Rolling papers (thin, rectangular papers designed for rolling cigarettes) typically come in interleaved packages of twenty or forty. Around the world, rolling papers are sold to create cigarettes, which are filled with tobacco, hashish, cloves, damiana (an aromatic Texan shrub), and cannabis. The rolling paper’s “ingredients” vary depending on where the rolling paper is made: most papers are produced in Europe, where wood, rice, and hemp are most frequently used. In China, the predominant ingredient in rolling papers is flax—where rolling papers also tend to be thicker.
Rolling papers were developed in Spain at the turn of the sixteenth century, around the time of the Spanish Encounter in Latin America. Explorers like Christopher Columbus were returning to the Old World with cigars, which were received by the Spanish as an exotic indulgence. The cigars instantly became stylish, and since they had to be imported from the New World, their value remained high. In Europe, no part of the cigar was ever wasted; tobacco from stubbed-out cigars was rolled up into squares of newspaper, and rolled cigarettes were born.
Over time, commercially-produced rolling papers replaced newspaper ones, which were deemed toxic due to high levels of ink. Originally, smokers purchased sheets of rolling paper, which they then cut by hand into cigarette-sized portions. By the nineteenth century, though, the Spanish began producing booklets of pre-cut papers. Incidentally, the first ten trademarks ever issued by the government of Spain were for rolling papers.
Nowadays, you’re likely to encounter only very thin rolling papers. That’s because the paper mills of today use small-structure cellulose to create their rolling papers. Older paper mills used more dense fibers—today, those same older mills now make filter “tips” instead, to be sold in concert with rolling papers. Typically, rolling papers on the mass market are made of chlorine-whitened paper, although “raw” organic papers are also available.
Remember: you have to be eighteen to purchase rolling papers. In the United States, the most popular rolling paper brands include Zig-Zag, RizLa+, TOP—and now Shine Rolling Papers.