What is a Thai Stick?
Thai Sticks are a type of weed cigar from Thailand. A Thai Stick is a classic cannabis cigar known for its unique makeup, its legendary status amongst stoners, and its strong high, which many compare to their first high off of weed. Thai Sticks are made from an extensive process that consists of putting a potent sativa onto a bamboo stick coated in oil, wrapping it in fan leaves, and tying it all together with hemp. Thai Sticks are mainly discussed among boomers and Gen Xers due to their rise in popularity during the Vietnam War.
How to Make a Thai Stick
Gather your materials. To make a Thai Stick, gather bamboo sticks, parchment paper, fresh fan leaves, cannabis concentrate, hemp wick, and the flower of your choice. Depending on how many Thai Sticks you want to make, you may need anywhere from 3.5-14g (0.12-0.5oz) of flower. Use the Thai weed strain or a sativa-dominant strain for an authentic Thai Stick.
Sharpen your bamboo stick and organize your cannabis by size. If your bamboo stick doesn’t already have a sharp, pointed end, grab a knife or sharp edge and use it to sharpen one of the sides of your stick. Then, take your flower and organize it by size, pairing similar-sized buds together so there aren’t any unnecessary bulges in your Thai Stick. If you want to help the bud stick and enhance your high, coat your stick in oil during this step.
Twist the bamboo stick into your bud. Grab your bud and gently twist the bamboo stick until it penetrates all the way through. Twist the stick instead of sending it straight through to avoid breaking the bud apart. Once you’ve gotten your first bud onto the stick, repeat the twisting process with the rest of your buds.
Wrap your budded stick with parchment paper. Grab enough parchment paper to wrap around your stick. Lay it on a flat surface, place your budded stick on the left or right end, then wrap the parchment paper all the way around it. Once it’s wrapped, grab the ends of your paper and twist them around the ends of your stick.
Use your hemp wick to tie a knot around the end of the stick. Once your budded stick is wrapped in the parchment paper and twisted at the ends, grab your hemp wick and tie a knot around one of the ends to keep the stick from unraveling.
Wrap your hemp wick around the other end and work your way down. Just wrap the hemp wick around the other end; don’t tie a knot. Once it’s wrapped, grab the long end of your hemp wick, pull it over to the other end, and loosely wrap the rest of it around your stick.
Wrap the hemp wick back and forth three times. Once you’ve gotten the first wrap down, work your way back up and down the stick about two more times to make sure your bud is good and compressed. As you’re compressing the stick with the hemp wick, look for stems and gently pull them out. Don’t pull the stems before compressing, or you’ll risk breaking the bud apart.
Remove the hemp wick and parchment paper, then repeat steps 4-7. Repeating the above steps will further compress the flower. When you repeat the steps, use a thinner piece of parchment paper so you can remove the stems more easily. You’ll still want to wrap 3 times. Make the final wrap a tight one, pulling harder to bring protruding areas in line with the rest of the stick.
Let the stick sit for a day or so, then unwrap and apply the first leaf. Realistically, you can let the stick sit for however long you want, but if you’re looking to smoke it soon, give it a day. After a day, remove the hemp wick and parchment paper. Grab one of your fan leaves and gently twist them onto the back of the stick where your mouthpiece is going to be. Then, grab another one and twist it onto the stick so that it forms a cross with the other leaf.
Apply concentrate to your leaves and put them on the stick. Put a dollop of concentrate onto your mouthpiece leaves, then press them into the stick. Grab another fan leaf with oil, then wrap it around the initial leaves to fully cover the bud. Gently wrap the hemp wick around the mouthpiece leaf, then grab another leaf with oil, stick it to the previous leaf so that there’s a bit of overlap, and wrap it around the stick. Repeat this process until the leaves and wick are all the way around your Thai Stick.
How to Smoke a Thai Stick
Unwrap the hemp wick and gently remove the stick. After giving your Thai Stick a day or more to hold its compressed shape, unwrap the hemp wick from the top of your Thai Stick downward. Once all the hemp wick is removed, gently pull the stick out, taking extra care not to break any of the compressed buds.
Evenly light the end. Once you’ve removed the stick and hemp wick, grab a lighter, torch, or your flame of choice and light the end of your Thai Stick. Make sure the end is evenly lit on all sides before trying to smoke it, or you may risk an uneven burn. Avoid trying to inhale while you light the Thai Stick, or else the flame may travel through the hole and burn your lips and/or tongue.
Draw from the hole left by the stick. With your lips on the mouthpiece, inhale to draw the smoke from the hole left by the bamboo stick. It’s customary to take two or three small puffs before a bigger draw, but how you smoke it is up to you!
