Rollmate: a cone mould on your keychain
The Rollmate is a single piece of hardware: a smooth metal rod that tapers from thick to thin, with a ring at the top. The shape does all the work. Wrap a paper around the rod and it takes on that cone shape, holding it once you seal the gummed edge. What you end up with is the opposite of hand rolling: not a limp tube you still have to coax into shape, but a firm cone that you fill afterwards.
That makes a difference if you have little rolling practice, or if you are standing outside with wind and cold fingers. Because the paper is already round before anything goes in, there is nothing to balance while you fill it. You can also prepare a few cones in advance and fill them later. The metal is not porous, there is no hinge, spring or thread anywhere, so there is nothing to break. Wiping the rod now and then is the only maintenance it asks for, and the ring keeps it with your keys.
How to use the Rollmate
- Wrap a paper tightly around the wide part of the rod, gummed edge facing out.
- Moisten the gummed edge and press it down so the cone keeps its shape.
- Slide a filter tip into the bottom of the cone.
- Pull the cone off the rod and fill it from the top with ground herbs.
- Tap the cone upright a few times so the contents settle, then twist the paper at the top.
Getting the filling right
Fill the cone in small amounts rather than all at once. Tap the base on the table after each portion: the contents spread evenly and you avoid an air pocket halfway up. Packing it hard works against you, because an overfilled cone draws poorly. If you use a grinder, the material is more even in size and drops through the narrow tip more easily.
More from the range
Alongside the Rollmate, Avalon Magic Plants stocks the consumables that go with it: filter tips from Elements and Flamez, king size and slim rolling papers, and grinders such as the Grinder wooden classic. Everything is shipped in discreet packaging.
