Blunt vs Joint — How Are They Different? (Comparison)

As we’ve discussed in our beginner guide to cannabis, there are 2 ways to consume weed:

• By smoking (or inhaling)
• By eating (edibles)

When it comes to smoking weed, you have a choice between using blunts, joints, bongs (pipes) or vaporizers.

Vaporizers are generally considered to be a bit easier on the lungs because they do not combust the flower. They just heat it up to the minimal temperature needed to release THC, CBD and other cannabinoids.

Bongs and pipes are a bit more unhealthy, as the water inside the bong cools down the smoke and makes it less harsh on your respiratory system. Bongs are also great if you smoke alone: you can pack a bowl and just take hits whenever you feel like it.

However, for users who are into smoking (and possibly smoking socially), there is simply nothing better than rolling up a joint or a blunt and watching the sunset with your crew. Even though joints and blunts are the least healthy option for smoking weed, they epitomize stoner culture like nothing else.

That being said, there are considerable differences between the two and this is something every stoner should know.

Let’s jump right in.

Joints and blunts use different wraps

If you’d like to roll up a joint, you’d use a 32-pack standard rolling paper. These are very thin and come in various lengths: from 60 to 120 mm. The longest commercially available rolling paper is the 120s, which is over 120mm.

Blunts, on the other hand, are rolled using wraps from emptied out cigars and cigarillos. This involves a little bit of extra work, as you have to open up a cigar, empty its contents and re-wrap it with the weed inside.

They taste and feel different

Since blunts use cigar paper they have a much stronger taste — they are made from tobacco so they naturally produce more smoke than joints.

However, smoke from the blunt also contains nicotine and other flavors (users usually buy flavored cigars for this purpose), so the sensation is a bit more stronger than your regular joint.

Joints, on the other hand, are rolled up in papers that are made from plant fibers (like hemp) and that paper does not have a taste of its own. You just roll the weed up and every bit of flavor that you feel comes from the bud itself.

Note: you can also buy flavored rolling papers for joints.

Another note: if you are not into consuming nicotine and other substances found in tobacco, stick to joints for the time being.

Blunts can pack way more weed

Cigars are both longer and wider than your regular rolling paper which means you can pack up much more weed inside a blunt.

Example:

If a regular joint can hold 0.5-0.7 grams then you can easily put 1.0-1.2 grams in a regular blunt.

Longtime users, who have developed a slight resilience to cannabis over the years, can even put up to 3 grams in a large blunt and even up to an entire gram in a joint.

With that in mind, if you are novice and intermediate user, you should probably stick to lower volumes of weed, as the bigger volumes can undoubtedly get you too stoned. And that can result in an unpleasant experience.

Additionally, if you are smoking in a social environment with a couple of people around, then you’re best off with a blunt. Just roll one up and you’re good to go.

Joints burn a lot faster

Joints are rolled up in much thinner papers than blunts, which means they burn almost twice as fast.

This may or may not be something you like, just have in mind that due to the amount of weed and the composition of paper, there are a lot less hits (inhalations) in a joint than there are in a blunt.

There are joint rolling techniques that make the joints burn more slowly, but they are not easy to master.

Generally, joints provide a less potent high as the blunts contain much more cannabis and burn longer.

Just to illustrate an example:

If a blunt is rolled tightly, it can last up to 15 minutes — perfect for multiple people and, you will agree, pretty hardcore for a single smoker. Tightly rolled joint can last up to 5 minutes.

The main message here for you as a beginner is to stick with joints at first and work your way up to blunts (or use them when smoking with a group of people).

Also, you could implement a few tricks to make your joint burn slower.

To “wrap” it up…

Finally, the main difference between joints and blunts is:

Your own preference.

If you are into smoking cannabis, try out both joints and blunts and see for yourself. When you do start shopping for smoking gear, be sure to check out all different varieties of both: there are countless different flavors and sizes to choose from.