Rolling your own

We don't have those premium cigarettes in my area, but experience is that roll your own's compare strongly to good 'normal' cigarettes. The best premade cigarette I've smoked is Kamel Reds, and god do I love them.

Relativey soon, I will be ordering a great multitude of different RYO tobacco types to expand my horizon.

:as I smoke a Zig Zag and a Bugler Gold:

I recently got some Nat Sherman Natural Browns, and as the name suggests, they are brown cigarettes that are apparently, natural.

The things have a curious shape to them being very long, slim and generally elegant, rather like a tiny cigarillo.

A nice mild, sweet taste with a short filter.

In France rolled cigarettes are more of a "poor persons" thing. Think unfiltered badly rolled cigarettes with piece of rolled cardboard to avoid having pieces of tobacco in your mouth. They certainly don't compare in quality to dunhill's but offer an otherwise interesting sight for those outside of french high school courtyards.

You can get a bag of filters pretty cheap. When I used to smoke on and off, (succumbing to peer pressure) we would hand roll filters with American Spirit and whatever papers happened to be lying around. Once we picked up the hang of rolling, it was just as good if not better then any "regular cig."

I've heard good things about Jester.

Around here, you usually see them with a poor redneck. People see me rolling one up and are blown away.

I personally love the control you have over the cigarette. Sometimes, if I don't want a heavy smoke, I'll roll a 'half cig' with only a little tobacco. If I'm out drinking, I may roll a heavy cigarette with a lot of tobacco a little tighter, for a longer, cooler, stronger smoke.

That, and the fact that I know I'm getting pure tobacco instead of whatever RJ wants to use as a 'filler'.

They're nice cigarettes. I have a pack somewhere around here.

I used to roll and smoke Drums back in the good ol' college days. It was definitely more cost effective buying one of those coffee-tin sized cans of tobacco... but when drunk and fiending for a cigarette, rolling your own can be a major pain in the ass. For pre-emptive convenience, I used to roll a handfull at a time while watching South Park and keeping the rolled cigs in an altoid tin (it gave them a menthol-like minty freshness).

Campus police would give me static all the time because my ratty-ass rolling skills made it look like I was smoking a j in public (midday... in front of the library).

I never mastered the use of one of those pocket cig rolling contraptions either. Those things just felt like a flimsy piece of junk. It was too much of an ordeal to carry loose tobacco, papers, and a rolling machine.

Well anyone who rolls in public is destined for inconvenience with the law, regardless of the content being rolled or your skillz.

Well I didn't want to speak about what I haven't tried yet, but I will share my ideas on what I've heard.

RYO cigarettes are like brewing your own beer: it is easy to do better than the standard offerings you can buy outright, but you can still easily make something mediocre as well. Many easily found RYO cigarette brands are not much different from the standard cigarette, in terms of taste. They are more pure, cheaper, and stronger, but not necessarily a better taste. My examples of these would be Buglers. They are a strong cig, with a fairly decent taste, but nothing special. They are not smooth, so most would not prefer them compared to a premium premade cigarette.

Zig Zags are very similar to Buglers in the regard they are strong, not smooth, and compare to a normal cigarette; I would say they lean toward a more turkish and/or oriental tobacco taste, though.

TOPs are better; they are smooth, a fairly mild, light taste and strength. I think they are an excellent cigarette to get started out on and it's found in many places.

Bugler Golds are fairly moist from the pouch and have a very rich, almost pipe-tobacco aroma to them. They are very mild, comparable to TOPs, with TOPS being a bit more mild. IMO, these are much better than the 'standard' cigarette. Probably comparable to a more premium cigarette. TRY THESE if you find them anywhere. Seeing as Bugler is owned by Lane Tobacco (the major pipe tobacco producer), it is no surprise the smell is there and the moisture content is high.

Those are what I've tried so far. From what I've heard and read, Drum RYO's are very good for a smooth yet full flavor. I saw them at the local WalMart this evening and totally forgot to pick up a pouch. I will probably stop by in the next few days to purchase a pouch and see what all the fuss is about.

Bali Shag Red is also supposed to be a great mild Danish blend. American Spirits are a good natural blend, and I even heard there is a red Perique version that I would kill to try. And if you're into perique, I've heard S.J. Rimboche perique RYO tobacco is great, you just have to find it. Three Castles from HBI is a very good, mild blend. It is made from an old method of 'washing' the tobacco to get rid of most of the juices, making the smoke extremely mild (and almost bland!).

IMO, RYO tobacco is for do-it-yourselfers. You gotta find what you prefer! Even though I haven't yet smoked the premium premade cigarettes you listed in the first post, I would recommend you try Bali Shag Red, Bugler Gold, and possibly Drum to try out.


Jenaimarr - that's what I do. I'll roll out a pack (20) cigarettes and carry in a case so I don't have to worry about rolling. Also, the little rolling machines are a life saver for a newbie roller. The plastic belt-thing is usually stiff when you first buy them and will roll a way-too-tight cigarette. The trick is to break it in a bit or let it get warm by sitting it in the sun a little while to soften it up. Not too much, though, because too much sun will make the belt separate at the seam. The rolling machines will consistently roll a PERFECTLY round cigarette that easily passes as a premade cigarette unless someone notices the lack of markings and filter. Then again, after a while you get pretty good at rolling them yourself, so who needs a machine?!

I much preferred the taste of RYO cigarettes once I found tobaccos I enjoyed. A pure Turkish or Turkish/Perique blend were my choices. Also, don't neglect how different papers affect the taste.

The moister stringier tobacco like Jester or Drum tastes better than most manufactured cigarette tobacco. Only problem is being unfiltered (unless you roll filters in, I guess) these will stain your teeth and mouth and leave a lot more tar taste in there.

This has caused me to remember something about my late uncle that I had forgotten. He rolled his own, and the process was the most fascinating thing in the world for a little boy to watch - he'd reach into his overalls and pull out the tin of tobacco and the little envelope of papers....at that point in my life I had never seen rolling papers before. He was a farmer in Tennessee who in my earliest recollection didn't even have indoor plumbing, so I have no doubt it was all about saving money.

The next time I talk to my brother I'll have to ask him if he remembers that. Thanks for the memory.