I recently acquired a 6-pack of Blazy Susan Grateful Dead pre-rolled cones.
The cones are 2 ¼” long excluding tip. With the tip included they are about 3 ¼”. The cones are vegan, GMO free, chlorine free and feature Grateful Dead-themed tips. Each empty pre-roll comes with its own little round smusher stick to aid in an even pack.
Empty cone with smusher stick
In order to fill one of these things properly, break your weed down to a fine mash. You can use your fingers or a grinder, but I usually use a grinder with these types of cones.
It takes about a gram of flower to fill one of these pre-rolls. You don’t have to fill it all of the way, especially if it’s intended for only one single smoker. I usually fill it all of the way regardless of how many smokers will be partaking in the piff.
To fill the cone with broken-up weed, you can fold a piece of paper, put your pot in the crease, and pour it into the cone bit by bit, using the smusher stick in between pours. Some brands of cones, such as RAW, even come with little custom pouring tools in addition to the smusher sticks.
If you don’t have or want to use a pouring pal, pinch some pot with your thumb and middle finger. Place the pinch into the cone. Use the smusher stick to evenly pack the plant product.
Pinch and repeat. Never pinch or pour more than once without using the smusher stick to pack the pot. This will ensure your joint is stuffed sufficiently in order to burn evenly and maintain its shape.
Near-full cone
When you’re finished the joint should look something like this. You can twist or pinch the remaining paper at the top if you plan on saving the jib for later. In this example I lit the thing as it was right then and there.
The joint burned slowly and evenly. I barely tasted the paper at all. I was smoking on some London Pound Cake 29% THC Hybrid from Kynd. It had sweet notes that reminded me of icing along with some earthier, nuttier flavors that gave me the impression of sponge cake.
Usually I prefer unbleached hemp papers, so I’m not sure I’d buy these again. Many readily-available brands such as RAW make unbleached, organic hemp pre-rolled cones. I recommend the 20 pack from RAW since it comes with both smusher sticks and pouring pals. Element makes organic rice cones, and you can get a 240 pack of Papa Jim’s unbleached cones for $20 on Amazon.
On a side note, rice paper for joints is a special style of thin translucent paper made from organic Earth-based materials. It is not made from the same type of rice that you eat.
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.
Hempire papers are made in the Czech Republic and are distributed by Swisher International, Jacksonville, FL.
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.
When rolled properly, the slim tips work well for both pinners and hog’s legs. I think they provide optimal airflow in comparison to regular-sized tips.The Black inside flap says “RAW Black is the thinnest natural unbleached rolling paper we have ever made. This unique artisan paper is so thin that it’s virtually flavorless and allows you to truly taste your terps at a never before experienced level. Natural gum, please moisten gently.”
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.
This joint was rolled with a RAW Black paper and standard-size RAW tip, not a slim tip.
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 Ethereal inside flap says “Designed phenomenally thin to feel as if there is no paper at all! Carefully crafted for the greatest skilled rollers with absolutely perfect material. Nothing else will suffice. Roll carefully and savor every puff!”
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.
This joint was rolled with a RAW Ethereal paper and a standard-size RAW tip, not a slim tip.
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.
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.
I liked the Ethereal papers more than the Black leaves but they were both good. I’d buy them both again. They were manufactured in Alcoy, Spain (the birthplace of the rolling paper) and distributed by HBI International, Phoenix, AZ.
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.
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