5. Case

This is a quite old tobacco term that vexes most people unfamiliar with its use. With regard to tobacco, it is a statement of its moisture content. Out of case describes tobacco that is so dry that it crumbles to fragments and dust when handled in any way. In case describes tobacco that contains a high enough moisture content that it can be easily handled, without damaging the leaf. With regard to users of whole leaf tobacco, there are four general levels of the case:

out of the case:
very noisy, like dried autumn leaves, and crumbles when handled
low case:
much quieter, is mostly flexible, though it may crack slightly
medium case:
sounds like thick vinyl, is entirely flexible, and has a moderate stretch
high case:
silent, feels somewhat moist, though not wet, is flexible and fully stretchy