When it comes to cannabis consumption methods there are a plethora of options out there, each uniquely suited for particular types of stoners.
From old school one hitter dugouts to literal laser beam-powered water pipes the process of finding the best method for you can be a bit daunting at first.
If you’re new to the world of Mary Jane then check out my “how to choose a consumption method” post where I outline some of the biggest pros/cons of various options on the market.
Today however we are talking about one of my all-time favorite methods of consumption which is the humble paper (bamboo or hemp, or virgin undyed) cone.
Cones are some of the most ubiquitous forms of packaging flower when sold via dispensaries, and while dispensary pre-rolls can often leave a lot to be desired in terms of freshness and quality, the cone papers themselves have proven to be a very reliable avenue of consumption.
Whether you’re a water bong queen or are just curious about that conehead life I’ll outline some of the reasons why (in addition to bongs) I keep returning to the humble cone time and time again.
Reason 1: Classic Doobie Aesthetics
While some people have a talent for rolling with the sheet for some of us our hand-rolled joints are often sorely lacking in the aesthetics department.
I’ve lived a life of luxury generally smoking out of steam rollers, water bongs, vaporizers, and the occasional gutted Backwoods and thus don’t have the magic touch when it comes to rolling.
Even the pins my rolling machine spits out, while extremely functional, don’t hold a match to the big chonk factor that a 1¼ cone will have.
It’s that quintessential cone shape that we see in all the stoner memes and therefore this shape has been thoroughly embedded in popular culture as one boss way to blaze.
Reason 2: Front-Loading Impact
The fact that cones are fattest at the point of lighting means you’re burning maximum amount of plant material from the first spark which is a beautiful design that helps get you lifted in a rather rapid fashion.
Straight pins and one-hitters are sweet for solo sessions and quick top-ups but at the end of a long day (or at the beginning of one) but having a fat cone that is front loaded with some fresh sticky to get you to where you want to be, PRONTO, is a stroke of design genius.
Reason 3: Smooth Inhalation Temps
The problem with ripping pins or smaller pieces hard is they often burn hot, which can be less than pleasant on the ole lung bags.
It’s simply a matter of thermodynamics, what with the induction of a large volume of air over an ember you will rapidly feed the fire and that herb will toast faster than an ass naked Irishman in the middle of the Sahara.
With cones, if you’re going with at least 1¼ or above, you have a long enough vessel with a wide enough circumference that you’re able to toke with moderate levels of gusto without imparting any harsh heat.
Things change after you’ve burnt past the half-way mark but by that point your probably already comfy on cloud 9 so no dramas.
Reason 4: Natural Gradual Tapered Effect
Some people can smoke entire blunts themselves and operate just fine but for those of us mere mortals a whole cone can be a lot, especially when out and about and surrounded by stimulating sights and sounds.
When I blaze cones on the move I often find that right when I’m getting to the point of “oh boy, I’m feelin’ it pretty good” is when I notice my cone has burnt down to a much smaller circumference.
Having a smoke that decreases in volume and thus intensity as I blaze my way through it works perfectly with my tolerance, bringing me up to cruising altitude real quick and then letting off the throttle a bit for the remainder of the flight.
The result is a perfect dyno graph of maximum “time high” under the line as possible, getting blazed fast and then adding more at incrementally lower volumes throughout the completion of the sesh to keep from geekin.
Reason 5: Consistent & Even Burn Patterns
Not all cones are the same but in my experience, at least with Elements and OCB cones, I get a very consistent and even burn which I don’t always get with hand-rolled or rolling machine produced joints.
This comes down to the manufacturing process and how it standardizes everything form paper thickness to seam-overlap to provide about as flawless of a smoking experience as can be had with fire.
As the cone burns the taper tightens and even if I spark up the beginning a bit lopsided it seems the natural contraction of the circumference and flower volume always find a way to work out into a damn even burn, which is always nice.
Reason 6: Easier Packing For Big Fingers
I have function of all ten of my hand digits but rolling a tight joint with any sort of uniformity or consistency is a real struggle.
Whether from some lack of tactile sensation or just unrefined motor movements rolling by hand has always been challenging for me, even with kings.
While I can pull it off, I usually don’t smoke a king’s worth of flower anyways and rolling single-wides is out of the question without a aid of a rolling machine so when I first discovered how easy it was to pack up a cone it was a bit of a life changer.
I’m still using a tray with a pointed funnel tip to shovel my ground flower into my cones but will eventually upgrade to a multi-cone loader for even more efficient packing operations
Reason 7: Built-in Crutches
One of the hardest parts about hand rolling for me is getting an appropriate sized and folded crutch embedded concentrically in the end of the joint.
Cones offer a perfect filter every single time without the need for the finger origami gymnastics involved with fitting one yourself.
Sure, you could argue that crutches are not necessary and perhaps they aren’t but I quite like having them to prevent loose material from being sucked into my lungs, for the cooling effect that extra space offers, and for the robust area to pinch between my fingers in between tokes.
So, Which Are the Best Cones to Smoke?
If you’ve been cone-curious but haven’t yet taken the dive then now is the time. As I’ve outlined above there are plenty of practical reasons why cones kick ass.
Sure, someone will always talk crap and tell you to just “roll your own” and while everyone should give rolling their own a try, there’s no need to tolerate any of this gatekeeping nonsense.
Fact is many people including myself prefer cones and being able to just fill ‘em up and light ‘em up without the mess and time that comes with hand rolling.
When it comes to cones I found the 1¼ size to be the most versatile for my uses, which include everything from city walks to evening strolls down to the garden. They also fit perfectly in my sleek Holk carrying case for travel.
When it comes to brands and paper materials that is a whole other world but I’ll say I’ve found the French OCB cones, specifically those made out of hemp, bamboo, and unbleached virgin paper to be my favorites.
I find OCB’s papers to be the most flavor neutral, which I prize given I often choose my flower based off it’s nose/flavor characteristics and thus want as minimal flavor distortion as possible.
Buying 50 count OCB “tower” packs is the way to go so you aren’t constantly re-ordering and they are packaged in a way that protects the empty cones’ integrity, which is important with such a delicate product.
Outside of OCB, when it comes to cones (and rolling papers for that matter) I’ve also enjoyed Elements rice paper cones. The unique stamping of the paper does seem to encourage an even burn and the rice paper is practically flavorless as well.
If you’re just getting into cones I recommend buying a few singles or double packs from various brands to smoke back-to-back to determine which ones you prefer most. Just as with strains of cannabis, you and I are likely to have unique personal preferences and that’s totally okay.
Are you a fellow cone lover? If so, what cones do you enjoy the most? If not, let us know why you think regular ole papers are superior in the comments below!
