Usually my go-to rolling paper brand is Hempire. I used to buy that brand back in the day, so not only is it nostalgic, but they roll and burn great while leaving behind minimal taste.

However, they are white in color, so I am afraid they are bleached. Bleached rolling papers are soaked in chemicals like calcium and chlorine to lighten their color and reduce the burn speed.

Trace amounts of chemicals are left within bleached papers or any sort of pink or purple colored papers. The Hempire package does not say that the leaves are unbleached.

I have also been a fan of RAW products throughout the years. I’ve used regular RAW 1 1/4 papers, the RAW king size leaves, the pre-rolled cones and the organic papers. Not only have they all performed well but their brown color means they are unbleached hemp papers.

While at the headshop on Black Friday 2024 I perused the paper section with great scrutiny. I wanted something new, something different, something innovative. I noticed two types of RAW 1 1/4 papers I had never seen before, Black and Ethereal. They were priced fairly and contained 50 leaves each, so I picked up both packs for review purposes.

I also got a box of RAW slim tips, which provide a unique airflow that I am fond of.

The RAW Black 1 1/4 sized papers are noticeably thinner than regular RAWs. They have a smoother, softer feel than a regular RAW or a Hempire. The Hempire felt more like bible paper in comparison to the RAW black. Have you ever rolled a joint using bible paper? I did it back in the day during times of desperation.

I noticed that the RAW black papers were a little more delicate during the roll. They weren’t as stable as a typical paper and required a steady hand to work with. They were easy to bend and mold and were very resistant towards tearing.

During consumption it was obvious that I could taste more of my weed and less of the paper. There was still a slight hint of paper flavor, but I noticed more weed taste than paper. With some other types of paper or especially blunts I have tasted more wrap than weed, so I was thankful for the minimalistic properties of the RAW black leaves.

I am not exactly sure why they are called “Black” other than the packaging color being black. The leaves themselves are brown like usual. They burned evenly despite their flimsy nature.

The RAW Ethereal 1 1/4 sized papers seemed even thinner than the Black version. They were so smooth it almost felt like I was holding a thin plastic strip. These have to be the thinnest papers I have ever purchased and rolled with.

Due to their thinness they have to be rolled with care. Even the inside flap mentions they are to be used by the “greatest skilled rollers”. They are very flimsy and require iron wrists to roll with precision, but it can be done by those with experience. They did not tear or break easily, which surprised me.

If you have trouble rolling with these papers, use a RAW rolling machine.

I was very happy with how the Ethereals burned and tasted. They didn’t run or canoe and I could taste them even less than the RAW Black leaves. I think I might start buying the Ethereal papers from here on out.

According to RhymeZone, the word ethereal is an adjective that means “characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy” or “characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air”.

I think these descriptions define the papers properly, as you can barely tell that they are even there during the session.

The RAW Black leaves have the “purest natural gum” while the Ethereal papers have “vegan gum”. I am not sure about the differences between “natural” and “vegan” joint paper glue, but clearly there is some sort of difference.

The Ethereal vegan gum writing has two little leaf pictures next to it, so maybe vegan gum is plant-based while natural gum is not plant-based. This is a good topic for further exploration.