Rolling papers aren’t props. They’re the instrument that sets the pace and feel of a session. Whole towns learned to work with fiber, water and heat the way a luthier tunes a guitar. You can see it in the watermark, in how the seam seals, in how the ember travels without racing or stalling. Today’s factories use tools to keep every sheet the same thickness, the same airflow and the same clean cut. Small hand rooms still make special formats where a person’s eye and touch matter. Soldiers carried papers in field kits. Artists tucked giant sheets into record sleeves to make a point. The paper is part of the ritual, part of the memory of a room, and why a well-rolled joint feels like a small act of craft shared between friends.
That lineage lives in the details. Fiber blends chosen for strength and a low paper taste. Basis weight set to influence ignition and sheet strength. Porosity balanced so a cone stays lit and doesn’t canoe. Calendering and watermarking that help guide an even burn. Plant gums cured to hold without ghosting flavor. Clean cuts and true interleaving that limit edge frays that can start runs. The hum of modern machines gives consistency, while traditional techniques keep the soul of the sheet intact. When people who actually roll talk about “the best,” they’re not choosing a logo. They’re choosing a feel, a burn, a trust earned one booklet at a time.
So we asked our community a simple question: who makes the best rolling paper on earth? The response wasn’t a debate. It was a chorus. Four out of five readers reached for the same maker.
What follows is the snapshot, the counts and the context for why a thin sheet of fiber still carries so much weight once a flame touches the edge.
First, the scoreboard. Then the nuance.
We asked one question: Who makes the absolute best rolling paper in the world?
809 valid responses. One runaway favorite. Result: not even close.
Top line results
RAW: 82.45%
Zig-Zag: 4.94%
Elements: 3.46%
OCB: 1.73%
JOB: 1.48%
Blazy Susan: 0.99%
Smoking: 0.62%
Vibes: 0.62%
Rizla: 0.62%
Everyone else received single mentions.
The fun part
RAW dominated the tally, but the comments reminded us how personal rolling is: shoutouts to Club’s no-glue purists, Bob Marley hemp classics, and S. D. Modiano Club from the collectors.
Why paper quality matters when you actually light up
- Sheet makeup and thickness – Fiber choice (hemp, flax, wood, blends) and basis weight shape ignition, strength and how much paper taste you notice. No single fiber wins every use case.
- Airflow and burn rate – Porosity and surface finish help decide whether a joint cruises, races or canoes.
- Watermarking and calendering – Patterning and compression help the ember travel evenly or slowly if designed by a master artist
- Fillers and ash – Mineral load and additives change ash color and residue. White ash isn’t proof of purity by itself; dark ash isn’t automatically bad. Uniform burn and low residue matter most.
- Gum line and seal – Evenly applied, plant-based gums lower seam failures and funky flavors.
- Cut quality and interleaving – Clean edges and true sizing stop frays that start runs.
- Moisture and storage – Too dry cracks and burns hot; too humid stalls. Keep packs closed, out of heat and sun and store with your material so humidity will coordinate!
- Format fit – Match size and cut (1¼, king slim, wides, cones, customs) to grind particle size and tip for proper airflow.
- Process control – Good makers likely watch thickness, porosity, gum mass and contaminants and screen for metals. Labels and claims vary by region.
- Technique still matters – Grinding, rolling, packing and lighting techniques make or break flavor and evenness. A consistent paper lets good techniques repeat.
“There’s always a way to make it better.” — Josh Kesselman
How we asked
One question. Multiple choice with an open write-in. No ranking. No trick wording: “Who do you think makes the absolute best rolling paper in the world?”
Who answered
High Times readers and subscribers. Self-selected. 809 valid responses as of January 26, 2026.
How we collected
We shared a link with our audience and tallied responses. We removed duplicate entries and obvious spam. This is not a nationally representative survey. It reflects the taste of High Times readers.
What the numbers mean
A directional snapshot of preference inside our community. Not market share. Not a lab test. One clean signal from people who love to roll and smoke.
The conflict check
RAW founder Josh Kesselman is also the Publisher of High Times. That matters, so we kept this tight:
• Josh did not share or promote the poll
• RAW did not share or promote the poll
• Readers found the poll only through High Times channels
A note on standards, in Josh’s own words
Josh’s approach to making papers helps explain why many readers prefer RAW. It’s a philosophy more than a product list.
- On no shortcuts: “I could do this so much faster… it’s not about speed it’s about perfection and art”
- On additives: “If I don’t want to smoke it I’m not gonna add it”
- On purpose: “You have to have a passion for whatever it is that you do.”
- On team and lineage: “This isn’t really me. Everyone cares here; it’s family.”
But what about science?
Taste is one thing. Performance is another. We’re working with an independent lab to evaluate how rolling papers perform and what they’re made of. We’ll publish the data when it’s ready.
Planned measures include
- Burn profile and burn rate
- Ash content and residue
- Paper basis weight and porosity
- Adhesive presence and quality where relevant
- Heavy metals screen and other safety markers
If lab data lines up with what readers love, that’s a story. If it doesn’t, that’s a story too. Either way, you’ll see it.
Brand notes the industry will care about
• RAW’s share here is dominance. If you make papers, this is your benchmark
• Legacy names like Zig-Zag and JOB still register. Heritage still matters
• Elements and OCB have their own loyal fans
• A dozen boutique names earned single votes. Fragmentation at the edges is real
Reader-ranked feelings (anecdotal, not counted in the topline)
A slice of respondents also sent ranked lists. They mostly echo the main result. RAW shows up first a lot. Elements is a frequent runner-up. Mascotte and Gizeh pop into top fives. Nostalgia brands like Rizla and Zig-Zag make regular cameos. It’s emotion, not science.
Sample mixes readers sent
RAW, Elements, Smoking, Mascotte, Gizeh, Rizla…
RAW, Mascotte, Gizeh, Rizla, Zig-Zag, Elements…
Elements, Smoking, RAW, Gizeh, Rizla, OCB…
Full results (counts)
RAW — 667
Zig-Zag — 40
Elements — 28
OCB — 14
JOB — 12
Blazy Susan — 8
Vibes — 5
Smoking — 5
Rizla — 5
Mascotte — 2
Lion Rolling Circus — 2
Club — 2
TOPS — 1
Snail Papers — 1
Snail — 1
Skunk brand rolling papers — 1
S. D. Modiano Club — 1
Randy’s! — 1
Randy’s — 1
KONG WRAPS — 1
King Palm — 1
Kashmir, made in USA — 1
high hemp — 1
Club papers — 1
Club no glue 1 1/4 are the best ever! — 1
Bob Marley Hemp — 1
Bob Marley full hemp — 1
Bob Marley — 1
Bem Bolado — 1
Amorphia Acapulco Gold — 1
Amorphia — 1
Total responses: 809
Editor’s note
Rolling papers are consumer goods. People like what they like. This piece reflects reader preference, not an endorsement. We’ll publish independent lab results so you can compare taste with performance.
If you only remember one thing
Our audience just sent a love letter to RAW. The chorus was loud. Now we see what the lab says.
