Edward Rollerhands is the most popular Colorado joint roller you've never heard of

Art By Simon Berger

Next time someone tells you they’re one of the best joint rollers around, have them take a deep breath, sit down and then show them the portfolio of Mr. Edward Rollerhands. If the name doesn’t give it away, Edward Rollerhands has been perfecting his joint rolling talents for over a decade while quietly amassing over 10k Instagram followers who eagerly tune in to see his next creative joint — he’s rolled Star Wars joints, Rick and Morty joints and even Edward Scissorhands joints. And yes, they're all fully smokable.

His talents are in such demand, brands have reached out for sponsored collaborations. He respectfully declined but that hasn’t hindered his momentum. "I could never imagine that creative joints would get the account the following it has..."

We talked with the man of many rolling talents to see what it takes to roll a 2-ounce Aladdin Genie joint and to get definitive answers on what is proper smoke-circle etiquette.

Name: Edward Rollerhands

Hometown: Boulder, Colo.

Favorite strain: C5 Pioneer or GMO depending on the day

Best munchie: Way too spicy Thai food

Best movie to watch when high: Interstellar with the sound too high

Plans for 4/20: Dabbing from early morning with the occasional joint and beer on the porch, may even add some homemade edibles in the mix.

What is it about rolling a joint, blunt, spliff, etc. that you love so much?

The chase of getting close, but never reaching the perfect roll.

Walk us through your ideally rolled joint:

First off, the weed is incredibly important for the end result no matter who rolls the joint. What I look for when I go shopping is a smell that speaks to me, visible resin on the plant, good bud structure, and how dry the material is. When you have great weed (and hash for an infused roll if you're like me) the next step is creating the filter tip. While Raw offers simple filter tips with perforated lines to fold and gum lines to hold it in place, I prefer a sturdier filter that gives a better hand feel and different places for where the lips and finger goes. Without going into which brand of rolling paper is the best, I would focus on finding the thinnest paper that doesn't have a noticeable taste to it. The rolling technique that I would recommend for the ideal joint is the backroll. This is a technique where you place the paper on the table with the gum line at the top as usual, then you take the paper and flip it upside down so that the gum line now is facing down towards the table on the opposite side than before. From here you roll the material into a cylindrical/cone shape, but when you go to close it up you can moisturize the gum line through the overlapping paper. When the gum line has dried you should end up with a joint rolled with a paper flap hanging off. This excess paper can either be cut off with scissors or burned off for a cool visual effect. This technique results in a roll with less overlapping paper which helps put forth the taste of your cannabis more.

How many hours have you spent perfecting your talents?

It depends on how it's defined. I have been rolling joints for at least 11-12 years, but the creative ideas started coming in 2016. However, back then I mostly focused on simpler rolls like a Star Wars lightsaber or pressed cannabis cigars. The first human shape was created during the summer of 2018.

Did you ever think your account would get 10k followers?

I never had any thought of being able to reach an audience this big. The page started out in 2016 with me posting regular joints and cannagars, with the occasional creative attempt. Then in 2018 after a one-year hiatus I decided to remove all my followers and only post blunts. I could never imagine that creative joints would get the account the following it has or that I would be interviewed about it.

You have pictures of you smoking while drinking a beer. What’s your favorite cannabis and beer pairing?

The stay-at-home order has given me the opportunity to find my new favorite pairing - Dank Nugget beer from Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery with a joint filled with any strain. Last time I enjoyed a beer and joint, the joint was filled with the strain called Honey rolled with Strawnana rosin in the center.

You must be the life of the party when you start rolling. Is this the case?

Coming to an event with the creative joint rolled specifically for that night and a few accompanying infused joints puts you in dead center of attention. I mitigate that as well as I can by handing off the creative joint upon arriving and finding a suitable area to the side for me to enjoy the infused rolls.

Do you ever get paid to roll joints for brands?

While there have been many offers, I have declined all of them. At the moment I'd rather keep the joint rolling as a hobby and not lose the fun with it.

With extracts, it seems like joint rolling is a lost trait. How do you feel about this?

Dabs have revolutionized the way to enjoy the cannabis and I mostly dab rosin these days over smoking joints. This means that I'm able to spend more time on each roll to try to make each a memorable experience. My view of the perfect joint is one that has great flower with a uniform distribution of solventless hash throughout, rolled as tight as possible while allowing air to pass, has as little paper overlap as possible, and that smokes evenly to the end. So, I think there's always going to be a place for joint rolling even if dabs become more available to the majority. Then there are the people that swear by flower over concentrates that will keep it alive hopefully.

How long does it take to roll up a Rick and Morty or Aladdin Genie joint? How much weed do you use?

Those take anywhere from a few days to two/three weeks and they have been between 2 grams and 2 ounces. My technique involves creating a sculptured head out of rolling paper that is used to hide the crutch/filter tip that you smoke out of and then rolling the body. I'd say that 75-80% of the time is spent on the head and 20-25% on actually rolling the body.

What is the proper etiquette for smoking a joint in a smoke circle?

It's interesting how the etiquette for the circle has developed in tandem with the time and care spent on each roll. While Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie" still holds in terms of direction, I have added a "rule" to wait in between hits to let the cherry cool down. This is something that I have learned by reading the lengthy posts by another roller on Instagram. It's really fascinating how social media allows people who have niche interests like perfecting the smoke experience to share ideas and techniques.