Iftikhar Alam
Author
Reviewed by Cannabis Experts
Published on: February 24, 2022 | Updated on: September 10, 2024
It is both an honor and a privilege to master the sacred art of rolling weed, and Backwoods are the key for any roller’s tool kit. The famous cigars got even more of an upsell once they started being used to roll blunts, and now they are synonymous with the former.
Like all other blunts and joints, rolling a Backwood can be done simply by grinding up your weed then rolling it in the wrapper: one of few differences between a joint being taking out the Backwood’s filling and replacing it with your strain.
Winning the next Blunt Rolling Competition is no easy task, but just rolling a Backwood into the perfect blunt almost certainly is.
What are Backwoods?
Backwoods are a very famous smoking brand that are known for their all-natural cigars. Since 1973, they have become the most popular natural cigar brand in the country and one of the names synonymous with rolling and smoking blunts.
All the way through the 80s, Backwoods were one of the most visible brands on TV despite the anti-smoking and public safety acts that had just been enacted. The taboo of weed and tobacco products mixed with Backwoods’ variety of flavors, cheap prices and their literal anti-establishment marketing? This is every rebellious teen’s fantasy!
Are they like rolling papers?
Only in terms of the actual rolling: Standard joint papers (besides being actual papers) are not pre-formed and contain no traces of cigar or tobacco, unlike Backwoods. However, the cigars are made of an actual tobacco leaf that is similar to a rolling paper just with an added thickness, volume and flavor.
Obviously, this does not affect the ability to roll a perfect blunt which is arguably made easier, thanks to Backwoods being ‘pre-rolled’ in a sense with an added reference of how much weed to put inside the leaf.
How to Roll a Backwood
If you can roll a joint, you can roll a Backwood: simple as that. Albeit, a slightly different technique, you are only a few steps away from rolling your weed into your best infused cigar.
Step 1: Grind the weed
Backwoods may be big, but they are not that big: Grind or crush your weed to fit inside, just like you would with a joint. One and a half to two grams of the green stuff should be the perfect amount for the roll (though some blunts may vary).
Step 2: Empty Tobacco
Now, you have the option to leave the tobacco fillings in and just infuse your cigar with a bit of green, but if you are not a tobacco user or just want a cleaner and psychoactive smoke, you can clean out the Backwood entirely and fill it with your strain of weed.
You will still get some of the black stuff since you are using a tobacco leaf to roll and toke up, but this can easily be fixed by cleaning out the Backwood as best as you can, consuming as little of the actual cigar as possible.
Step 3: Fill it Up
As mentioned, some Backwoods or other blunt wrappers can vary in size, but the ones in question can easily carry up to two grams of weed. From there, you basically follow the extremely well-known SRP: Standard Rolling Procedure, totally not something we just made up.
Lay all of the weed down on one side of the open blunt (with just a little bit of wiggle room at the very end), and then tuck in the green as you roll it to the opposite end of the blunt. Always make sure you keep tucking as you roll to make sure it is tight and nothing is spilling out.
It will take some patience, maybe more than a few tries, to roll that perfect blunt that you would see in the dispensary, but when you are about to smoke, ask yourself what is more important: Getting high or making a perfectly polished product? If your answer is the former, keep at it.
Step 4: Take a Hit
Arguably the best part of smoking weed is…smoking your weed. Once your Backwoods blunt is all rolled and nothing is falling apart or on fire, you are ready to do just that. Plus, you did all the prep work here, you’ve earned this.
While there are flavored rolling papers on the market, Backwoods flavors have been one of their key selling points since they first hit stores, and for good reason: They range from sweet to savory to strong, all without artificial additives or any harsh tastes when you smoke.
Pros of Backwoods
There are not as many differences between a Backwoods blunt and a factory standard pre roll (especially infused), but let’s compare it to a joint that you would roll at home.
Both are very easy and rewarding, but the fact that Backwoods give you a bigger surface area to work with and are already halfway done right off the bat make them the better choice to anyone who is just learning to roll.
Yes, rolling papers are also cheap and widely available, but you are almost guaranteed to get added chemicals or ‘mystery’ ingredients if you want the flavored rolling papers, which is not the case with a Backwood leaf: These come in different flavors but not because of unnecessary processing or artificial flavorings.
How to Master Rolling
Practice, practice, practice. You are not in a contest every time you smoke, so just keep doing it at your own pace until you can easily roll a Backwood that you are proud to show off (Your other smoker friends will understand).
This method may have a little more prep work involved compared to a joint, which is basically, pull out a paper, crush your weed and roll it. However, blunts and Backwoods will still teach out how to portion for a roll (using the cigar fillings as a reference point), you get a feel of all the basic motions which will make it easier to work your way up to bigger blunts and joints.
Sources
Footnotes
- Montgomery L, McClure EA, Tomko RL, Sonne SC, Winhusen T, Terry GE, Grossman JT, Gray KM. Blunts versus joints: Cannabis use characteristics and consequences among treatment-seeking adults. Drug and alcohol dependence. 2019;198:105-11.
- Sifaneck SJ, Johnson BD, Dunlap E. Cigars-for-blunts: choice of tobacco products by blunt smokers. Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse. 2006;4(3-4):23-42.
- Kim S, Mourali A, Allem JP, Unger JB, Cruz TB, Smiley SL. Instagram posts related to Backwoods cigarillo blunts: content analysis. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance. 2021;7(2):e22946.
- Broun A, Phan L, Duarte DA, Ajith A, Jewett B, Mead-Morse EL, Choi K, Chen-Sankey J. Physical and sociocultural community-level influences on cigar smoking among Black young adults: An in-depth interview investigation. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(8):4430.
References
- What is a Backwoods Blunt?. Green Rush Daily. Accessed 4/10/2024.
- How to Roll a Backwoods Blunt Like a Pro. Merry Jane. Accessed 4/10/2024.
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