The OG Bosses of Rolling Papers
Rolling papers! We all know about them, their different types and sizes, the material used in them, whether they burn slow or fast, and lastly the brands that produce them.
Now over the course of time many new and upcoming brands have managed to tweak out the inconveniences that these older rolling paper brands had in their product but only a hand few have managed to replicate and improve what worked for a handful of rolling paper brands that established themselves as titans of the industry.
Hi folks! It’s Mr.Slim here and today we’ll be looking at the founding fathers of the rolling paper industry and learning about their origin.
Kicking things off with the initial founding father is Rizla+. Tracing its roots back to the 17th century, Rizal was originally founded by Alexandro Rizlette de Cramptone Lacroix.
He dawned upon the idea of producing rolling papers when he observed french soldiers carrying papers they had brought back from Spain whilst fighting the war over there.
In 1660, Lacroix started producing rolling papers, eventually forming his own paper mill 76 years later. Lacroix went down in history as the man who supplied Napoleon’s soldiers with rolling papers.
Talking about their rolling papers, their all time classic red king size rolling papers are an absolute to have as your go to rolling paper during a sesh. Thin and structured perfectly you won’t feel disappointed.
When we talk about one of the oldest brands out there when it comes to rolling papers, Smoking paper Co reigns on the second spot after Rizla. Established on the eve of the 20th century, before Smoking Paper Co there was Miquel y Costas. The Miquel family started their operations in the town of Capellades now known as Barcelona, by making paper by hand.
Flashforward to 1924, the family registered the Smoking® brand and thus Smoking Paper Co. was established! Talking about what sets them apart from the rest are their slow burning premium quality rolling papers.
As an avid user myself, they don’t cause a burning sensation in my throat. Check out their collection here.
3. RAW:
Since we’re talking about the big 3, RAW was definitely gonna show up in the top 3 spot. Founded by the legendary Josh Kesselmen in the year 1993, Josh started his journey by establishing his first smoke shop called knuckleheads in Gainesville Florida. Initially fortune wasn’t kind to him as he accidentally sold a bong to a customer whose father was a part of the US government.
After being under house arrest for quite some time, he decided to move to Arizona where he started a smoke shop supply and distribution company called HBI. RAW was established after Kesselman met with the owner of an old rolling paper factory.
Realizing the potential growth and expansion of his business, Kesselman took the decision to become partners with the factory owner and thus established two well known brands: Elements and Juicy Jay’s.
With business being steady and at its prime, Kesselman decided to invest 1 million $ into a supplier of natural, unprocessed and unbleached hemp fiber. This enabled Kesselman to start the mass production of RAW and establish itself as one of the biggest companies in the paraphernalia industry.
When it comes to recommending which rolling paper from RAW, I always say experiment with all of them cause you’ll end up liking them all!
Check out RAW’s Collection here.
4. Gizeh:
Coming in at number 4 on our list is Gizeh. Established during the 1920’s in Germany by Mignot & De Block, Gizeh found its initial success by providing the masses with a choice of choosing between gummed and non-gummed papers.
After the war, Gizeh papers were a well sought commodity making them the most popular rolling paper across Germany. Things went steady for Gizeh and it managed to make a name for itself amongst the big 3. Coming up with the silver tip boy in the 70’s and the first rolling paper booklet to sport a magnetic seal, Gizeh offered the world its unique and creative outlook towards the rolling paper industry.
Check out Gizeh’s collection here.
To conclude, whether you decide to choose RAW over SMK or Smoking all comes down to your personal preference, whether it’s broadening your horizons by trying out new and upcoming brands of rolling papers or sticking to the old guard without feeling any sense of uncertainty.
Which brand of rolling paper do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below