here that helped me immensely. Both our How to roll a joint guide and How to roll a crutch guide are invaluable resources when just starting out. 

Here’s some good news, if you also stink at rolling: I started getting better pretty rapidly once I sat down to focus on the task. I began rolling joints I would consider “passable” if not “good” or “un-lumpy” in an afternoon, and a day later, I was rolling joints that my friends described as “not completely terrible.” Music to my ears! 

There are a few hot tips and tricks that I picked up in my rolling journey that I feel like really helped me level up my skills.

• Don’t sleep on the crutch: Far from just being a filter to make for a smoother smoke, the crutch is the foundation of your joint. Rolling a tight, sturdy crutch that has the same diameter as your desired joint is essential for a tight roll later on. Zig-Zag’s cardboard packaging made for the best crutch that I found, but a piece of index card also worked well. 
• Get on your grind: You’ll want as fine a grind for your joints as you can manage. Consistency is king, and you’ll also want to remove any seeds or stems. 
• Add plenty of weed: When I first began my intensive rolling training, I consistently didn’t add enough for my joints. The recommended half gram of ground weed looks bigger than you think it will. 
• The wetter the better: This is no time to be demure! You’ll want your tongue WET when you lick the paper to seal it—I learned the hard way what can happen if you don’t have enough saliva to seal the joint when one of my attempts fell apart, spilling ground weed all over myself. 
• Cones are your friend: While I was motivated by pride and professional responsibility to roll my joints the old-fashioned way, Zig-Zag’s pre-made cones make rolling a cinch if you don’t have the same time or inclination. Merely fill the cone with your ground flower of choice, pack it tight, twist it shut, and get to smoking.

With these tricks in mind, I continued on my rolling journey, getting better with each and every attempt.

The fruits of my labor

Before long, my journey was complete. All the grinding, the rolling, the sweat, the tears, and I had finally done it. After just a few intensive joint-rolling sessions, I had achieved what had seemed impossible just a few days ago—a couple of joints of my own creation that looked good enough to smoke. Between the quality of Zig-Zag’s papers and Leafly’s guides, I had grown into a skilled roller. I grabbed my lighter and headed to my favorite smoke spot to enjoy my hard work.

I had two joints with me, the pick of the litter from both those I rolled with hemp papers and ones rolled with the unbleached variety. While both papers were easy to light and burned evenly, there were subtle differences in flavor and feel that became apparent when I lit up. The hemp papers have a gentle, earthy flavor that adds to the weed’s natural terpenes, while the unbleached papers were virtually tasteless and let the strain stand on its own. 

For a sweet strain like Wedding Cake, I preferred the unbleached, but if I were smoking a more earthy strain like OG Kush or GG4, the hemp papers would add a very welcome dimension to the flavor. And for what it’s worth, I found the hemp papers marginally easier to roll, and my hemp joint was certainly a bit prettier than its unbleached sibling. 

How I stopped worrying and learned to love the roll 

As I sat at my smoking spot, looking into the far distance, I thought about all the people throughout Zig-Zag’s 150-year history who had sat just like I was sitting, feeling the same sort of calmness and relaxation I was feeling then.

Something special happens when smoking a joint you rolled yourself. There’s a satisfaction that you just don’t get from smoking or vaping any other way, a sense of gentle well-being that permeates each hit. I watched the joint slowly and evenly turn to ash with the beaming pride of a parent watching their child walk across the graduation stage. 

After just a few intensive joint-rolling sessions, I had achieved what had seemed impossible just a few days ago—a couple of joints of my own creation that looked good enough to smoke.

Zig-Zag papers also allowed me to appreciate the subtle nuances of smoke and flavor in a way that I never had with a pre-roll I bought from a dispensary. For one, I knew for a fact that the weed I was smoking was quality flower, not the shake left over from a hundred harvests that can make it into some dubious pre-rolls. This allowed me to feel like I was experiencing the strain anew, granting me an understanding of what made it special and unique in a way I hadn’t before. 

To me, choosing to roll your own joints is a lot like choosing to listen to a vinyl record on a great sound system instead of streaming it from your phone. Similarly to my reluctance to learn to roll, I had, for years, dismissed vinyl aficionados. I had all the music I needed in my pocket, and couldn’t see a reason to forgo that convenience. It wasn’t until I took the time to stop and really listen to a record, to hear the subtle warmth and robustness of the sound that is totally lost when streaming, before I changed my mind and bought a turntable of my own. 

A self-rolled joint is just the same. It brings forward the nuances of the flavor, helps you connect in a tactile way to the flower, and gives you an appreciation for the plant and the culture in a way that you wouldn’t have had before. Taking the time to learn to roll is one of the best things I’ve done in my weed-smoking life.

Is my poetical waxing somewhat influenced by the fact that I’ve been smoking a lot of joints recently? Perhaps. However, I stand by every word—the joints I rolled with Zig-Zag rolling papers are some of the finest I’ve ever smoked, and not only that, they’ve made a true believer out of me. I encourage anyone reading who either doesn’t know how to roll their own joints or has fallen off the practice to buy a pack of Zig-Zag papers and get rolling today. There simply isn’t a substitute. 

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In addition to the hemp and unbleached papers that stole my heart away, Zig-Zag has a huge lineup of papers, merch, and smoking accessories for you to purchase on their website. While you’re there, you can also subscribe to Zig-Zag’s newsletter or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok to keep up with all their new products and happenings. Happy rolling!