That’s A Wrap - What's Up W/ Tobacco/Hemp Wraps?

 That’s A Wrap

To be blunt, I have a long history w/ blunts.

Going all the way back to March 1993. That’s when Redman was featured on the cover of High Times and in the article he gives instructions on how to properly roll a blunt, and also in his song How To Roll A Blunt of his album Whut? Thee Album. This began my love and fascination for blunts.

First of all, you get a fat bag of ism

From Uptown, any local store sells the shit, friend

Purchase a Phillie—not the city of Philly, silly punk

I'm talking about the cigar, the Phillie Blunt

Lick the blunt and then the Phillie Blunt middle you split

Don't have a razor blade, use your fuckin' fingertips

Crack the bag and then you pour the whole bag in

Spread the ism around until the ism reach each end

Take your finger and your thumb from tip to tip

Roll it in a motion, then the top piece you lick

Seal it, dry it wit your lighter if ya gotta

The results, mmm proper…..

My tastes have evolved through the years. I may have started out with Phillies, White Owls, Dutch Masters and all the classics to jump on the Backwoods bandwagon. 

But lately, I’ve been using The Original LooseLeaf blunt wraps that come pre-cut and ready to roll. Hand-cut from the highest quality tobacco on the market. https://smokelooseleaf.com/ 

I have started to get picky about the leaf I use. 

If you are looking for a healthy choice you can also try hemp wraps. I recently enjoyed some Sugar Babies I picked up from Velvet, a dispensary in Martinez.

Three mini 1.17g infused Mini Blunts without breaking the bank! These mini blunts are created with 100% premium indoor flowers, infused with crumble and diamonds to give this mini blunt that extra punch. The wrap is imported from Germany, cured in the Dominican Republic, and hand-rolled in California. Tobacco curing does not just change the color of the leaves, it changes the flavor and aroma as well. 

But I am from Tampa Florida, with a rich history of cigar rolling.

In fact I went back for a visit recently and visited Cigar Paradise.

There was someone rolling up tobacco in leaves right there. Now that’s the experience I want, but with weed!

Can somebody please make that happen soon?

Cigars and cigar wraps made from tobacco contain terpenes.

Some of the major components detected in the tobacco leaf extracts include terpenoids, and sterols. 

The transgenic tobacco plant line with the three introduced monoterpene synthases is emitting β-pinene, limonene, and γ-terpinene and a number of side products of the introduced monoterpene synthases, from its leaves and flowers, in addition to the terpenoids emitted by wild-type plants. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC316330/ 

During the drying phase, water lost from the plant material carries with it aromatic compounds including ketones, alcohols, esters, terpenes and more. 

 The Wikipedia entry on tobacco curing has a good summary: “Curing and subsequent aging allow for the slow oxidation and degradation of carotenoids in the tobacco leaf.”

What Is a Carotenoid? A carotenoid is “any of a class of mainly yellow, orange or red fat-soluble pigments, including carotene, which give color to plant parts such as ripe tomatoes and autumn leaves. They are terpenoids based on a structure having the formula C40H56.”

Source: Oxford Dictionaries What You Can Learn From Tobacco Curing

So the primary terpenes in tobacco leaves are going to be 

• Pinene

• Limonene

• Terpinene

• Carotenoids

That’s also why I usually get unflavored wraps, which contain their own natural flavors and scents when cured and stored properly that come from terpenes. 

Think about that the next time you are pairing your weed with a wrap. Ask yourself, what terpenes are present in the weed I’m about to consume and do they go well with the cigar wrap I’m about to use.

And no matter whether tobacco or hemp, remember to choose a good source.