Roll Your Own Cigarettes, Smoke Smarter!

• Filtered Cigarette Tubes Sortable List of over 100 Cigarette Tubes for Make-Your-Own Cigarettes.

• Pipe Tobacco Brands Lists over 60 smooth pipe tobaccos for use in Roll-Your-Own Cigarettes.

The Fire Safe Certified (FSC) Cigarette Fiasco

Jan. 6, 2010 Commentary

Nearly all cigarettes sold in the U.S. are now "Fire-Safe Certified"(FSC) since it's no longer cost effective for Big Tobacco to produce both FSC and non-FSC cigarettes. On January 1, 2010 FSC laws took effect in eleven more states, bringing the total to 42 states that require all cigarettes to be FSC. This leaves Wyoming as the only state to have not yet passed FSC legislation. The FSC cigarette controversy isn't new, in fact we've been discussing the issue in our forums since the summer of '08, but many smokers are only now becoming aware of the problem. Seemingly overnight and without warning, people are noticing their cigarettes taste bad and are making them ill.

We don't blame the fire departments and agencies whose goal is to save lives and reduce property damage due to smokers carelessness. We do however strongly oppose the methodology used and lack of testing done to ensure that smokers are not increasing their risk of serious health consequences from ingesting the additional chemicals added to the paper to make the cigarettes self-extinguishing. These abominations are constructed with several bands of fire-retardant chemicals in the paper so that they will stop burning if left unattended.

In order to keep an FSC cigarette lit smokers have to puff harder and more often, which increases the amount of tars consumed and pulls them deeper into the smokers lungs. Many long-time smokers have reported increased inflamation of the throat and numerous other side effects which occur only after smoking an FSC cigarette. It's our opinion that since the gov't agencies feel the need to regulate cigarettes, they should be investigating reduced-harm production techniques and consider encouraging manufacturers to reduce the number of chemicals added to their cigarettes, NOT requiring the addition of known hazardous chemicals!

The irony is that for deades Big Tobacco has added chemicals to the paper to increase the speed which cigarettes burn. Manufactured cigarettes also typically contain over 30% Reconstituted and Expanded Tobacco products composed of Reconstituted Leaf (RL), Blended Leaf (BL), Improved Stem (IS) and Expanded Stem (ES), all of which burn faster than natural tobacco. A hand rolled RYO cigarette or stuffed MYO cigarette made with natural tobacco will self extinguish without the need of adding fire retardant chemicals! Fortunately, for now at least, we still have the Roll Your Own & Make Your Own cigarette alternatives. No rolling papers or cigarette tubes currently on the market in the U.S. contain these fire-retardant chemicals to my knowledge.

Apparently Big Brother doesn't think there are enough chemicals in factory made cigarettes, or perhaps it's another underhanded measure to try to force thinking adults into quitting. Who in their right mind would want to inhale fire-retardant chemicals? I've included here the well made video made by Custom Blends which asks legitimate questions, and comes to some disturbing conclusions on the toxicity of the chemical composition of the so called "speed bumps". We also highly recommend that you read this article at the Examiner Are the new FSC fire-safe cigarettes making smokers sicker than ever? Also, follow the link to the Petition to Repeal Fire Safe Cigarette Laws discussion in our forum in addition to the forum topic linked above.

Cigarette prices have skyrocketed over the last 10 years from a pre-MSA average cost of $2.18 in 1998 to a national average of over $5 per pack today. In addition to the the Federal Excise Tax Increase of 62 cents on April 1st, which raised the FET to $1.01 per pack, 6 states add an additional $2.00 per pack with 9 states now adding even higher taxes, up to $3.46 per pack. These ever-increasing taxes have caused many smokers to reach their budget breaking point, forcing smokers to attempt to quit, cut back or look for cheaper alternatives.

What about purchasing cigarettes online or driving across state lines to try to save money?

In recent years at least 13 states have been vigorously enforcing the "Jenkins Act", with subpoenas to online cigarette sellers to gather customer names and order history. Victims of these enforcement policies have suddenly been presented with huge bills for back-tax due plus interest within 30 days, accompanied by threats of extreme penalties (up to 500% penalties in some states) if left unpaid. Other states have set-up sting operations on their borders to catch cigarette smugglers and people bringing lower cost cigarettes across state lines.

