I have one simple tool for rolling my own cigarettes: a dollar bill. Here’s how I do it:

• Load the bill with tobacco – Holding the bill so that it has a small depression in the bottom third, place a small amount of tobacco in the bottom—probably less tobacco than you’ll think you need, although the more you roll, the more quickly you’ll learn what the right amount is.

• Shape the tobacco – With two hands, use the dollar bill to smoosh the tobacco into a cylindrical form—you know, like a cigarette. Don’t pack too tightly; just a couple of rolls of the pinched-together dollar bill will suffice.

• Put in your paper – Gingerly open the bill and slip the leading edge of a rolling paper behind the tobacco with the glue edge facing up and towards you. Make sure you’ve rolled the tobacco back down to the bottom third of the dollar bill so that you have room to roll it back up with the paper inside.

• Roll it up – Finesse counts. You’re going to want to pinch as tightly as you can to ensure a tight wrap, but resist that urge—you’re going to need to coax the leading edge of the paper around the tobacco and back under the trailing edge and if you press too firmly it will meet the other side of the bill and just crumple up.

Because you won’t be able to see the middle of the cigarette through the dollar bill, you’ll know that it is rolling up properly when both ends curl in on themselves to form a cigarette shape, just like you hope the middle is doing.

• Seal it – Once it’s in a cylindrical shape, keep rolling it upwards until you can see the seam with the glue. Grab the cigarette tightly, sliding it out of the dollar bill, and give it a gentle nuzzle with your tongue. You’ve got a cigarette!

If you’ve got any bits of tobacco hanging out, pluck them out of one end and give it a slight twist—not enough to seal it, but enough to clog up the end so that it still draws smoke and air but not chunks of tobacco. The other end can be twisted completely closed or left open for immediate lighting.