I used to smoke intermittently in college and enjoyed it. Cigars are wonderful, but they are somewhat expensive and I can't really keep a humidor around for marital and space reasons. When I buy commercial cigarettes, I feel like I have to smoke them fast so that I finish the pack before they go stale, but still I don't finish the pack usually and end up giving it away. What I think I should do is get some rolling tobacco and papers and learn to roll cigarettes. In this way, I could have an occasional cigarette without having to bum one or waste $5+ on a whole pack of commercial cigarettes. How long does rolling tobacco 'keep'? Any recommendations as to brand, papers, rolling technique, etc.?
Rolling tobacco and papers
- Thread starter BetterSense
- Start date
Tobacco doesn't go stale, it dries out. Preventing rolled cigarettes from drying out is darn near impossible, though. The humidity level required (near 80%
causes the tobacco to leach into the dampened paper. Best you can do is keep the humidity around 70% and it'll help last a little longer. For tobacco, you use a tobacco jar with a button. You can let it dry out and just add a button or two a day or two before you want to smoke it. Only use distilled water on the buttons or the plastic cotton stuffed things. Other water will allow mold to grow.
My favorite wrap is the thick flavored Blunt Wrap wrapper made from processed tobacco. Brownies Original is another brand made from real tobacco. And just for fun try the transparent papers, which is made from cellulose and does have a hint of plastic taste. If you like a bit of cigar flavor, Royal Blunts are little pieces of natural tobacco leaf you can use to roll one up.
causes the tobacco to leach into the dampened paper. Best you can do is keep the humidity around 70% and it'll help last a little longer. For tobacco, you use a tobacco jar with a button. You can let it dry out and just add a button or two a day or two before you want to smoke it. Only use distilled water on the buttons or the plastic cotton stuffed things. Other water will allow mold to grow.My favorite wrap is the thick flavored Blunt Wrap wrapper made from processed tobacco. Brownies Original is another brand made from real tobacco. And just for fun try the transparent papers, which is made from cellulose and does have a hint of plastic taste. If you like a bit of cigar flavor, Royal Blunts are little pieces of natural tobacco leaf you can use to roll one up.
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Visit a local tobacconist and look at what he carries.
Check out www.ryomagazine.com for lots of information about tobaccos, papers, injector/rolling machines, blending your own, and political concerns about taxation and smoker's rights.
At first, buy your tobacco in small pouches, usually a 40g bag. About $5, and it should yield around 40 cigarettes. Once you figure out which brand is for you, then you can step up to the larger 150g cans which are considerably cheaper in the long run, but you have to use those buttons to keep 'em fresh.
No matter what you do, the last 10% of your package is going to crumble to dust by the time you get down that far. Don't worry about it, just throw it away and go buy a fresh one.
Here are two threads that have already been started about rolling your own cigarettes:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=46164
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=102281
Check out www.ryomagazine.com for lots of information about tobaccos, papers, injector/rolling machines, blending your own, and political concerns about taxation and smoker's rights.
At first, buy your tobacco in small pouches, usually a 40g bag. About $5, and it should yield around 40 cigarettes. Once you figure out which brand is for you, then you can step up to the larger 150g cans which are considerably cheaper in the long run, but you have to use those buttons to keep 'em fresh.
No matter what you do, the last 10% of your package is going to crumble to dust by the time you get down that far. Don't worry about it, just throw it away and go buy a fresh one.
Here are two threads that have already been started about rolling your own cigarettes:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=46164
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=102281
When I first started smoking a pipe an older and wiser pipe smoking friend suggested I put a slice of apple in my tobacco pouch; "stops the baccy drying out boy". When the apple wedge was dry it was replace with a new slice. Always seemed to work.
