What To Look For In The Best Pre-Rolled Joints
The convenience of a pre-rolled joint can be satisfying until the quality disappoints. Different places will have varying quality and ingredients when it comes to cannabis pre-rolls. This is our guide to finding (and storing) the best.
Learning how to roll joints can take a lot of time and practice. Although there are many available methods of using cannabis, the joint is a classic. For so many people, their introduction to weed was the satisfying glow of a lit doobie as they breathe in flavourful smoke. This traditional method of smoking is a popular favourite. Rolling can be difficult for novices, however. Too much or too little material, no even spread, ineffective adhesion, etc. It does take a while to overcome common pitfalls that leave a joint lumpy or uneven or not burning smoothly. For ease of use, many providers of cannabis sell their product in pre-rolled joints. Let's look at how they're made and where to find them.
HOW PRE-ROLLED JOINTS ARE MADE
There are advantages to buying pre-rolled joints from your dispensary, club, or store. Wherever you get your weed, they are likely to provide some of it in a pre-rolled form. Pre-rolls are cheap, discreet, and easy to share. They are ideal for occasional smokers and dabblers looking for a small sample. There is, however, a downside to pre-rolled joints. The quality can vary a lot, depending on where you bought it from. A key issue to consider is how they make a lot of pre-rolled joints for sale.
In order for it to be economical to sell pre-rolls, these businesses can't have someone rolling the joints from scratch. They could, but it would be very time-consuming. They are more likely to use pre-rolled paper cones that one simply pours ground-up bud into, before folding them closed. Some stores will smooth out the joints by hand to avoid them being too tightly or too loosely packed. Others will have machines that shake the joints to remove air pockets. When they can afford to, they'll do both.
QUALITY ISSUES
As for the bud they're using, it is more economical for them to grind lower-quality bud. Often, these stores will have an abundance of "shake" from their cannabis nuggets. This is because small crumbly bits will break off in storage jars. When a jar is sold out, the shake can be gathered and used in the paper cones. Sometimes these smaller bits will have trichomes every bit as impactful as those in bigger nugs, but it is also possible they will dry out and lose much of their potency. There may also be bits of trim—stems or leaves—that would reduce the quality of the mixture. It may even contain a mixture with some other herb.
If you're getting a pre-rolled joint, don't hesitate to ask exactly what is in it. The quality of the pre-rolled joint's material will depend on how well it was selected and how well it was cured. There are some places that may hold their pre-rolled joints to a higher standard. For some, it's just a good way to introduce people to small purchases while making efficient use of extra product. Others will grind some nugs into the mixture to ensure a satisfying smoke from their pre-rolls. Some will even order them in from a company specialised in manufacturing higher-quality pre-rolls. This tends to be the case for jurisdictions with stricter packaging laws for nuggets.
WHERE TO FIND GOOD PRE-ROLLED JOINTS
It is worth looking into where cannabis can be bought. We would advise you to investigate where the upmarket pre-rolled joints in these places are being sold. Since quality can vary so much, there are certain places known for standout pre-rolls. We will have to focus on the areas that have either legalized the sale of cannabis, or otherwise allowed for access to cannabis. This could be the legalization of retail dispensaries we have seen in certain parts of the United States and now Canada. It could also be the coffeeshops of Amsterdam or the cannabis clubs of Barcelona.
AMSTERDAM
The coffeeshops of Amsterdam are a good example to consider. Many coffeeshops use their leftovers to create a range of satisfying pre-rolled joints. Many of these ones, however, are mixed with tobacco, keeping to a Dutch tradition. Even though the "spliff"—combining tobacco and cannabis—is particularly popular in the Netherlands, their ban on public tobacco smoking means spliffs can't be used in most coffeeshops. Some will have designated rooms for tobacco smoking, otherwise they will tell you to smoke it elsewhere.
So, if you buy pre-rolled joints in the Netherlands, be sure to check if tobacco or any other herbs form part of it. Usually, they will specify which pre-rolled joints are "pure", but they will charge slightly more for them. Amsterdam is great for smoking pure cannabis, but be wary of tobacco and the health risks that come with it. Depending on your personal taste, tobacco enhances your high with a dizzy buzz, or diminishes it with its bitter flavour.
USA
There are also many parts of the United States that have already legalized recreational marijuana. At time of writing, these include Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, California, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the capital Washington D.C. The laws in each state are tweaked slightly, however. For example, the state of Washington requires buds to be sold pre-packaged. This means they won't have the storage jars common in other jurisdictions, and therefore no source of shake for the store. It is in these kinds of places they will have pre-rolled joints from a high-end manufacturer. There are even delivery services emerging for these pre-rolled joints.
HOW TO STORE PRE-ROLLED JOINTS
Once you have your pre-rolled joints, you should take care to store them well. If you've found well-cured joints, then you should continue their curing for preservation of quality. A dry, cool place that's preferably airtight is what you want for storage. Joint tubes from Saverette or Buddies offer a small, portable place to store your pre-rolls. These allow you to carry joints with you while discreetly concealing the smell. For long-term storage, people have been known to use cigar tubes and pill bottles. A word of caution about plastic containers is that these run the risk of attracting an electrical charge, which fries the THC-rich trichomes from your bud. There are also companies offering humidity packs for ideal moisture conditions in storage. They will even have specially designed containers to maximise freshness. Invest in good storage if you don't want to skimp on the quality of your pre-rolled joints.
