Look for papers that burn slowly and evenly. Look for papers that contain few chemical additives, as some chemicals burn with a bad flavor. Consider brands like RAW natural hemp rolling papers and Zig-Zags. If you plan to carry your papers around with you, get a rolling paper protector. Put your rolling papers into this metal case to prevent them from bending and tearing. Improvise a case from an empty mint or gum tin. Carry spare paper. Gummed strips torn from a spare paper are great for mending tears, leaks, and gaps.

Consider common, generally affordable brands like Bali Shag and American Spirit. Consider rolling clove cigarettes. All you need to do is mix shredded cloves with your tobacco. Clove cigarettes usually contain a ratio of 60-70 percent tobacco to 30-40 percent clove. [1] X Trustworthy Source Go Ask Alice Medical advice site with content written by health promotion specialists affiliated with Columbia University Go to source Some people like to roll their cigarettes with pipe tobacco. Feel free to do this, but keep in mind that pipe tobacco is usually longer and wetter than cigarette-rolling tobacco. Thus, it may pack too densely, and it may not burn as well in a cigarette. If you want to use pipe tobacco, try to cut it more finely and dry it out before rolling. [2] X Research source

It helps if the color of the surface contrasts with your tobacco so that the tobacco doesn’t blend in. Rolling tobacco on a thick brown carpet, for instance, could quickly become a nightmare. Make sure that the tobacco is not too compact. Tear it apart lightly, so it still forms one connected unit.

The index finger in the crease serves to stabilize the paper as you add tobacco, and it will also keep tobacco from spilling out the end. This end will become the tip of the cigarette—the part that you light.

If needed, even out the tobacco along the paper to make it consistent. Getting it as level as possible helps the cigarette burn more smoothly. If it is damp or clumped, gently pick apart any lumps with your fingers. You may wish to leave some hanging over the ends: you can pinch it off later, and it will keep the ends from being too narrow.

Buy a bag of fresh cellulose cigarette filters. You can find these online, at smoke shops, and at certain marijuana dispensaries. These are essentially the same filters that you’d find on a store-bought cigarette. [4] X Research source Remove the filter from a store-bought cigarette. If you have store-bought filter cigarettes around, and you don’t want to smoke them—or if you just want to practice rolling—you can carefully tear the paper and remove the filter. Lay this filter into your rolled cigarette. Make your own rough filter. First, tear a thin strip of sturdy paper from an index card or business card. Fold it three times to make a pleat, and roll the rest of the unfolded filter around the folded. It should look like a “W” encircled. Make sure that that the folded filter will fit smoothly into the cigarette; you may need to adjust it several times. Keep in mind that this homemade filter will only block the largest particulate matter from entering your lungs. [5] X Research source

The front edge of the paper should tuck snugly behind the tobacco as you begin to roll. This may take a few tries. Just keep moving the front of the paper up and down, and gently push in with the thumbs until it catches.

Be sure to add a filter now if you want one. Tuck the filter snugly into one end of the rolling compartment. Remember that the more tightly you pack the cigarette, the more difficult it will be to draw smoke. This especially the case with machine-rolling.