How to Dutch Crown Finish Your Pre-Rolled Joints

While the easiest way to close a pre-roll is a simple twist, the Dutch Crown or fold is a more premium finish, with a flat top that many people say creates a cleaner and more professional looking pre-rolled cone.

More importantly though, many people say that the Dutch Crown, or folded finish, is easier to light than a twist and prevents the pre-roll from canoeing, or running down one side of the joint, partially because correctly lighting a twisted top is more difficult than a flat one.

So what is the easiest way to create a pre-roll with a Dutch Crown Finish?

How to Fold a Dutch Crown

First, fill your pre-rolled cone as you normally would, making sure to create an even density throughout the entire cone. We recommend using a cone-filling machine for this, such as the Fill N Fold or the King Kone, to create consistent, high-quality pre-roll. By using a volumetric metering tray with either machine, you can help ensure the same amount of flower drops into each of your cones, so your customers receive a similar product every time they buy.

Next, grab a packing tool, such as those that come with our pre-rolled cones, a metal rod or even a metal chopstick. It just needs to have a flat end that is small enough to fold over the paper at the rim of your pre-rolled cone.

Make sure that your pre-roll has a firm pack, particularly at the top of the cone, so you have a firm structure to fold against. Tamp down your flower a bit to leave between 3-5 millimeters of the cone unfilled. That should give you enough paper to fold over to create a Dutch Crown-style finish.

Use the edge of your tamping tool to fold over about ¼ of the paper on top of the flower you just tamped. Press firmly, but not hard, and give the tool a little twist to crease the fold into place.

Rotate the cone and then fold down the next section using the same technique. Repeat this one to two more times and then give the top a final tamp by centering the flat end of your tamping tool in the middle of the pre-roll and giving it another twist to lock the fold in place.

We find that three folds make the best folded tops, though four also creates a professional looking finish.

Voila, a simple, Dutch Crown-style top.

Common Mistakes When Making a Dutch Crown Fold

One of the most common mistakes producers can make when trying to create a Dutch Crown is filling their cones too loosely. If this is the case, when you use your tamping tool for the first step, it can pack the flower deeper into the cone than expected, potentially creating an uneven pack while also leaving too much empty space and paper at the top that is too long to neatly fold over.

To prevent this, make sure you are using the right size cone for your fill weight (e.g., 109mm king size cones for 1 gram, 84mm 1 ¼ cones for half grams, 70mm mini dogwalker cones for 0.3 grams, etc.) and use a volumetric metering tray to ensure that you are putting the right amount in each pre-rolled cone to leave those 3-5 millimeters needed to fold over.

Again, we recommend folding over about 1/3 of the paper with a slight twist and then using the flat end of your tamping tool to give it a final push and twist, giving the end of your pre-roll a bit of a lip that not only looks great, but makes lighting easier.

Benefits of a Dutch Crown

Not only does the Dutch Crown look great and light easier, but customers and budtenders alike appreciate the more professional-looking finish. Budtenders think the Dutch Crown style finish is a better way to finish the joint than a twist and budtenders are the best recommendation your product can get.

The Dutch Crown or folded top is easier to light and is less likely to canoe or run. It is slightly more work from a production standpoint than a simple twist, but in the long run, it can really pay off.

The Fill N Fold’s Tamping and Folding Tool

For companies interested in speeding up their production of Dutch Crown-style pre-rolls, we recommend the Fill N Fold cone-filling machine, which comes with a special folding/tamping tool. The machine will fill up to 121 cones in a single cycle, and while fewer than some other machines, the tool allows users to fold over the tops of 11 cones - one row - at a single time, vastly speeding up the back end of production.

In fact, because of the folding/tamping tool, the Fill N Fold reigned victorious over all the others in our Battle of the Pre-Roll Machines, producing 837 pre-rolls with a Dutch Crown finish per hour in our single operator test (compared to 585 with the King Kone and 529 with a Knockbox, both of which were finished with twists) and 1,361 in a two-operator test (compared to 1,170 for the King Kone and 1,000 for the Knockbox, again finished with twists).

Final Thoughts on the Dutch Crown Style Finish for Joints

The Dutch Crown style finish creates a more professional looking pre-roll than a simple twist. It is preferred by budtenders and customers alike, not only for its clean aesthetic, but because it is easier to light and less likely to canoe or run.

And though it may take a little longer than a twist, following the simple procedure above will help your employees master the technique in no time. Or, pick up a Fill N Fold with its special folding/tamping tool to speed things up even further.

Contact the Pre-Roll Experts today to find the right pre-rolled cones for you and to take advantage of our expertise to help you speed up your pre-roll production at every step.