Did you know that people started using cannabis as early as 2,800 BC? Since then, people have been looking for all sorts of new ways to enjoy this unique plant. Learning how to roll Backwoods is a great place to start, whether you're still new to cannabis or have already tried cannabis in a hundred different ways.
But what are Backwoods, you might ask? Backwoods are a special type of cigar that many people like to take apart and fill with cannabis instead of tobacco. But why bother with all this work in the first place, and why not start with regular rolling papers instead?
Keep reading and learn more about rolling Backwoods and why people like Backwoods blunts so much in particular.
What Makes a Backwoods Blunt So Great?
Cigars are like a fine wine: they come with all sorts of unique aromas and flavors that only get better with age. More than that, each cigar will provide you with a completely different experience than the next. This is also true with cannabis cigars.
As long as you choose the right cannabis strain and put together the cigar in the right way, you'll be able to enjoy all the smells and flavors that the cigar has to offer. When it comes to Backwoods blunts, the reason they're so popular is due to the flavor and smell they produce when smoked, as well as nicotine content for an extra buzz.
How is this different from smoking a cannabis cigar with regular rolling paper? It all has to do with the composition of the rolling paper itself. Usually, when you buy rolling papers for your joint, those papers are going to be made out of a particular material such as hemp, rice, or wood pulp.
Many people don't like rice paper because they get soggy too easily, especially for those who live in warm and humid climates. If that happens, the rolling paper could pick up a damp smell which, of course, won't do much to improve the quality of your smoke. Rolling paper made from wood pulp, on the other hand, is quite cheap and usually has a bad taste that could overpower the taste and smell of your weed.
Hemp rolling papers are much better, but if you're already quite used to them, you might want something new. That's where Backwoods cigars come in. Backwoods cigars are rolled with a single leaf of tobacco to hold the rest of the filler tobacco leaves inside.
Why Use a Tobacco Leaf to Roll Your Blunt?
You might be wondering why you would bother with a tobacco leaf as a piece of rolling paper. The thing about Backwoods is their wrapping is completely unique compared to the rolling papers you can buy for your blunt at the store. The tobacco leaf used for these cigars has to go through a special process before it can finally be used to roll a cigar.
First, a particular kind of tobacco leaf needs to be chosen. If you choose any old tobacco leaf from the tobacco plant, the flavor won't be right and it also won't have the right structure to wrap a cigar. Usually, the leaves that wrap cigars have much earthier and more intense flavors compared to the tobacco leaves that fill the cigar itself.
More than that, the tobacco leaf has to go through a long drying and fermentation process. This is important because if there is any moisture left in the tobacco leaf, mildew and mold could soon start to grow on the cigar which, of course, would not entice any cigar enthusiast and certainly not any cannabis cigar enthusiast. Also, if the tobacco leaf doesn't go through the entire drying process, smoking it would be very difficult due to the remaining moisture, and it also wouldn't taste very good.
Instead, it would have flavors of grass and other vegetation. Once the tobacco leaf is completely dry and there are no more steps in the refining process, it will then be ready to go through the rolling process. Rolling a Backwoods cigar is a tricky business because a single tobacco leaf is very fragile.
The Flavor of the Tobacco Leaf
If you don't handle it in the right way, the leaf could easily end up breaking apart. Then, you wouldn't have anything to roll your cigar with. The reason why people love Backwoods so much is that the flavor of this particular tobacco leaf used for wrapping gives the entire cigar a special zing.
While the flavor of the leaf isn't overpowering, it adds an additional level of flavor and an extra boost of aroma which the cigar wouldn't have without that particular wrapping. This is important when wrapping your own cannabis cigar. As mentioned before, many rolling papers aren't very pleasurable to smoke.
The last thing you want to deal with when smoking a cigar is the flavor of wood pulp or paper. Your best options are to choose between hemp leaves for wraps or tobacco leaves from Backwoods. Both are high-quality options, they don't ruin the flavor of your cigar, and they are easy to smoke.
Once you get into the habit of smoking Backwoods, you won’t settle for papers. Instead of tasting the rolling paper itself, you'll taste hints of tobacco, vanilla bean, dried fruit, and more.
The Details
Of course, different cigars have wrappers that have different flavors. However, many people find that the wrappers from Backwoods cigars have the best flavor. This is because the tobacco leaf used is not too overpowering, but also not too underwhelming.