Are you fed up with the rising cost of cigarettes and the constant increases in 'sin-taxes' that are forced onto smokers to help the states balance their budgets? I know I was.

When I discovered that my state was taking over $2 out of my pocket for each pack of cigarettes I purchased, I looked for a cheaper alternative and discovered how much Rolling Your Own Cigarettes had changed in recent years.

Even after the huge Federal Tax Increase on rolling tobacco, making your own cigarettes will cost less than half as much as most name brand cigarettes.

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Now I don't mean rolling a cigarette in the traditional sense, not like you've seen in the movies where a cowboy takes a pinch of tobacco and drops it into the paper and twists it up into something resembling a lumpy toothpick with tobacco hanging out of it.

What I'm talking about is a newer RYO method that is often referred to as Making Your Own (MYO) or Stuffing Your Own (SYO) cigarettes. Most of us don't use standard rolling papers to Roll Our Own cigarettes. Instead, we use an easy to operate 'tobacco injector' to fill pre-made filtered cigarette tubes.

The result is a cigarette which looks factory made, but Tastes Better and Saves You $$

1) Tobacco

• Start with a pouch (about $3 locally for 3/4 ounce - enough for about 1 pack of cigarettes) or small bag or can (typically 5 to 6 ounces at $20 or so with the tax increase, enough for about 1 carton) of "fine cut" rolling tobacco, or for greater savings consider a non-aromatic pipe tobacco which you can find at your local tobacconist's or smoke shop. Even your local convenience stores, supermarkets, and gas stations likely carry a few brands of tobacco suitable for rolling your own cigarettes. Please BEWARE of some of the most popular and "bulk brands", we want your initial RYO experience to be a good one!

NOTE: In other words, avoid the best selling Top and Gambler brands of RYO tobacco and the super cheap pipe tobacos, they tend to be rather harsh and lack flavor - no offense intended to any of their fans - but there are Much Better RYO Tobaccos available. Bugler is available almost everywhere and is a good middle of the road choice, or try one of the Bali Shag, Peter Stokkebye, D & R or Natural American Spirit blends for a big step-up in quality and smokeability.

There are over 100 Brands of Roll Your Own Cigarette Tobacco and over 60 old and new Smooth Pipe Tobacco Brands available for Making Your Own Cigarettes.

2) Injector

• When you buy the tobacco you should also pick up a hand-held injection machine, trust me this isn't nearly as scary as it sounds, it has nothing to do with needles! Sometimes these hand-held devices are called "shooters", "stuffers", "cigarette making" or "tube filling" machines. A good quality hand-held injector should cost under $10. (Again, if you're buying locally you will have limited choices, avoid the Top and Zig-Zag Precision Pro Injectors.) Good hand-held units from Gizeh, El-Rey, Maiker, Premier, Zen and a few others tend to work better, especially for newcomers.

NOTE: For a little more money and for anyone who is going to stick with making their own, there are tabletop 'crank-style' injector machines. They cost from about $20 (Premier Excel, Gambler & Simron EXP1000 pictured above) to about $50 (Premier Supermatic, Republic Top-O-Matic, and similar models). These machines are MUCH Faster and Easier to operate and can consistently make dozens of cigarettes at a sitting that are indistinguishable from factory made cigarettes. There are also a few electric machines such as the NEW Mayoc and Powermatic 2 available for under $100 which promise even greater convenience and are likely a better choice for those who suffer from physical disabilities, arthritis, etc.).

Visit our Forums for more information about the variety of hand-held, tabletop crank-style and electric injectors available.

3) Cigarette Filter Tubes

• Cigarette tubes come in a box that vaguely resembles a cigarette carton. Inside the box is usually 200 to 250 filtered tubes. The tubes (or blanks as they are called in Europe) resemble a factory made filtered cigarette with the tobacco missing. In other words, it's a hollow paper tube with the filter attached. The brand you choose doesn't matter much when you are starting out, there are only a few companies who actually make the tubes and the quality is pretty consistent these days. Your main choice will be whether to buy the "Full Flavor" or "Light". For starting out I suggest getting whichever reasonably priced brand of King Size tubes are available to you locally. The box of filtered tubes should cost under $3 (slightly higher for Menthol & other specialty tubes).

