Why Is My Pre-Roll Burning Unevenly?

What is canoeing?

Canoeing is when one side of a pre-roll burns faster than the other, leaving a long strip of unburnt paper and flower down one side that looks a bit like a canoe. It wastes product, can make the smoke hot and harsh, and with infused pre-rolls it wastes concentrate as well.

It's one of the most common pre-roll annoyances, and it's almost always fixable.

What causes uneven burning?

• Uneven lighting: the flame only reached one side of the tip.
• Wind or a draft: air blowing across the cherry makes one side burn hotter.
• Hard, fast puffs: they make the cherry burn hot and fast, often on one side.
• Moisture: flower that's picked up humidity burns slower in damp spots.
• Holding it at an angle: pointing it up or down between puffs can tilt the burn.

Infused pre-rolls add one more factor: concentrate isn't spread perfectly evenly, so some spots naturally burn slower.

How do you fix a pre-roll that's canoeing?

• Turn the pre-roll so the slow, unburnt side faces down.
• Touch that side briefly with the flame, just enough to catch it up.
• Take a slow, gentle puff while rotating it slightly.
• If it's a small run, simply puffing with the slow side down can even it out on its own.

Some people lightly dampen the fast-burning side with a fingertip to slow it, but be gentle; too much moisture creates a new slow spot.

How do you stop it happening again?

Most canoeing is prevented at the start. Toast the tip evenly while rotating it, so the whole edge is glowing before your first puff; our guide to lighting an infused pre-roll shows how. Then keep puffs slow and gentle, hold the pre-roll level between puffs and shelter it from wind.

Storage matters too. Pre-rolls that have picked up moisture or dried out burn less evenly; see how to store pre-rolls for the simple rules.

Does pre-roll size make a difference?

Larger pre-rolls have more surface to light evenly and more time to drift off course, so a Jeeter XL needs a little more care at the start than a half-gram Baby Jeeter. Cannons have a wide crutch for smooth airflow, which also helps an even burn; see what a Jeeter Cannon is.

Whatever the size, the same few habits do most of the work: toast evenly, puff gently, keep it out of the wind.

Does the paper make a difference?

Paper and how tightly a pre-roll is packed both affect the burn. A pre-roll packed evenly from end to end burns steadily; one with loose and tight spots is more likely to run. Factory-rolled pre-rolls are packed by machine for consistency, which is one reason they tend to burn more evenly than hand-rolled joints.

Paper also reacts to its surroundings. In very humid air, it can absorb moisture and burn slower on one side; in very dry air, it can burn fast. Storing pre-rolls in their sealed tubes until you use them keeps both the paper and the flower in the condition the producer intended, which is the easiest way to get an even burn.

Is an uneven burn a sign of a bad pre-roll?

Not usually. Almost every pre-roll canoes now and then, and it's mostly about lighting, puffing and conditions. If a pre-roll won't stay lit at all, smells musty or looks damp or mouldy, don't smoke it. Contact us with your order number, and our guide to cannabis recalls explains how to check whether a product has been recalled.