Non-Tobacco Natural Blunt Wraps: The Alternatives
Posted by Custom Cones USA on Oct 27th 2022
Originally published 10/2/2020 Updated 7/2/2024
The pre-roll market is expanding and growing at a rapid rate bringing new and exciting options and alternative, but one thing remains consistent: the inability to mix tobacco and cannabis products. For companies selling pre-rolled blunts, that means having to find an alternative to the classic tobacco leaf wraps.
However, thanks to constant innovation, there’s more variety than ever in the modern cannabis industry when it comes to wrapping your pre-roll blunts!
The hemp wrap was the first blunt paper to be legalized for the cannabis market, but it has now expanded to include various types of natural leaves and wraps that each offer their own benefits that enhance the overall smoking experience.
Not sure what's available? That’s alright! This post serves as your comprehensive guide to the alternatives to non-tobacco blunt wraps.
Perhaps the most popular tobacco free blunt wraps on the market, hemp wraps are made with all-natural hemp, allowing most smoke shops to stay stocked up with options. These wraps have a similar look and feel to classic tobacco leaves like Swisher Sweets or Dutch Masters and burn at a rate familiar to most blunt smokers.
Most hemp wraps have a semi sweet, natural flavor profile that compliments cannabis and other herbal blends very well. There are also flavored options on the market for those looking for a taste of something different. Brands like Juicy Jays and Kingpin offer their hemp wraps in soft, flat sheets, which are easy to roll and stay very fresh. High Hemp and Royal Blunts sell their wraps fashioned around sticks to maintain shape and assist in the rolling process.
Custom Cones USA sells hemp wrap cones and tubes, as well as hemp wrap bobbins, for those looking for the most convenient options on the market. Our hemp wrap bunt cones are rich, slow burning and sourced from all-natural European hemp. You can’t go wrong!
But hemp wrap cones and tubes need a little bit of care and attention before filling them with your product. Unlike pre-rolled cones and tubes made with standard papers, the hemp wraps are made of all natural hemp, which naturally dries out over time and can crack or split when being filled and closed.
To help combat that, our Pre-Roll Experts recommend allowing a few days after unpacking your hemp wrap items for them to re-hydrate by storing them with humidity moisture packs or by leaving them in a humidor for a few hours. Alternatively, you can also add moisture to these products using a handheld steamer in a pinch, as demonstrated on our YouTube channel below. These hemp wrap cones and tubes need a bit more time and care, but your customers are sure to appreciate your efforts!
Hemp wrap cones and tubes need a little bit of care and attention before filling them with your product. Unlike pre-rolled cones and tubes made with standard papers, the hemp wraps are made of all natural hemp, which naturally dries out over time. Custom Cones USA recommends allowing a few days after unpacking your hemp wrap items for them to re-hydrate by storing them with humidity moisture packs. Alternatively, you can also add moisture to these products using a handheld steamer in a pinch, as demonstrated on our YouTube channel below. These hemp wrap cones and tubes need a bit more time and care, but your customers are sure to appreciate your efforts!
Hybrid Hemp Wraps
Another option for fans of hemp wrap blunts is our specially designed hybrid hemp wraps. Made with a combination of hemp fibers, other hemp plant material and natural food-grade additives that help keep the hemp from drying out, these hybrid hemp wrap blunt cones stay fresh longer than traditional hemp wraps, while still providing the smooth-burning, slow smoke that blunt fans expect.
Our hybrid hemp wrap blunt cones are THC- and tobacco-free and available in brown, dark brown and a unique eye-catching green. They are flavor-free, but have a subtle, earthy flavor that enhance but never overpower the taste of your flower.
Plus, our hybrid hemp wrap blunt cones are designed to fit in standard cone-filling machines like the King Kone and Fill N’ Fold so you can seamlessly switch between standard pre-rolled cones and blunt cones without losing any production time.
Botanical Blunt Wraps
Botanical blunt wraps will likely appeal to consumers that like the slow burn and fullness from a blunt, but are looking for something more unique than a hemp cone. Compared to hemp wraps, which are of course made from hemp – these botanical wraps are made from other natural materials.
All of our botanical blunt wraps are made from the actual material, so they are not artificially flavored. The scent and taste are not overbearing and lean to the subtle side.
Our Goji berry pre-rolled blunt cones are a vibrant orange color and are sure to stand out on dispensary shelves. The flavor is understated, but noticeable and will not overpower your flower, complimenting it instead. These goji berry blunt cones are thin and pliable and will remain soft and easy to twist/fold no matter how long it is left out.
These botanical blunt cones are not for everyone, but with their bright color and flavor they are a welcome addition to any pre-rolled blunt line.
The most novel wraps on the list are flower petal wraps and cones, like rose blunts. With an unmistakable look, floral aroma, and subtly sweet taste, flower petals may seem a bit odd in comparison to the rest of the alternatives out there, but for people looking for an alternative to tobacco or hemp, the idea of rose petals often jumps to the top.
However, despite their beauty and aroma, smokers should be aware of several concerning factors about rose petal pre-rolls before sparking up.
First, and most importantly, roses are notoriously challenging to cultivate without the use of pesticides. While this is not a significant issue in a bouquet, inhaling pesticides into your lungs can be hazardous to your health.
