Years ago, I smoked cigarettes. When I couldn’t afford tailor-mades, I rolled my own, by hand. But that was at least thirty years ago. In the years since, I gave up cigarettes (mostly) and turned to my pipe and to cigars when I’ve wanted to enjoy a smoke.
Recently, a friend went to the UK. I asked him to “get me some tobacco”; meaning pipe tobacco. He misunderstood and brought me back cigarette tobacco–Imperial Tobacco’s “Golden Virginia,” to be precise.
Well, it didn’t work so well in my pipe, so I got some cigarette papers and tried to roll it. To my surprise, rolling a cigarette is like riding a bike–I guess you never forget how. So I rolled a cigarette and smoked it. No, I’m not back on cigarettes, but it was certainly flavourful, with the Virginia sweetness that the name led me to expect.
I think what really surprised me was that I had not forgotten how to roll a cigarette. Selecting the right amount of tobacco from the pouch, rolling it, adding the paper, and putting it all together, was almost instinctive. It was kind of scary, that after thirty years, I could remember the necessary movements to craft a cigarette from loose tobacco and a paper.
Did anybody roll their own years ago? Do you think you could still?
Note: This thread is not to discuss the legalities, the health effects, or the disgust you may feel about those who smoke tobacco. It is merely to discuss whether those who once did roll their own can still roll their own.
I used to do it, back when I smoked for several years on and off in college. I still miss it sometimes but I’m glad to be off smoking. I still smoke pipes sometimes though. I always thought you’d have to be a fool not to roll your own cigarettes, because buying a pack is a huge waste of money in comparison. Also, the tobacco you use for rolling is better.
I do, and I much prefer it to “ready mades”. The tobacco is much better. And it is much, much cheaper, too.
And I believe that it’s true that once you learn how, you’ll never forget it. I can roll perfect cigs even when drunk and/or in total darkness. When drinking I lose the ability to speak coherently much before the ability to roll a cigarette. Muscle memory and all that, I suppose.
I did it for a few years. To be precise I didn’t roll them, I stuffed them. Thissiteuse to be DetroitTobacco.com. They sell tobacco, paper tubes with filters, and machines to stuff tobacco in the tubes. I enjoyed making my own cigarettes for about $1 a pack. But I had a lot more time on my hands also.
I used to roll my own. I may have started for the money savings, but I stayed for the flavor! While even the cheapest rolling tobacco might have been about as good as manufactured cigarette tobacco, I rolled with hard-to-get Zigzag tobacco.
The Zigzag was delicious. Much MUCH better than any non-filter manufactured cigarette I’ve tried. What is so special about it? Why don’t manufacturers use such delicious tobacco? (Nevermind the tobacco in filter cigarettes; take the filters off to learn how dreadful-tasting that tobacco is.)
I’ve quit smoking tobacco a few times; most recently, and for good, 16 years again when my first kid was born. I can still roll cigarettes though!
I know how to roll a joint (marijuana for the “un-hip”) even though I haven’t in years. I have a couple friends who’ve smoked hand-rolled tobacco cigarettes. I’m pretty sure the basics are the same. So, I guess I could.
I don’t smoke cigarettes nor a pipe and only smoke a couple cigars a year.
I remember my grandmother had a machine for rolling her cigarettes when I was very young back in the 70’s.
I still roll my own (as does my mother, who just turned 80. ) - not the cheapie dry crappy tobacco, but fine-cut European. Back in the UK there was a brand called Golden Virginia, years ago…that’s what I smoked. Then Drum and Jester here in the U.S. Can’t get either brand locally so Bali Shag light is my current drug of choice.
I can roll perfect cigs in any situation.
There’s a website and forum dedicated to rolling your own - I don’t frequent it but have visited a couple of times.
Not only did use to, but I also chopped my own tobacco. There is a store here in Montreal who sells tobacco leaves. If you think loose tobacco is inexpensive, you should try leaves. They’re dirt cheap !
I started rolling my own years ago in college, when I was usually too broke to buy anything else. Took it up again in earnest a few years back when the price of a pack of tailor-mades went through the roof. I use Top brand tobacco, because it’s cheap and available just about everywhere. I’ve cut back to the point where a pack lasts about three days. Still pretty affordable at that rate.
I’ve always hand-rolled, the various machines are just too much trouble. I often get compliments on how “perfect” my hand-rolled cigs look, but oddly enough I’ve never been able to master the one-handed thing. Not for lack of trying…just can’t see how it can be done.
SS
Yep - have been doing so every since I first moved to Europe ages ago. A woman from the Netherlands showed me how to do it, and have done so ever since.
I buy cans of DRUM tobacco (available most everywhere here in the US), and have a tobacco pouch I take with me and roll one when I want.
Youtube clip showing one handed rolling
Rolling one’s own (“sjekkie draaien”) used to be very common here in the Netherlands. It was a student and left-wing kind of thing to do, probably coming from the image of forresters and rugged seamen rolling their own.
Chewing tobacco never got big here, at least not in my lifetime. It is in Scandinavia, though.
Used to, ages ago–haven’t in quite some time, for whatever reason. Possibly that they tend to be wicked strong, even if you use an injector machine to make them with filters, and I’ve been trying to quit for good for the last forever.
At any rate, my smokes were never pretty–they tended to come out looking like pregnant joints rather than a cigarette, but they did the job and I preferred the tobacco. I’ve got a taste for VA tobac and (IIRC) the fire-cured burley that they used to use in Drum, and never have much cared for the Turkish that’s the hallmark of most domestic smokes. This is why these days I shell out for Dunhills…
Thanks for the link, that person made it look pretty easy…maybe I just need to practice some more. Your comment regarding the use of chewing tobacco in Scandinavia is intriguing. Where I live (Northwestern U.S.), the logging and forestry trades have traditionally been the provenance of immigrants from the Scandanavian countries (although it’s become pretty homogenized in recent years). And chewing tobacco is an institution among people in those areas. I always thought that was because smoking in the forest carries a high risk of starting a wild fire and people chose to get their nicotine in a safer manner. I’d never thought about it being a cultural thing…
SS
If you like Virginias and Burley, you might enjoy a pipe. There are many nice Virginia Flakes available; and while they are usually blended with Syrian Latakia, that’s only to keep them from being too sweet. And Burleys are used often to temper the flavour of other tobaccos in pipe blends–I’m not sure if there is a Virginia-Burley blend, but it can’t hurt to look. Something to think about, anyway.
A friend of mine at work uses a machine to stuff cigarettes. It is amazing how many he can stuff in a hour. He makes them in bulk so he doesn’t run out while on travel.
I used to roll my own, but for some reason, I can only do it the wrong way round – the gummed side pointing towards me, rather than away, as almost everybody else seems to do it. It’s a bit awkward to lick the gum, but for some reason, I just had enormous trouble doing it the proper way, it wouldn’t close, and I usually ended up resorting to half-folding, half-rolling crooked, often much too densely stuffed cigs whenever I tried. Doing it the other way, they came out fine – smooth, round cylinders, packed loosely enough to allow a proper draught.
I recently tried rolling one just to see if I still could, and it still was the same – I don’t know, perhaps something about the geometry of my fingers is just off.
) - not the cheapie dry crappy tobacco, but fine-cut European. Back in the UK there was a brand called Golden Virginia, years ago…that’s what I smoked. Then Drum and Jester here in the U.S. Can’t get either brand locally so Bali Shag light is my current drug of choice.