Many preroll businesses are focused on hitting production numbers, where quotas become more important than the quality of the product itself. However, consumers these days have such a variety of options to choose from when it comes to purchasing prerolls at their local dispensary, it's important to make a product that stands out as better than the rest and it isn't always based on having the lowest price. 

The preroll industry has changed

Gone are the days where every preroll was made with the leftover flower. The stuff that would normally get thrown out is what used to go into prerolls. Over the past few years, the preroll market segment has become the fastest growing segment in the cannabis industry, growing at a rate of 160% year over year. What's the reason for this? Convenience is the most common answer from preroll consumers. As the cannabis industry continues to grow, more consumers want to smoke joints but don't want to take the time to roll them. This simple fact makes prerolls a very enticing product for the new cannabis consumer. 

With higher demand, comes the need for product variation. Due to this, we now see many prerolls available at our local dispensaries with a variety of attributes that were not offered before. Such as prerolls that are covered in kief, or dipped in wax, or have infusion sticks inside that offer an extra dose of THC. 

Consumers are now more familiar with prerolls and their options, and with familiarity comes a higher expectation of quality and consistency.

These days, with the growing expectations of the preroll consumer, the last thing they want to smoke is a preroll that canoes and burns down the side. It makes for a terrible smoking experience, not to mention the fact that they're simply losing most of the product before they can finish it. 

What is preroll canoeing?

Preroll canoeing is the effect that occurs while smoking a preroll where it begins to burn down the side of the preroll versus burning evenly at the tip. 

 

There is a big reason why brands don't market whether or not their prerolls are prone to canoeing, and that is simply because they can't. Most of the production machines for prerolls are not designed properly for processing cannabis. In fact, most are using technologies or processes that are better designed for tobacco or cigarettes. Cannabis is a very sticky substance with a much more complex variety of every changing attributes that makes working with it quite troublesome, often leaving us with product that is inevitably inconsistent. 

What causes canoeing?

The root cause of canoeing is the simple fact that most prerolls contain air pockets. These air pockets are generally created due to a couple of key factors, but of course like everything in the cannabis industry, it can be a bit more complex than that. 

Air pockets in a preroll can easily be caused by starting with poor flower:

Over the years of visiting various preroll businesses across the US and Canada, we have seen all kinds of flower. Unfortunately, it's very common to visit a production facility that is working with flower that has an extremely high moisture level. There is a huge risk in manufacturing cannabis products with flower that has a moisture level higher than 14%, as it creates an increase chance in dealing with mold which ultimately is destroying your product and creating health risks for your consumers. 

Uneven particle sizes are a big problem:

When packing prerolls, if you're using flower with high moisture levels, it makes it harder to pack. High moisture levels make the flower more dense and it becomes difficult to process into smaller particles. Whether you're using a grinding machine, a shredding machine, or a weed whacker, it is painfully difficult to achieve even particle sizes. The varying particle sizes will make it even more difficult to pack, and thus creating these air pockets that consumers despise so much. 

How can I prevent canoeing?

Preventing the canoeing effect in your finish product will greatly depend on starting with a good solid foundation of hardware and Standard Operating Procedures to ensure an efficient and reliable production process. 

First, use the best possible machine for grinding or shredding flower into even particle sizes.

The more even particles the better. We currently offer one of the best grinders on the market, but it comes with a heavy price tag. If your business depends on delivering high quality product, then contact us today for a free no obligation consultation. 

Second, pack your prerolls with a preroll centrifuge system.

This is simply the best preroll machine available today. The preroll centrifuge system beats every other machine in multiple categories including reliability, sustainability, and scalability.  

The preroll centrifuge system utilizes centrifugal force to consistently pack flower into cones.

Other preroll machines either use the vibration / shaking method to get the flower to fall into the cones through gravity, or the filling method of just insert flower into the cone and pushing it down. Both the vibration method and filling methods pose a much greater risk for air pockets and preroll damage, whereas a centrifuge pulls all of the flower into the cone in unison rather than forcing it down, thus creating a nice snug pack, and subsequently eliminating most air pockets. 

If you are interested in obtaining one of these Preroll Centrifuge Systems, contact us today for a free no obligation consultation. To learn more about the system, click here to see our videos and learn more about the major benefits this system has for both your business and your customers.