Rolling an infused joint is like cooking a delicious nutritionally balanced meal. Instead of protein, carbs, and vegetables you have your weed of choice, vessel, and infusion. All ingredients are equally important to providing that perfect balance whether it’s taste you’re after or controlling your high.
Just like you don’t need to be head chef in a Michelin rated restaurant to cook the most nutritious and yummy meal, you definitely do not need to be the world’s best joint roller to roll the perfect infused joint. It just takes a little patience, our step-by-step guide, and ingredients sourced from your local dispensary (Trove, of course).
Step 1: Clean Your Station
Nobody likes cooking in a dirty kitchen. If you have a favorite rolling mat or plan to use a table or countertop, make sure you’re working on a clean, sanitized surface. We don’t want last night’s pad thai crumbs somehow ending up in your joint – we imagine that might not feel very good in the lungs.
To clean your station, skip the heavy cleaners like bleach and opt for something a little less harsh on the nostrils and skin like a mixture of white vinegar and water.
Step 2: Choose Your Main Ingredient
Just like every balanced meal begins with a base of wholesome, nourishing ingredients, the foundation of the dankest infused joint starts with high-quality cannabis flower. Selecting the right strain or terpenes is akin to choosing the main ingredient of your meal – it sets the tone for the effects, flavor, and overall elevated experience. We all know about terpenes and how they control the effects of your high, but to simplify the process, we’ll stick to the basics of choosing between sativa, indica, and hybrid strains.
Strains
Sativa
These strains tend to provide an uplifting, energetic or creative effect that offers a more cerebral high. Think gardening, artistic pursuits, and cleaning your house.
Indica
Known for their relaxing body high and occasional couch lock effect, Indica strains tend to be sedating and are often used in the evening or for deep relaxation. Think movie nights, meditation, and getting ready for bed.
Hybrid
These strains can fall anywhere into the spectrum from sativa to indica effects and in general provide a more balanced high. Ask your budtender for help finding a hybrid that suits your mood or activity.
Shake, Trim, or Buds?
Do you buy your veggies pre-chopped to save time or do you prefer buying them whole so you can control their bite size? Or maybe you prefer a combo of both – after all life is all about balance. Your answer might dictate the form in which you want your flower.
Shake
Shake consists of pieces of flower that break off of larger buds – just like you’d find at the bottom of a cannabis jar or pouch. Often composed of small pieces of buds, leaves, and stems it can be considered less potent because of its exposure to air and light. HOWEVER, it is usually less costly and when paired with the right infusion, it can be exactly what you want.
Our Shake Recommendation: Sunshine Coop – Grape Guava Bake Shake
Trim
During the process of trimming buds, leaves and other bits are cut away helping to maintain the structure and potency of the nug. Instead of throwing these very useful bits away, they are packaged and sold as trim – the perfect base for your infused joint.
Our Trim Recommendation: Clandestine – Duct Tape Trim
Buds
The “bud” refers to the actual flower of the cannabis plant. This is what most people think of when they hear the term “bud”or “nug”. While buds are typically more potent than shake and trim, you will need to grind them down to be used in a joint.
Our Bud Recommendation: SubX – Jealousy
Step 3: Choose your Infusion
Similar to how spices enhance the flavor of your food, infusing your joints can elevate and enhance your high. Choosing which product to infuse your joints with is very similar to choosing your main ingredient. There are many products that can be added to infused joints, but these are our favorites.
Kief
Time to get all science-y. Kief is composed of loose cannabis trichomes and closely resembles pollen. Trichomes are tiny, crystal-like flecks that cover the surface of buds and are PACKED with cannabinoids that help define the plant’s potency. Kief is added inside an infused joint.
Our Kief Recommendation: Mad Scientist – Bubba Kush Kief
Shatter
Often used to dab, shatter can be added to a joint for an elevated experience. Shatter is made by extracting cannabinoids, like THC, CBN, CBG, and CBD, from the cannabis plant and is a solid piece of concentrate that you can break into pieces and add inside of a joint.
Our Shatter Recommendation: Doc Croc – Fucking Incredible Shatter
Paint Concentrate
We just love innovation, especially in the cannabis industry and this might be one of the best weed inventions and uses of innovation in a very long time. Simply put, cannabis paint is an extract meticulously crafted for the sole purpose of infusing joints. You can infuse any pre-roll by painting a thin layer on the outside, or painting it on the inside while rolling your own. (More on that below.)
Our Paint Concentrate Recommendation: Petrol Extracts – Petrol Paint, Candy Breath Infusion
Step 4: Choose Your Vessel
Nothing complicated here. The vessel decision is likely dictated by your skill level and preference. Your options include:
- Rolling papers: If you’re a whiz with dexterity, this is the option for you as it requires concentration and precision. (Or a rolling machine.)
- Cones: Pre-rolled empty papers with or without filters.
Step 5: Get Rolling
You’ve got all your ingredients gathered and now you’re ready to roll!
- Prep your vessel
- If using rolling papers, lay it out on a flat surface.
- If using a cone, use something to prop it up without tipping over.
- Prep the weed
- If using bud, you’ll want to grind it down to smaller pieces for uniformity and smokability. You can do this by hand, but we recommend using a grinder. (We carry MANY!)
- If using shake or trim, you can skip this step.
- Prep your infusion
- For kief: Use clean tweezers or a teeny tiny spoon and scoop out the desired amount. A little goes a looooooooong way so experiment and start with a very small amount.
- For shatter: Take a very small amount out, warm it in your fingers and roll it into a very thin snake-like line that runs the length of the joint.
- Assemble
- Lay your rolling paper flat with the adhesive strip facing upwards towards you. If adding a filter, place it at one end of the paper. If using a cone, set it in front of you with the open side up.
- Evenly distribute the ground bud, shake, or trim along the length of the rolling paper leaving enough space at the ends to tighten it up. If using a cone, you’ll add your weed and infusion at the same time from the opening.
- Sprinkle kief evenly over the ground weed, lay the shatter snake on top, or spread a thin layer of paint inside. If using a cone, mix your weed and kief (or shatter) together before adding to the cone.
- Pick up the rolling paper and gently form the contents into a shape by rolling it back and forth between your fingers. Tuck the non-adhesive side of the rolling paper around the mix and roll it towards the adhesive strip. Without slobbering everywhere, lick the adhesive strip and seal the joint. (Nobody likes a wet joint!)
- To ensure an even burn, pack the end of the joint a little tighter.
- Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Rolling your own infused joint is a skill that will surely impress your smoke circle. If you have any questions about recommended products or want to load up on the perfect ingredients for your infused joint, stop by Trove Cannabis and we’ll get you set up!