Effects of Smoking a Thai Stick
Thai Sticks produce a strong, potent high. Many online users have compared smoking Thai Sticks to their first time smoking weed, and for good reason. Not only do they often consist of lots of weed, but Thai Sticks are also bound together using oil or concentrate, which may contain up to 90% THC. High THC levels produce a strong, potent, euphoric high, and since Thai Sticks have huge levels (thanks to the concentrate and bud), it also produces a potent, euphoric high. Since Thai Sticks are typically made with Sativa weed, you’ll be more alert and excited when you smoke a Thai Stick, as opposed to smoking a joint full of an Indica strain.
Traditional Thai Sticks vs. Modern Thai Sticks
Modern Thai Sticks are coated in oil and kief, while traditional ones are not. Modern Thai Sticks, which are typically referred to as cannagar (a clever combination between cannabis and cigar), tend to have extra fixings when it comes to their composition. Whereas traditional Thai Sticks typically only feature some hemp oil as an extra additive, many modern Thai Sticks add kief and oil to make the stick burn hotter and slower (and add to the high). Some OG cannabis connoisseurs say that traditional Thai Sticks were smoked by breaking off the bud and packing it into bowls, cones, or joints.
History of Thai Sticks
Thai Sticks originated in Thailand and were brought to America in the 70s. According to Peter Maguire, the author of Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers, and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade, Thai Sticks had long been popular among native Thais, but they didn’t become popular with Americans until they were smuggled to the country by draft-dodging surfers during the Vietnam War. They would make their way to Thailand via boat, fill their boats with Thai Sticks, then make the trek back to America. The trek back to America was especially dangerous from 1975 to 1979, as the Southeast Asian waters were filled with pirates, the Khmer Rouge, the Vietnamese Navy, and other dangerous groups. In the early 1980s, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) ramped up the war on drugs and busted a majority of those smuggling drugs from Thailand, destroying the Thai marijuana industry and making Thai Sticks practically disappear.
A new type of Thai Stick called the canna cigar came around in 2017. Although Thai Sticks disappeared after the crackdowns of the ’80s, a modern version of the cannabis cigar surfaced in 2017 with the emergence of Artisan Canna Cigars. Around December 2016, cannabis connoisseurs Roger Hinkley and Nathan Zebb met Afgoo Head, a fellow toker who specialized in the Thai Stick rolling method. He worked with them to form a new type of Thai Stick using the same method. The three worked together to co-found Artisan Canna Cigars and bring Thai Sticks back to their former glory (albeit under a new name).
Where to Buy Thai Sticks
Buy from a licensed dispensary or a seller who specializes in weed cigars. Finding a Thai Stick at your local dispensary is rare, as making them is a time-consuming process that requires practice. Still, it doesn’t hurt to check your local dispensary’s menu to see if they’ve got them in stock. Other than that, look for a licensed seller that specializes in making Thai Sticks or cannabis cigars, like Leira or Artisan Canna Cigars.
What is the Thai weed strain?
Thai is a pure sativa landrace strain from Thailand. Originating from the hill tribes of northeast Thailand, the Thai strain has been used for centuries for medicinal, spiritual, and recreational purposes. It has a THC content between 15-20% and a CBD content of less than 1%, contributing to its strong, uplifting effects. This strain is known for its euphoric effects, boosting creativity, and relieving stress and anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s in a Thai Stick? Thai Sticks consist of flower, cannabis concentrate or oil, and fan leaves. They are held together by a stick and hemp wick, which are removed before smoking. Some cannabis connoisseurs like to coat the outsides of their Thai Stick in kief or oil, but it depends on the person making it.
What strain of cannabis is in Thai Sticks? Traditional Thai Sticks are made from the Thai strain, but modern Thai Sticks can be made from any strain. They are typically paired with a sativa or sativa-dominant strain, but once again, they can be made from an indica, hybrid, or really any type of strain. According to cannabis researcher and educator Riley Kirk, sativa has a more citrus-like smell than indica, which smells more earthy.
How much do Thai Sticks cost? Depending on where you buy your Thai Stick, the cost can range anywhere from $65 to $420 a stick. The cost tends to fluctuate based on the materials included, how much weed is being used, and the labor it takes to produce the stick. According to Kirk, popular strains tend to be more expensive than other strains. In their prime (around 1974), a pound of Thai Sticks went for $2,000.
Can you still buy Thai Sticks? Yes, you can buy Thai Sticks from licensed dispensaries or sellers. It’s a rare find, though, so you may need to go to someone who specializes in making Thai Sticks or cannabis cigars to get your hands on one. If you don’t want to go through all of that trouble, though, get some bud, concentrate, and bamboo sticks and make your own.
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