This makes it perfect to add to your next cannabis cigar. You won't have to worry about losing the flavor and smell of your favorite cannabis strain, but you'll also have an extra boost of flavor and aroma from the tobacco leaf. But how should you go about rolling Backwoods in the first place?
How to Unroll Backwoods the Right Way
Before you learn how to roll Backwoods, you will first need to know how to unroll them. Unrolling the cigars is arguably the hardest part of the entire process, even harder than rolling your weed cigar with the tobacco leaf. This is because the leaf on Backwoods is rolled in a very secure way and if you aren't very careful, you could end up with a bunch of leaf scraps on your hands.
If that happens, you won't have anything to roll your blunt with. When you take a look at a Backwoods cigar, you'll notice that one side has a tighter rap than the other. You'll want to start your unwrapping endeavors from there. It might take a moment, but after a bit of searching, you should find the edge of the tobacco leaf on the end of the cigar.
At this point, you'll need to keep a steady hand because you'll need to carefully unwrap the cigar starting from one end without tearing the leaf. If you tear the leaf only a little, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. However, if you end up creating a big tear that would compromise your blunt, it might be best to start over with a new tobacco leaf.
Keep in mind that you won't be a master at this the first time you do it. You shouldn't be too surprised or upset if you end up tearing through the first few Backwoods. With a bit of time and practice, you will eventually correct your mistakes, and you'll be able to unroll Backwoods without any trouble at all.
Other Ways to Unroll the Cigar
You might be wondering if there is an easier way to go about unrolling the cigar. As a matter of fact, there is, but it might not be ideal if you want to have a great smoke. You can get a knife and cut the cigar down the middle, but this will ruin the tobacco leaf in the process.
You will still be able to roll the tobacco leaf, but you'll find that the appeal of the cannabis cigar will be ruined. This is not to mention that the tobacco leaf won't burn as evenly if it's cut. So, if you want to smoke a truly good cigar, try to avoid doing this and unroll the cigar the old-fashioned way.
When doing this, it's best to have a few Backwoods cigars on hand. That way, if you end up ruining the first or second tobacco leaves, you'll have a few backups on hand. Just keep in mind that this will take quite a bit of time, especially if you're new to the concept of unrolling Backwoods.
It's best to take the endeavor slow so that you don't accidentally end up ripping through the tobacco leaf with a shaky hand. Once you finally accomplish it, it will be time to roll your own cannabis cigar.
How to Roll Backwoods Blunts
Once you unroll the cigar, you can toss out the tobacco inside or save it for later. In the meantime, don't forget to grind your weed. This will ensure that the weed burns evenly and it will make it much easier to pack into the blunt.
If you grind your weed too fine, it will cause the Backwoods to not hit properly. Once all that's done, you'll need to prepare the tobacco leaf from the Backwoods cigar. This is important because, as mentioned before, the tobacco leaf is quite fragile.
The last thing you want to do is ruin the leaf after you've already unrolled it. The first thing you need to do is add some moisture back into the leaf. You can do this by licking one side of the leaf or spraying it lightly with a bottle of water.
Be careful not to moisten the leaf too much, or it might get soggy. If that happens, you'll have to wait for the leaf to dry out again before you can roll it. Moistening the leaf in this way will help make it more pliable and flexible, so you won't have to worry about the leaf cracking once you start to roll it.
Once it's time to roll, make sure you have a flat surface to work on. To make it easier, try holding the tobacco leaf like a taco before adding the ground cannabis. This will make it much easier to gather the cannabis along the length of the leaf.
The Details
Try to spread the cannabis as evenly as possible throughout the cigar. This will ensure that the cigar burns evenly, and you'll get a much better smoke. Then, roll the tobacco wrap back and forth through your fingers, so the cannabis starts to settle against the wrap in a cylindrical shape.
Using a cigar mold can make this process much easier. Once the cannabis is in place, tuck one side of the tobacco leaf under the tobacco and then roll the other side over the top. Then, lick one side of the leaf to get it sticky before sealing the cigar.
To finish it off, run a lighter along the length of the cigar to make sure it's sealed. Then, you can enjoy your Backwoods blunt.
All About Rolling Backwoods
Learning how to roll Backwoods isn't as difficult as you might think. You need to be careful when unrolling the cigar, but once you have the whole tobacco leaf, all you need to do is moisten it before rolling. Then, you can enjoy the flavors of both your cannabis and the tobacco leaf.
To learn more about cannabis cigars and how they make rolling easier, check out our how-to guide here.