NOTE: There are actually dozens of brands and tube styles available; King Size, 100mm, Shorts, Ultra Slim, "Cigarette Size", Menthol tip, Charcoal Filtered, Fruit Flavored, Brown, Black and even Unfiltered. Tubes are also manufactured with various filter lengths, filter density, paper porosity, perforated tipping paper, etc. which affects how full-flavored or light the resulting cigarette will be. But you needn't concern yourself with those details when first starting, there will be plenty of room for experimenting to find the perfect combination of tube and tobacco once you're comfortable with the process of making your own.

There are 100's of Cigarette Tubes available from dozens of brands, check out our NEW Cigarette Tubes List to see what's available and sort them by brand, strength & filter length.

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When you have your Tobacco, Injector and Tubes head over to our Getting Started Guide with step-by-step instructions and tips to help get you started Making Your Own custom cigarettes.

Advantages of Roll Your Own

When you light-up that fresh, custom made cigarette the first thing you'll notice is that it doesn't taste like the factory made cigarettes you're used to.

That's because you're likely tasting something you haven't in a long time, if ever. That's right, you're tasting the tobacco instead of the hundreds of chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavors that the big tobacco companies put into their cigarettes to hide the fact that they are made from reconstituted "sheet" tobacco, "expanded" tobacco, stems & stalks! Chemicals are often also added to the tobacco and paper to make them burn faster, so that you'll smoke (and buy) more. In addition, all factory made cigarettes from the Big Tobacco companies are now wrapped in FSC paper (see above) with even more chemicals added to reduce their ability to burn and cause fires.

Looking for more advice on which RYO Tobacco, Cigarette Tubes and Injectors to buy? Visit our RYO Community Forums for user reviews & opinions from hundreds of our members.

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If you smoke, you owe it to yourself to try RYO using the Make Your Own method! Once your body adjusts to smoking cigarette tobacco instead of factory made chemical cocktail sticks, you will likely find yourself craving cigarettes less than ever, and quite possibly you'll gain the advantage you need to quit smoking entirely (if you're so inclined).

Many people have used the RYO method as a stepping-stone to quitting, since it's likely that the chemical additives in factory made cigarettes are at least as addicting (if not more so) than the naturally occurring nicotine in Real Tobacco. Because of the higher quality tobacco and fewer chemicals, most RYO smokers soon find that they are smoking fewer cigarettes per day. Once you've converted and your body is adjusted to RYO cigarettes, smoking becomes a choice again rather than a habit. It soon becomes easier to smoke fewer cigarettes per day and quitting no longer seems like an impossible task.

Other RYO converts continue to smoke as many custom made RYO cigarettes as they had previously but can now fully enjoy the unprecedented flavor that comes from their choice of fine quality tobaccos and wide variety of filtered tubes to suit their mood. One thing is for certain, those who smoke RYO cigarettes are saving money every time they light-up.

So go ahead, stuff another tube using your new found skill, pour yourself a drink, then light-up that homemade custom cigarette and enjoy the fact that you're smoking something a lot closer to that which smokers historically enjoyed, LESS chemically altered factory produced quasi-tobacco, MORE real tobacco flavor like our forefathers smoked.

You don't need to limit yourself to the 3 or 4 Rolling Tobacco brands that you find on the shelf at your local supermarket or convenience store. There are over 150 Brands of RYO Tobacco to choose from! Please consult my List of RYO Tobacco Brands to understand the choices available to you.

There are dozens of tobacconist shops with online stores these days. I've compiled a list of the 10 Best Online RYO Shops. These great shops are ready to serve you with many brands & varieties of tobacco at discount prices suitable for you to Roll Your Own Cigarettes!

And be sure to visit the RYO Revolution Forums for personal advice or to share your opinions and interact with hundreds of RYO enthusiasts.

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