I've heard of using an apple slice to keep pipe tobacco damp, but I don't know if I'd try this with cigarette tobacco, as it needs to be dryer by nature. My aunt used to toss her extra cartons of cigarettes in the freezer, saying that kept them fresh, I guess that makes sense, but I suppose so does the refrigerator. 'Wish I could help more on that score. I've smoked cigarettes I rolled by hand in the past for periods of time, and I got really good at it once. My favorite was "Drum", which is made in Holland, and what's called a "shag" cut, called "angel hair" by some; this makes it really nice to roll, most American rolling tobaccos (Top, Bugler, etc.) are like rolling little pellets, which I never cared for. What does it taste like? Oh my...it's like candy in smoke I prefer it to all other cigarettes, only here's the trouble - it hasn't been available in the states for a number of years, but, I know I've seen (I should do that search again) some great deals online from England and Holland, including shipping. You can also buy its "type", look for "Halfzware" or "Halfzware Shag" (literally "help product tobacco", if my German dictionary was right at some online rolling places; I've smoked some of these and they were very close (sorry I don't remember any names, this was a long time ago), although this is pretty much all online ordering - but I live in the middle of the prairie, you may be able to find some of these in stores where you live. You can get pouches that make about 50 cigarettes, or buy the can that makes about 200, depending on how you roll them; some online places will sell you pounds of it too. And there are tons of others, some even menthol, and I'd swear I saw chocolate once, don't quote me If you buy the pouches, they'll come with paper, otherwise, I always preferred non folded paper, but that's simply personal preference; Zig Zag, for example, are folded papers; some papers have glue, some don't, I tended to like the ones with glue. Anyhow, I'll try to tell you how I did my rolling, but of course we all have to feel it our own way: Lay the paper balanced on your hand or fingers however you're comfortable doing it; take a pinch of tobacco, I suppose the amount would be similar to a good pinch of snoose, and it's actually preferable to have a little bit too much, for tightness of the roll, and to make a fuller cigarette; spread it out evenly on the paper, but keep some space on the ends; now with the tobacco loaded paper in both hands, backs of fingers facing out, thumbs nearer you, thumbtips and fingertips gently touching, press your thumbs into the tobacco, and between your index and middle fingers, essentially creating a rounded envelope with the tops of the paper even; now here's the actual "roll", roll the tobacco inside the paper back and forth, feeling it become a solid mass, spreading toward the ends, and with lots of nice extra paper above; don't worry about some tobacco falling out, whether the ends or otherwise, that's normal, you're rolling out the extra; pay special attention to the middle, it'll want to get fat there because your fingers are meeting - this is probably the biggest enemy of a nicely rolled smoke; when you're satisfied with that, still gripping the roll well, with the tops of the paper even, carefully roll your thumbs backward until you can just see the tobacco, nearest you, but keep everything tight; press your thumbs into the tobacco and betweeen your index and middle fingers again, lick the other side of the paper, and roll ('almost forgot this second one!) the tobacco onto the extra paper holding tight and pressing against your index and middle fingers again; you can also press down on the tobacco inside the paper with both index fingers as you do this, if it's helpful; you'll roll right up to the end of the paper; hold tight, and smooth the paper down one half the cigarette at a time, lick the outside if you deem it necessary; that's it - if you have a really practiced tight roll, you'll have a little bunch of tobacco to pinch off each end (or a little sticking out, or to "shake" out if it's the coarser cut stuff) - I reached this point in the past, amazing myself and my friends, and if I can do it, anybody can, with my big mitts and lack of patience! LOL I hope I didn't insult your intelligence with these directions, I'm a visual learner myself, and this is really difficult to explain in type
