Visual Guide: How to Twax a Joint

If you’re looking for a way to make your joints to hit even harder and burn even slower, we suggest you ‘twax’ them. What is twax, you ask? As defined by the originator, @TWAXGang, to twax is “to apply hash/concentrates to the inside, outside, or tip of your rolls/bowls in any way shape or form.”

As cannabis extracts have become more readily available with recent legal changes, so has their application on and within joints. If your state isn’t so cannabis friendly, don’t fret; you can use the kief in your grinder or the rosin tech to create your own concentrate, or opt for federally legal 99.9% CBD isolate for a therapeutic boost. Here are some helpful tips when twaxing for the first time:

Option 1: Apply Inside

The easiest way to try twaxing is to add the concentrate inside the joint or blunt. For reference, you can also add concentrates to the top of a pipe if you prefer glass.  This method is most commonly used for concentrates like THC or CBD Kief and CBD isolate that are powdery in consistency.

To do this, simply incorporate your concentrate of choice (BHO, dry sift, ice water hash, rosin, etc.) when loading and arranging the ingredients of your joint.

Work the concentrate into the center of the joint when shaping to ensure an even, run-free burn.

If working with BHO, you can either break it into smaller chunks or roll it into a snake with your fingers. The ease of application will be dictated by the consistency of the BHO, so it follows that shatter will be less forgiving than, say, a snap-n-pull consistency.

To increase the malleability of a stable, shattery concentrate, apply heat and/or pressure to soften it. You can work the concentrate between your fingers like silly putty, or you can pick up the concentrate with a dabber and hold a lighter a few inches below to make it easier to work with, reapplying heat as needed to maintain a workable consistency.

Very stable, shattery consistencies are easier to break into chunks, whereas snap n’ pull consistencies can be rolled into snakes and laid into a joint with minimal effort.

Some concentrate consistencies, like budder/wax, can only be applied to the inside of a joint or blunt, as they’re too brittle to be applied outside.  To use these textures, break the concentrate into chunks and disperse them through the joint.

Option 2: Apply Outside

Concentrates can also be applied to the outside of joints. This requires a concentrate with a snap n’ pull or sappy consistency – as opposed to more brittle wax or budder. Work the concentrate into a snake-like shape before wrapping it around the outside of the joint.

Note that the snake can be made thinner when wrapping around the joint by pulling gently during wrapping. To begin the wrapping process, adhere one end of the snake to the joint by pressing it to the paper, applying a touch of heat if necessary to create a good bond.

Next, begin rotating the joint in your fingers as you pull and wrap the concentrate around the joint as indicated. For added power, you can roll the sticky, oil-covered joint into a sandy or crumbly textured concentrate (like dry sift or ice water hash) for an added punch. Simply use a lighter to warm up the concentrate on the outside of the paper prior to rolling in hash or kief for maximum stickiness.

Extra care must be taken when smoking heavily twaxed joints (on the outside) as the hot, viscous concentrate has the potential to drip off the joint at the point closest to the cherry (messy and wasteful).  Try rotating the twaxed portion upward to avoid this.

Rotating the joint at an angle in the smoking process tends to alleviate this issue. A thinner, more even application to the outside is also helpful, so try to pull your concentrate thin when twaxing for best results.

Twaxing vs Dabbing

Many are curious as to whether dabbing or twaxing is more effective when it comes to consuming concentrates. The fact is, such a comparison would be like comparing apples and, well, sourdough bread. The two are not in the same category.

Dabbing involves the flash vaporization of concentrates that are generally free of plant matter and residual solvents. Twaxing, on the other hand, involves the combustion of the concentrate, plant matter (ground cannabis buds or organic hemp flower), and the rolling paper. Thus, the two methods utilize different amounts of heat as well as differing inputs.

In our experience, dabbing induces more clear-headed effects through flavorful vapor, while twaxing induces a very powerful, hazy effect through thick smoke. In the end, it’s a matter of preference according to how you like to feel your concentrates.

We recommend twaxing to those who love smoking joints but need to stretch their stash over a few days. Rolling twaxed pinners is a reliable solution for conserving flower and still achieving the benefits of a very potent dosage. You can also use CBD for twaxing!

BONUS: CBD in Your Joints for Medicinal Benefits