If you enjoy a fat cannabis roll with a long-lasting burn, then you might want to substitute your next blunt for a cannagar instead. A cannagar, short for cannabis cigar, is made entirely with cannabis. The inside is packed with top-tier cannabis flower coated in potent hash oil, a combination similar to what you find in moon rocks. The outside is made with cannabis fan leaves, though you can use hemp paper as an alternative. Cannagar blunts are a relatively new cannabis product increasing in popularity, so it’s more likely than not that you’ll find a pre-roll at your local pot shop. The problem is that they can be pretty expensive. The priciest cannagars can cost thousands of dollars, and it’s normal to see pre-rolls selling for around $200. If you’re interested in trying this luxury cannabis item without giving up this month’s grocery budget, read on to find out how you can make your own cannagar.

How to Make a Cannabis Cigar

There are two ways to make a cannagar: the hard way and the easy way. The hard way uses the same method required to make Thai sticks. Taking two toothpicks, you skewer large, dense, and sticky cannabis nugs together to form a sort of weed kabob. As you use the skewers to stack the nugs on top of each other, you wrap hemp twine around the nugs to keep them in place. If it sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Making cannagars this way is a tricky process because you need to keep the toothpicks close enough together to keep the nugs from breaking apart, but you also need to create enough space between the toothpicks to prevent a large hole from forming in the cannagar’s center. You need a hole for airflow—hence the need for the skewers to begin with. If you don’t use skewers, you won’t be able to smoke the cannagar. It will be like trying to smoke a solid log. No airflow, no burn. However, if the hole created is too large, the increase in airflow can cause your cannagar to burn too quickly. The easy way to make your own cannagar involves using a cannagar mold like the one sold by the Purple Rose Supply. You won’t have to worry about piercing nugs in the perfect spot or keeping your cannabis from falling apart. A cannagar mold does all of that work for you, leaving you with a beautiful, evenly packed cannagar filling. Here’s what you need to make a cannagar and how to do it:

Ingredients and Materials

Roughly 12 grams of your favorite strain of cannabis flower
Grinder
Cannagar mold
Toothpicks for skewing
Packing tool (Purple Rose Supply’s cannagar mold kit comes with skewers, mold, and a packing tool, but you can use any narrow object with a round or flat end, including your pinky, to pack the weed into the mold)
About 3 grams of sappy hash oil
A syringe for hash oil application
Cannabis fan leaves, stems removed.
Hemp twine

Instructions

Grind your cannabis nugs into fine, even pieces.
Place the skewer into the center of the mold.
Using a packing tool, pack the mold with the ground cannabis flower until it is dense and full.
Leaving the cannabis securely enclosed in the mold, place the cannagar mold in a cool place for up to two days. This helps the flower cure and conform to the mold’s shape for a smoother smoking experience.
Carefully remove the cannabis from the mold by the ends of the skewer. The cannabis should look like a smooth cylinder.
Use a syringe to apply hash oil to the outside of the cannabis cylinder. The hash oil will ramp up the potency and provide an adhesive for the leaves.
Wrap fan leaves around the cannabis cylinder until it is completely covered with leaves, but make sure you remove the skewer before enclosing the cylinder with leaves.
Wrap hemp twine around the cannagar to keep the leaves in place.
Store the cannagar in an airtight container for one to two weeks to allow the leaves to cure. If you skip this process, there will be too much chlorophyll in the leaves for a smooth smoke.

In addition to the cost savings, the best thing about making a cannagar yourself is having the freedom to be creative. You can use whatever strains of cannabis and extracts you like to create the flavor and potency you prefer. Once you’ve got this basic process down, feel free to experiment with the size of your cannagar and the ingredients you pack it with.

Cannagar VS Blunts and Thai Sticks

Cannagars are inspired by both Thai sticks and blunts, but the difference between these three products lies in the way they’re all made. Cannagars are unique because they are made entirely from cannabis. From the filling to the leaves, there is no tobacco involved. Like cannagars, Thai sticks are made by skewering compressed cannabis flower and dousing it with a concentrate. Thai sticks became popular in the 70’s, though at that time opium was used to increase their potency. Given the addictiveness of opium and the current opioid problem our country is facing, we don’t recommend you try this. Covering a Thai stick with cannabis concentrates is a better option. If a Thai stick is wrapped with cannabis leaves, it’s essentially a cannagar. However, Thai sticks can be wrapped with any type of rolling paper. A blunt’s distinguishing feature is that it’s rolled with a wrap made from tobacco leaves. Blunts are usually made with either a cigar or cigarillo wrap depending on the amount of cannabis you want to pack inside. Because blunts are made with wraps containing tobacco, they are much more toxic than cannagars. Blunts may be popular in the cannabis community, but they are also arguably the unhealthiest way to smoke weed. A cannagar blunt offers a better alternative for those of who enjoy the girth and slow burn of a traditional blunt but want to avoid the negative health effects of tobacco consumption.