I prefer it to all other cigarettes, only here's the trouble - it hasn't been available in the states for a number of years, but, I know I've seen (I should do that search again) some great deals online from England and Holland, including shipping. You can also buy its "type", look for "Halfzware" or "Halfzware Shag" (literally "help product tobacco", if my German dictionary was right at some online rolling places; I've smoked some of these and they were very close (sorry I don't remember any names, this was a long time ago), although this is pretty much all online ordering - but I live in the middle of the prairie, you may be able to find some of these in stores where you live. You can get pouches that make about 50 cigarettes, or buy the can that makes about 200, depending on how you roll them; some online places will sell you pounds of it too. And there are tons of others, some even menthol, and I'd swear I saw chocolate once, don't quote me If you buy the pouches, they'll come with paper, otherwise, I always preferred non folded paper, but that's simply personal preference; Zig Zag, for example, are folded papers; some papers have glue, some don't, I tended to like the ones with glue. Anyhow, I'll try to tell you how I did my rolling, but of course we all have to feel it our own way: Lay the paper balanced on your hand or fingers however you're comfortable doing it; take a pinch of tobacco, I suppose the amount would be similar to a good pinch of snoose, and it's actually preferable to have a little bit too much, for tightness of the roll, and to make a fuller cigarette; spread it out evenly on the paper, but keep some space on the ends; now with the tobacco loaded paper in both hands, backs of fingers facing out, thumbs nearer you, thumbtips and fingertips gently touching, press your thumbs into the tobacco, and between your index and middle fingers, essentially creating a rounded envelope with the tops of the paper even; now here's the actual "roll", roll the tobacco inside the paper back and forth, feeling it become a solid mass, spreading toward the ends, and with lots of nice extra paper above; don't worry about some tobacco falling out, whether the ends or otherwise, that's normal, you're rolling out the extra; pay special attention to the middle, it'll want to get fat there because your fingers are meeting - this is probably the biggest enemy of a nicely rolled smoke; when you're satisfied with that, still gripping the roll well, with the tops of the paper even, carefully roll your thumbs backward until you can just see the tobacco, nearest you, but keep everything tight; press your thumbs into the tobacco and betweeen your index and middle fingers again, lick the other side of the paper, and roll ('almost forgot this second one!) the tobacco onto the extra paper holding tight and pressing against your index and middle fingers again; you can also press down on the tobacco inside the paper with both index fingers as you do this, if it's helpful; you'll roll right up to the end of the paper; hold tight, and smooth the paper down one half the cigarette at a time, lick the outside if you deem it necessary; that's it - if you have a really practiced tight roll, you'll have a little bunch of tobacco to pinch off each end (or a little sticking out, or to "shake" out if it's the coarser cut stuff) - I reached this point in the past, amazing myself and my friends, and if I can do it, anybody can, with my big mitts and lack of patience! LOL I hope I didn't insult your intelligence with these directions, I'm a visual learner myself, and this is really difficult to explain in type
Some of my older colleagues at work, who hand-roll, swear by a piece of orange peel in their pouch/tin.
Hard to go wrong with Rizla papers and Drum/Samson baccy!
Hard to go wrong with Rizla papers and Drum/Samson baccy!
Personally i smoke Drum in either Green or Brown Rizla papers. The brown add a little something not just to the taste, but also to the image - doesn't look quite so cheap
As for keeping moist, in the pouch you are using, try a slice of cabbage. It will shrivel, go brown and require replacing every couple of days, but it does the job in keeping the baccy moist. Either that or from good tobbacconists who sell a range of pipe smoking tobbacco etc, ask them for their in pouch humidor things. They are the size of a coin (but the thickness of a small stack of coins) you soak them in water for 2 mins or so, dry off the outside and they are good to go - when they dry out after a few days / week just re soak. They are only a Euro or so here so i can't imagine they will be much more there and they work - i use them in my tubs of pipe baccy.
Cheers,
Tony.
Great thread! Almost makes me want to become a smoker and roll my own; so interesting and so much knowledge being shared.
Yukon (menthol) and Bull Durham (I went to school in Durham, KS and its logo was a Shorthorn (Durham) Bull from which the tobacco name and logo originated or vice versa. Top is another brand of rolling paper and Top and Bull Durham tobacco used to come with rolling papers included.
