The New Pre-Rolls
By Justin Allec
To say that I wasn’t impressed with pre-rolls when they first came out would be an understatement; I hated what was on the market initially. My forays into this realm of the cannabis industry was tainted by the uniformly poor construction of pre-rolls: they either clogged and smoldered out or canoed like crazy, either way making me pull the pre-roll apart and stuff the cannabis into a reliable pipe. Frustrated with these machine-packed conical joints, I left pre-rolls alone for a long time.
Recently, however, I had a friend share one with me, and I was impressed. The whole construction was different, using a more appropriate cigarette-style shape (a “straight roll”) and a proper filter instead of paper cones, and it burned beautifully—uniformly slow. Enjoyable and easy, this new style of pre-roll prompted me to see what had evolved. As usual, time in The Walleye’s fish tank—our product-testing laboratory—led me to some new favourites.
Good Supply Pineapple Express Pre-Roll (THC 18.00–24.00%, CBD 0.00–1.00%, Hybrid)
Size: 1 x 1g $8.65 or 14 x 0.5g @ $39.95 ($5.71/g)
Reliable and true, Good Supply’s pre-rolled Pineapple Express offering is a bit of a classic in the same way that rock radio works: it’s known and it’s available, so eh, why not? The strain is famous for potency and its fruity taste is a modern classic. The one-gram joint is your typical cone and still doesn’t burn nicely, but the half-gram version works reasonably well.
Redecan Redees Cold Creek Kush Pre-Roll (THC 18.00–24.00%, CBD 0.00–3.00%, Sativa)
Size: 10 x 0.4g @ $22.95 ($5.74/g)
Well, this opened my eyes! Using a straight-roll construction, these choice pre-rolls from Redecan are now in rotation. Cold Creek Kush has always been one of my preferred strains, so having this dank, earthy cannabis in such a convenient package feels like a gift. Easy burning, easy handling, and packed in moderate quantities, a pack of Redees is a great option if you’re going camping for the weekend.
Community Bird Watchers Blunts (THC 22.00–28.00%, CBD 0.00–2.00%, Indica)
Size: 10 x 0.7g @ $49.95 ($7.14/g)
Not going to lie, blunts were never on my Ontario Cannabis Store bingo card, but here we are. A blunt is the same as a joint, except the casing is a cigar wrap instead of a rolling paper. With a heavier, tobacco-adjacent taste, these blunts were a nice (though really potent) surprise. They still use a conical construction, but the wrap keeps the cannabis burning evenly. Sharing is required for these bad boys.
Bonfire Inferno Infused Pre-Roll (THC 40.00–48.00%, CBD 0.00–1.00%, Sativa)
Size: 2 x 1g @ $30.95 ($15.47/g)
And finally, we come to the end point of pre-rolls and the THC arms race with the same product. Using similar construction as the bargain offering from Good Supply but with actual quality materials and construction, these infused one-gram joints from Bonfire are not to be trifled with. Adding an unreal level of potency thanks to a generous sprinkling of THCA isolate, and hands-on quality construction, Bonfire is a company that’s new to me but will easily stay on my radar.
