Pre-Rolls 101: Tips & Tricks
March 11, 2022

Pre-Rolls became the third most popular category of marijuana products in 2021, unseating edibles in the process. And no wonder! They’re ready to use, require no special tools, and offer patients a great variety of choices. Joints have a long and iconic history in marijuana. The joint has been traced to laborers in Mexico in the 1850s mixing cannabis and tobacco. Pre-Rolls are the modern day, on-the-go successor to the joint. They offer everyone a chance to enjoy the flavor and hybrid consumption style of the joint without having to roll one yourself. But what’s the best way to select a pre-roll? How do you avoid runs? And what’s the best way to get the most out of a pre-roll? We put together this guide to answer those questions and more!

Selecting a Pre-Roll

One of the best things about pre-rolls is how many different kinds there are. It starts with which part of the plant is used. Trim pre-rolls are made with the sugar leaves and bits of bud which are trimmed from larger flower buds, like our Cheers! pre-rolls. These are a more economical choice, similar in THC potency to any flower pre-roll.

Then there are flower pre-rolls like our Premium Flora Farms Pre-rolls. These are made with ground cannabis flower buds. As a more premium option, flower pre-rolls cost more than trim pre-rolls. The full-flavored smoking experience with the convenience of not having to roll it yourself makes it one of our most popular pre-roll options.

There are also strain-specific pre-rolls and blended pre-rolls. Strain-specific options are great for trying a new-to-you strain without committing to an entire eighth. Pre-rolls in general are great for anyone in their experimentation phase and learning which strains will be your best medicine. Blended is a term to describe when strains are mixed together for consumption. Blended pre-rolls can offer a wider range of terpenes than a strain-specific pre-roll with a focus on the effects experienced.

Flora Farms blended pre-rolls take the guesswork out of choosing pre-rolls thanks to their effects-based names. To create a blend, our experts study the dominant terpenes present in every strain and screen for aroma, flavor, and effects. Made with only premium Flora Farms flower lovingly grown in the Ozarks, there’s a blended pre-roll for every occasion.

  • Broad-leaf blends will generally provide more relaxing effects: Relax, Recover, Rest, Unwind
  • Hybrid blends: with generally provide more balanced effects: Elevate, Connect, Align, Ignite
  • Narrow-leaf blends will generally provide more uplifting effects: Create, Inspire, Uplift, Imagine

When in doubt, talk to your budtender about their pre-roll recommendations! Tell them what effects you are looking for, where you want to feel the effects in your body, and even share strains you’ve tried and liked before. With this information, budtenders can give you a recommendation that fits your needs.

Avoiding Runs

Running and canoeing are fun activities, but they also refer to when a joint or pre-roll burns unevenly. And an unevenly burning pre-roll is a drag every time. But there are a couple ways to prevent runs with little effort. Runs are caused primarily by two problems: loosely packed materials and being lit unevenly.

When you’re ready to smoke a pre-roll, start by feeling it. Give a light squeeze. Is it evenly packed from filter to tip? Are there areas of under packing or over packing? If so, untwist the end of the pre-roll that you light and use a thin object like a tamping stick to press the cannabis into an evenly packed joint. Retwist the end when finished.

Then comes lighting the pre-roll. This is the surest way to preventing runs. To begin, hold the pre-roll in one hand and a lighter or lit match in the other hand. Apply fire to the tip while twisting the pre-roll between your fingers. Do this until the pre-roll is consistently lit all around the end, creating a cherry. Then take small inhales, puffing, to draw the cherry up into the pre-roll. If the pre-roll doesn’t stay lit after this, repeat the process. It’s not unusual for it to take a couple tries until you get the hang of when it’s fully lit before puffing.

With an evenly packed and evenly lit pre-roll, runs will be a thing of your past.

Getting the Most Out of a Pre-Roll

There is not a thing wrong with buying a pre-roll, lighting it hot and fast, and enjoying that pre-roll until you taste filter, if that’s how you enjoy them. But part of what makes pre-rolls and joints a well-loved consumption method is the flavor and nuance that can be tasted while sacrificing none of the potency. All with just a little smoking technique. This is because joints and pre-rolls combine the flavorful experience of vaporization with the THC potency unlocked by combustion. Here’s how it works.

When you draw on a lit pre-roll, combustion occurs at the cherry. Plant material is being burned. At the same time, the hot air being drawn through the rest of the marijuana is vaporizing the trichomes where cannabinoids like THC and CBD are stored. Vaporization is when marijuana is heated to the point of converting THCa (the acid and non-intoxicating form of THC) to THC without burning plant material. The vapor is flavorful, giving you all the notes of the cannabis.

Pre-rolls and joints are so effective and potent because they combust and vaporize at the same time, ensuring you get the most out of all the marijuana rolled inside. To ensure you’re enjoying all the flavor and potency available, be sure to take small draws instead of long drags. Puffs and small draws also keep pre-rolls burning longer while long drags pull the cherry up the pre-roll quickly.

Now You’re Ready

You know the different kinds of pre-rolls, how to prepare them for perfect smoke sessions, and the key to unlocking flavor and potency in your pre-rolls. Remember that you can knock the cherry out into a clean ashtray and save a pre-roll for later if you don’t wish to consume it all at once. There’s no need to risk overconsuming. Just save it to enjoy later.

And remember…

Medical decisions should not be made based on advertising. Consult a physician on the benefits and risks of particular medical marijuana products.

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