I can understand why for reasons other than cost smokers roll their own cigarettes or smoke pipes, cigars; those widely distributed/advertised cigarettes tasted and smelled terrible; ditto those homogenized tobacco cigars and most perfumed pipe tobaccos. Nothing against smoking, personal preference; just think those who manufacture the aforementioned rubbish should be ashamed of themselves for the poor quality products they make available.
Yukon (menthol) and Bull Durham (I went to school in Durham, KS and its logo was a Shorthorn (Durham) Bull from which the tobacco name and logo originated or vice versa. Top is another brand of rolling paper and Top and Bull Durham tobacco used to come with rolling papers included.
I can understand why for reasons other than cost smokers roll their own cigarettes or smoke pipes, cigars; those widely distributed/advertised cigarettes tasted and smelled terrible; ditto those homogenized tobacco cigars and most perfumed pipe tobaccos. Nothing against smoking, personal preference; just think those who manufacture the aforementioned rubbish should be ashamed of themselves for the poor quality products they make available.
The chemicals in factory cigarettes did it for me over 10 years ago.
Bugler gold is actually a very good product with a quality blend of American and Turkish tobacco. I can't stand the regular blue, though.
BTW, it's cheaper in the long run to buy an injector and made tubes than pay for papers. I buy a box of 50 cartons (10,000 tubes) for about 1.5 cents each, while papers are more like 3 cents.
Bugler gold is actually a very good product with a quality blend of American and Turkish tobacco. I can't stand the regular blue, though.
BTW, it's cheaper in the long run to buy an injector and made tubes than pay for papers. I buy a box of 50 cartons (10,000 tubes) for about 1.5 cents each, while papers are more like 3 cents.
I don't mind the chemicals so much ... its the COST of factory cigarettes that I can't tolerate.
+1 on Bugler Gold. Its one of the only domestic blends that I like. Mostly, I go for Bali Shag.
I always use the free papers that come with the tobacco, but I always run out of tobacco before I run out of papers.
I have one of those injector machines, and they take a little getting used to. I went through a lot of brands of tubes, but found I like Vera Cruz best.
Mostly, though, I rely on a simple hand roller, which is fast, convenient, and I can carry with me.
I like Bali Shag and Half and Half as ryo smokes 
I haven't bought the factory cigs since december and either toot my pipe or handroll and mostly do not inhale....I also toot a little nasal snuff.
A VERY inexpensive brand of RYO which is also very good is Largo which has little flavour itself but mix it in with Half and Half and you have a cigarette that tastes almost identical to the old Lucky Strike recipe.
Wp
I haven't bought the factory cigs since december and either toot my pipe or handroll and mostly do not inhale....I also toot a little nasal snuff.
A VERY inexpensive brand of RYO which is also very good is Largo which has little flavour itself but mix it in with Half and Half and you have a cigarette that tastes almost identical to the old Lucky Strike recipe.
Wp
I like Natural American Spirit Organic roll-ups, mostly for the irony.
I recommend a big mason jar with lid and the stick on humidifier bubbles you get from Tobacco Shop. I keep my pipe tobacco like that, in the closet.
It works but there are two things to keep in mind; when your slice of apple is too big your tobacco will become too moist to smoke and using apple is actually sweetening your tobacco. Maybe ok when the stuff was sweet to begin with but not always pleasant. For a less sweet/ more earthy taste a piece of potato peeling works wonders.
The only one that I think tastes good, which surprisingly noone has mentioned, are the American Spirits. Bali Shag and Samson are alright, but I wouldn't spend my money on them, just grab some from a friend and roll one up. In terms of Zig-Zag and Bugler, Drum and other cheaper brands, I'm not a big fan, I just think they taste horrible. If you want to spend a little bit extra money for some quality, try the black pouch of American Spirit, pretty sure it's called the Perique blend. The green isn't bad either. And umm you can find plenty of videos on how to roll smoking devices on youtube.
