Whether you’ve been smoking cannabis for one day or fifty years, you’ve probably heard of a joint or blunt. Depending on how experienced you are with cannabis rolling techniques or where you’re located, the term “spliff” may be equally as common. Nevertheless, newbies and experienced smokers all over the world sometimes mistake the three for each other. They are, in fact, very different, each with unique characteristics and opportunities for customization. This guide will help you understand the differences between a blunt, joint, and spliff and will help you on your way to a more customized smoking experience.
What is a Blunt?
A “blunt” refers to marijuana rolled inside a gutted cigar or cigarillo and is essentially a cannabis cigar. Often, these cigarillos are purchased only for this purpose. The cigar is split, the tobacco guts are thrown aside, and the tobacco leaf or paper is used to roll up enough weed for several people to share.
Blunts have been around for quite some time, and could easily be the most common way that recreational cannabis is socially consumed. Though the origin of the blunt is unknown, many speculate that the “blunt” was born in the ’80s because of the affordability and accessibility of gas station cigars, as well as it’s the ability to hold enough cannabis for larger groups to enjoy. Again, it’s all speculation, but the popularity of blunts may have taken off because of references made in popular hip-hop music at the time. For many people, rolling blunts is easy and adds a tobacco twang that is unmatchable.
How Much Cannabis Will a Blunt Hold?
Depending on who you ask, a blunt is supposed to hold anywhere from 0.5-1.0 gram of flower. You can easily fit more (around 1.5 grams) for larger groups, but depending on how it’s rolled, it may burn too quickly.
Blunts Come in a Variety of Options
While the term “blunt” generally refers to cannabis rolled in a gutted cigarillo, there are multiple modern options available to change up your blunt rolling and smoking experience. You can purchase the traditional cigarillos in hundreds of different flavors, which provide excitement and variation for regular cannabis smokers. You can also purchase blunt wraps instead, which are basically the cigar wrapper without the tobacco inside, and they come ready to roll. These wraps could be the traditional tobacco leaf, or you can find hemp wraps for a tobacco-free blunt smoking experience. Each will roll a little differently, but rolling a blunt is easy. If you need a little help, check out this blunt rolling guide (with pictures!).
What is a Joint?
A joint is probably the most classic way to roll-up and is technically just a marijuana cigarette, which is probably why the nostalgic term is still so near and dear for many. Joints are typically hand-rolled with a rolling paper, the same papers used for hand-rolled cigarettes. However, joints typically contain no tobacco at all. There are many different ways to roll a joint, and many people get creative with their joint rolling experience, which is why joint rolling is widely considered an art. Joints are often smaller than blunts and more suitable for one or two people as opposed to larger groups. However, larger papers and even cones can be used to increase the capacity of a joint when needed or preferred.
How Much Weed Will a Joint Hold?
Joints typically hold between 0.4 and 0.7 grams but can be rolled with larger papers to hold a whole gram, maybe a bit more if properly coned. Pre-made cones can be bought and stuffed with cannabis, and some advertise that they can hold even more. Typically, however, a joint is rolled to smoke alone or with a friend and will burn slowly when rolled with a small to moderate amount of cannabis.
Lots of Ways to Roll a Joint
Aside from choosing different sized papers depending on your needs, there are many different ways to roll a joint. You can choose from different paper options, like wood pulp, hemp, and rice papers. Many brands offer flavored options, too, which gives you the option to further customize your smoking experience. You can roll all sorts of cool joints, too. Check out this guide to rolling L-joints, or this one about rolling joints inside out, or you could even level-up your joint smoking experience and twax your joint with this visual guide.
What is a Spliff?
A spliff is somewhere in between the tobacco twang of a blunt and the simplistic, shareable experience a joint offers. Spliffs are even more like “marijuana cigarettes” than joints because they actually contain tobacco. Spliffs are generally rolled using a cigarette paper with even parts tobacco and cannabis inside. However, since spliffs are rolled with high-quality rolling tobacco and not cigarette guts, they don’t taste much like a cigarette at all. Instead, they offer the same cannabis-derived euphoria mixed with the pleasant head-buzz from tobacco. Spliffs are more common in European countries but are utilized by smokers all over the world.
How Much Flower Will a Spliff Hold?
A spliff will hold the same total amount as a joint but generally hold less cannabis due to its tobacco content. Like joints, you can customize the paper and rolling technique to hold as little or as much as you’d like. You can also adjust the cannabis to tobacco ratio to fit your liking.
Alternative Ways to Roll a Spliff
Because rolling a spliff and rolling a joint is similar, similar alternatives apply here that apply to joints. You can choose from a variety of different papers, including different flavors, to change up your spliff smoking experience. Many people enjoy the opportunity to further customize their experience with different styles of tobacco, too.