A smoking article (1) in which a patch of web material (7) such as paper containing an adsorbent material therein, such as activated carbon, is positioned towards the mouth end of the smoking article (1) to achieve a flatter puff profile compared to a conventional cigarette by decreasing the smoke constituents in the final few puffs. Characteristics of the smoking articles may be changed to increase the delivery of smoke constituents in the first few puffs in order to maintain a constant ISO NFDPM yield. The adsorbent-containing paper extends over only a portion of the smoking article towards the mouth end and does not comprise a flavorant therein.