Hiya,
I'd suggest trying the Lock & Lock airtight plastic storage containers for keeping your tobacco as fresh as possible. Although I don't use that method, I've read a bunch of positive reviews when used for that purpose. Very inexpensive and available at stores like Target.
As to suggesting a tobacco brand or style.........that's a whole world you'd need to read about. Personally, I've been smoking nothing but various halfzwares for many years. Stopped buying ready mades a long time ago...ever since I tasted this style of tobacco. To my knowledge, no cigarette company uses this in their product.
I would point you towards a company called D&R. They sell some pipe tobaccos that are also suitable for the RYO method, and there's a wide range of products to choose from. You can order from them directly(good service), or there's other sites to purchase it as well. One place to look at would be www.pipesandcigars.com. I've had good luck from both when ordering. Also, there's some B&M cigarette shops that will stock it.
I've been smoking their 'Ryback' blend for a while, and it's a good halfzware type. Price is also good, with a 14 ounce bag costing me under $30 shipped to my door. That's probably about what a lesser quality tobacco might cost at a tobacco store, and a lot less per ounce than a pouch of something like American Spirit or Bali Shag. No problem rolling this stuff, although I don't use a machine.
Anyway, maybe this will help somehow,
Martin
I'd suggest trying the Lock & Lock airtight plastic storage containers for keeping your tobacco as fresh as possible. Although I don't use that method, I've read a bunch of positive reviews when used for that purpose. Very inexpensive and available at stores like Target.
As to suggesting a tobacco brand or style.........that's a whole world you'd need to read about. Personally, I've been smoking nothing but various halfzwares for many years. Stopped buying ready mades a long time ago...ever since I tasted this style of tobacco. To my knowledge, no cigarette company uses this in their product.
I would point you towards a company called D&R. They sell some pipe tobaccos that are also suitable for the RYO method, and there's a wide range of products to choose from. You can order from them directly(good service), or there's other sites to purchase it as well. One place to look at would be www.pipesandcigars.com. I've had good luck from both when ordering. Also, there's some B&M cigarette shops that will stock it.
I've been smoking their 'Ryback' blend for a while, and it's a good halfzware type. Price is also good, with a 14 ounce bag costing me under $30 shipped to my door. That's probably about what a lesser quality tobacco might cost at a tobacco store, and a lot less per ounce than a pouch of something like American Spirit or Bali Shag. No problem rolling this stuff, although I don't use a machine.
Anyway, maybe this will help somehow,
Martin
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I'm going to point out that if you live in the US, at least, RYO will get pretty expensive after a certain point because the government taxes the **** out of it! Unfortunately, they're currently trying to slam the same tax down on pipe tobacco since some RYO companies re-labelled their stuff as pipe tobacco to get around the tax. That said, at the current time (and perhaps for the next few months if the bill does go through) pipe tobacco is probably cheaper to start up with. You can get a starter pipe for $30 to $40 and the tobacco runs anywhere from $3 to $7 an ounce if you buy it in bulk (and an ounce should last you a while). If you're interested in this route, let me know. If not, I'm not going to push it on you.
In either case, I suggest getting some small mason jars and sealing the stuff in there and then taking it out as you need it. As long as you aren't planning to do any long term aging (i.e. years) it should be fine.
In either case, I suggest getting some small mason jars and sealing the stuff in there and then taking it out as you need it. As long as you aren't planning to do any long term aging (i.e. years) it should be fine.
Apples and oranges? I'm a potato man myself.
A selection of tupperware should keep things pretty fresh. I roll mine on the spot, I could never get the rolling machine. Like wetshaving, hand rolling might not be the best at first but in the long run I think you'll get better cigs by hand rolling than by using a machine.
A selection of tupperware should keep things pretty fresh. I roll mine on the spot, I could never get the rolling machine. Like wetshaving, hand rolling might not be the best at first but in the long run I think you'll get better cigs by hand rolling than by using a machine.
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