You need four things to learn how to roll a cigarette: a paper, a tip or filter, the filling, and about two minutes of patience the first ten times. The method is the same whatever the brand. Load the paper, shape the filling with your thumbs, tuck the near edge under, roll up, and seal the gum line.
Most videos show the hands and skip the decisions. Which paper size, card tip or carbon filter, where the gum goes. Those decisions are why a roll comes out tight and even, or loose and lumpy. This guide covers both: the kit first, then the method, then the mistakes that ruin most first attempts.
Pick the paper size before anything else
Paper size decides everything that follows, including which filter fits. There are three sizes you will meet in a shop.
| Size | Length | Width | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single wide (No1 regular) | Shorter than a 1 1/4 | Narrower than a 1 1/4 | A short, thin roll |
| 1 1/4 | 77 to 78 mm | 44 mm | The everyday size, forgiving to learn on |
| King size slim | 108 to 110 mm | About 44 mm | A longer roll without extra paper |
The figures come from the makers. OCB cuts its 1 1/4 at 77 x 44 mm. Buho cuts its 1 1/4 at 78 mm and its king size slim at 108 x 44 mm. RAW makes its king size slim 110 mm long.
Start on a 1 1/4. It is long enough to hold a filter and leave room to roll, and short enough that a wobble in your technique does not run the whole length of the paper. Move to king size slim once your rolls come out even.
Paper weight matters too. Thin paper tastes of less and burns more slowly, but it tears if you are rough with it. Buho Natural is 14 gsm, at the thin end of what is made. OCB Premium, the black booklet, is thin but strong enough to roll tight. If you are learning, a slightly sturdier paper forgives more. You can compare the booklets we carry in papers.
For the difference between RAW Classic, Organic Hemp and Black, read RAW papers explained.
Card tip or carbon filter
The tip sits at the end you hold. It keeps the end firm and stops the filling reaching your lips. You have two choices.
A card tip. A strip of thin card folded into a small zigzag, then wrapped in a spiral. It holds the end open and costs nothing if you cut it from a booklet cover. It does no filtering.
An activated carbon filter. A short cylinder of carbon and cellulose. Hybrid's slim filters are 6.4 mm across and 30 mm long. The carbon catches part of what you would otherwise taste. The cellulose caps hold the carbon in place, so the draw stays open instead of clogging halfway.
The filter width has to match the paper:
- 6.4 mm for slim, 1 1/4 and king size slim papers.
- 8.2 mm for regular and wider rolls.
If a filter rattles in your paper, it is too thin. Go up to 8.2 mm. If the paper will not close around it, go down to 6.4 mm. The Hybrid 6.4 mm slim filters come 55 to a box and fit the slim papers most people use. Both widths are in filters.
How to roll a cigarette, step by step
Read the steps once, then do them slowly. Speed comes after about twenty rolls, not before.
1. Hold the paper the right way round
Take one leaf out of the booklet. Find the gum line: a thin strip along one long edge, slightly shiny. Hold the paper with the gum line at the top edge, facing you, and the fold of the paper running left to right. The crease from the booklet gives you a small trough to load.
On RAW Classic King Size Slim, the gum line is on the long edge, at the top as you hold it.
2. Place the tip or filter
Lay the card tip or filter at one end of the paper, inside the crease. Its outer face should sit flush with the edge of the paper. A filter that sticks out will fall out. One that sits too far in leaves a soft, empty end.
3. Load the filling evenly
Spread the filling along the crease, from the tip to the far end. Aim for an even line, a little thicker in the middle than at the ends is fine. Pick out any long, hard strands. A single stiff piece will poke through the paper when you roll.
Do not overload. A paper filled to the edges will not close. Leave about a third of the paper width empty above the filling.
4. Shape it with your thumbs
Pinch the paper between thumbs and index fingers, with both thumbs on the side nearest you. Roll the paper up and down between your fingers a few times. You are not rolling it closed yet. You are packing the filling into an even cylinder inside the paper.
This is the step most people rush. Thirty seconds here is the difference between a firm roll and a soft one.
5. Tuck the near edge
When the shape feels even, use your thumbs to push the near edge of the paper over the filling and tuck it under, all along the length. Start the tuck at the filter end. The filter gives you something firm to tuck against, and the rest of the edge follows it.
A good tuck is tight. If you can see filling peeking out of the open side, unroll and tuck again.
6. Roll up to the gum
Keep the tuck in place and roll the paper upwards with your thumbs, working along the length, until only the gum strip is showing.
7. Seal the gum line
Run the tip of your tongue lightly along the gum, from one end to the other. Do not soak it. Wet gum on thin paper tears. Press the edge down along the length, starting at the filter end, and hold it for two seconds.
8. Finish the end
Tap the open end gently on a table so the filling settles, then twist the last few millimetres of paper closed, or pack it down with a matchstick and leave it open.
The mistakes that ruin a roll
Too much filling. The paper will not tuck. Take a pinch out and try again before you tear the leaf.
Gum line on the wrong side. If the gum ends up facing the filling, the paper will not seal. Check it before you load, every time, until it is habit.
Licking the whole edge wet. Gum needs moisture, not water. One light pass is enough.
A loose tuck. Everything after the tuck depends on it. A loose tuck gives a roll that is soft in the middle and burns unevenly down one side.
A filter the wrong width. A 6.4 mm filter in a wide roll rattles. An 8.2 mm filter in a slim paper splits the seam. Match the filter to the paper.
Rolling from the middle. Start the tuck and the seal at the filter end, where the shape is firm, and work outwards.
Paper and filter pairs that fit
| Paper | Size | Filter that fits |
|---|---|---|
| OCB Premium 1 1/4 | 77 x 44 mm | 6.4 mm for a slim roll, 8.2 mm for a wider one |
| Buho Natural 1 1/4 | 78 mm, 14 gsm | 6.4 mm |
| RAW Classic King Size Slim | 110 mm | 6.4 mm |
| Buho Natural King Size Slim | 108 x 44 mm | 6.4 mm |
| OCB X-Pert No1 Regular | Single wide | 6.4 mm |
If you want the brown, unbleached paper most people picture, look at RAW.
FAQ
Is it easier to roll with a filter or without?
With one. A filter or card tip gives you a firm end to tuck against. Without it, the whole roll is soft and the tuck slips.
Which paper is best for learning?
A 1 1/4 in a standard weight, such as OCB Premium 1 1/4. It is short enough to control and not so thin that it tears on your first tight tuck.
Why does my paper keep tearing?
Usually too much filling, or a wet gum line. Take a pinch of filling out and use one light pass along the gum.
Is a 6 mm filter the same as 6.4 mm?
Slim carbon filters are sold as 6 mm or 6.4 mm, and both are made for slim and king size slim papers. Hybrid's slim is 6.4 mm.
How do I know the roll is tight enough?
Squeeze it gently along its length. It should feel even from end to end, with no soft spot in the middle. A soft spot means the tuck was loose.