Roses, like many plants also, absorb metals from the soil. These metals are subsequently stored within the petals. As a result, rose petals utilized for rolling papers may harbor traces of heavy metals, presenting potential health hazards when smoked.
Furthermore, rose petals have a high moisture content, creating an ideal environment for the growth of microbes and fungi during production, shipping, and storage. Unlike cannabis flowers, which undergo rigorous testing for contaminants, including pesticides, heavy metals, and microbials, many rolling papers, including rose petals, may not undergo such scrutiny. As a result, these contaminants could end up in your joint.
At Custom Cones USA, we no longer carry rose petal products because of our inability to find a consistently clean source of roses that are free of pesticides and heavy metals, which we test all of our products for. Many of these products failed to meet our safety standards for harmful substances such as aspergillus, a fungus known to cause serious illness when inhaled, or pesticides like acephate, azoxystrobin, or cyprodinil.
So while rose petal joints may offer an appealing aroma, they present significant health risks and we recommend keeping roses in vases where they belong rather than using them for rolling papers.
Instead, opt for our rose-scented, pink paper pre rolled cones. With a gentle scent of rose – and always tested for heavy metals, pesticides and microbials – these pre rolled cones may not be blunt cones, per se, but they’ll get the job done.
Although these wraps seem relatively new, Jamaica locals have long used banana leaves to smoke everything from tobacco to cannabis. Banana leaves are vegan-friendly and free of the harmful ingredients found in traditional cigarillos. These tobacco-free blunt wrap alternatives provide a slow, smooth, and bold smoking experience with full, smoky drags every time.
Banana leaf wraps have no banana flavor present while smoking, which may be a good thing for most blunt smokers looking for an alternative that doesn’t overpower the flavor of their herb. It’s truly difficult to find a more robust smoking experience than banana leaf wraps these days.
However, like any naturally grown product, there is a lack of consistent regulation regarding banana leaf wraps, which could lead to various heavy metals and pesticides being used in their production and remaining in the leaves, so caution is always advised when selecting non-tested products.
Palm Leaves
Another popular natural blunt wrap alternative is palm leaves. Many pre-rolled blunt producers and brands pack their product into these familiar green tubes for the slower burn and robust, earthy flavor. They often also have corn husk filters, maintaining their “natural” feel.
And though called “palm leaves,” the two main leaves use for blunt wraps come not from palm tress, but from the cordia tree of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific Islands and from the tendo tree of central India.
However, like rose petals and banana leaves, palm leaf blunt tubes are natural materials that can often contain unsafe levels of heavy metals, pesticides and/or mold. The heavy metals come from the soil these palm style leaves grow in and the pesticides are sprayed directly on these crops or drift from nearby farms.
In 2022, for example, King Palm, the top producer of palm leaf wraps and cones, ran into an issue when the Colorado Medical Enforcement Division issued a recall for several of their products that were found to contain unsafe mold and yeast levels. That came only a year after SC Labs in California discovered pesticides in several of King Palm’s products.
Custom Cones USA no longer sells palm wraps or palm leaf blunt tubes because, like rose petals, we were unable to source leaves that would consistently pass our strict testing regiment.
With your first puff of a non-tobacco blunt, you’ll immediately notice the lack of tobacco flavor. Instead, the taste of the herb is at the forefront of the smoking experience - right where it should be.
Smokers of less premium weed – and fans of additional flavoring – may also want to go for flavored hemp wraps or natural palm leaves; each option offering enough flavor to help keep things enjoyable.
Whether you’re choosing to highlight, mask, or add something different to the taste of your smoking experience, choosing natural alternatives are a great way to go.
Effect is where the experience differs most when comparing tobacco vs. non-tobacco blunts. If you’ve ever smoked a traditional blunt or spliff, you may have experienced an added focus or prolonged high from the combination of cannabis and tobacco.
Ultimately, it’s the nicotine in the tobacco that’s adding this effect, which can be the most difficult element of making the transition. But keep in mind that the same tobacco that creates that effect brings an added health risk. Choosing a side in this regard can seem difficult, but you can always alternate between tobacco or non-tobacco wraps; everything is better in moderation, anyways, right?
By using these natural blunt wrap alternatives, you give your pre-roll brand the upper hand by making your product look more visually appealing and unique.
From the natural hemp blunt to botanical goji berry cones, no doubt that you can find the alternative paper type that best suits your brand's needs. Your pre-rolls will stand out on the shelves and attract new and returning customers to your pre-roll brand!
Pair your new blunt wraps with a stylish, premium packaging option like a glass tube with cork or a child-resistant glass tube and there is no doubt that your pre-rolls will be flying off the shelves in no time.
Not sure where to begin? You can always visit our website and look at all the different tobacco blunt wrap alternatives we offer!
Consumers are looking for more and more convenient options as their lives become more fast-paced, and as more and more cannabis users become familiar with the pre-roll, they will begin to expect the same of their blunts.
Now is the time to offer your customers non-tobacco natural blunt wrap pre-rolls that are ready to smoke, so that your brand becomes a part of their lifestyle and routine! We have plenty of hemp wrap cones ready to ship to you from our Washington warehouse. Or reach out to a Pre-Roll Expert about custom pre-rolled blunt options today!