Snus is basically the Swedish version of chewing tobacco/dip. It’s pretty different though: it’s more like a teabag filled with powdered tobacco than something you actually chew. To use it, you place the pouch between your gum and your lip and just leave it there for 20 to 30 minutes. Like vaping, it reduces risk by taking the smoke out of the equation.
While tobacco-based snus is more common, both in Sweden and the US, tobacco-free nicotine pouches are rapidly gaining popularity. The Niin Pouches are one example of this type of thing, coming in a selection of five flavors and all containing nicotine without tobacco. They cost just $4.99 per can, but is it really worth it? We’ve tested some for our Niin Pouches review to find out.
Are Niin Pouches Worth Buying?
The Niin Pouches are a passable introduction to snus, but even the higher nicotine level isn’t ideal for smokers trying to quit or even longer-term vapers or snus users. The flavors are good and the price is excellent, but the implementation leaves a little to be desired. It’s probably better to try another brand.
Niin Tobacco-Free Nicotine Pouches Review
Packaging and Design
The Niin Pouches come in a can of 20, with the standard disk-shaped can (or “snusdosa” in Swedish) with the name and flavor on the front of the case, as well as your chosen nicotine level. The cans work basically the same as any other, with the main compartment containing your unused snus and a little section in the top for you to put your used ones. The design is quite nice too, with a colored ring around the outside that represents the flavor of the snus – for example, orange-red for cinnamon and light green for spearmint – and the cool logo in the center.
Overall, it does a good job in this area, nothing out of the ordinary but still well-suited to its purpose.
Nicotine Strengths
The Niin Nicotine Pouches come in a choice of two nicotine levels: 3 mg and 6 mg. This sounds perfectly fine from a vaper’s perspective – since they’re standard nicotine levels for e-juice – but they’re actually a little on the low side for snus.
Assuming the 10 g net weight listed on the pack is for the 20 packs of snus, this works out to 0.6 or 1.2%, with the average for snus being around 2% (which would be 10 mg for the Niin Pouches). This might not be a huge issue for anybody, but even for someone like me who’s been primarily vaping and snusing for almost a decade, the 3 mg ones I tried are a little lacking in terms of nicotine. Using snus is generally much more satisfying in terms of nicotine.
Niin Pouches – the Flavors
Cinnamon: The Cinnamon pouches have a yellow tint and the undeniable flavor of cinnamon comes through right away. The flavor has all the subtlety of a steam train crashing through a brick wall, but after an intense start it begins to fade fairly quickly, leaving a little flavor but nowhere near as much as at the start. This is kind of normal, as the flavoring dissipates and you get used to it, but it’s worth pointing out that the majority of the time with it in your mouth will only have a very gentle taste.
Spearmint: The Spearmint pouches have a neutral look but the sweet, minty flavor hits you immediately. The effect isn’t as powerful as the Cinnamon pouch, but it’s still easy to pick up and very accurate to the intended flavor. The fact that the flavor is subtle works a little better for this pouch, because you get a more consistent level of flavor throughout the time it’s in your mouth. Overall this is definitely a better offering than the cinnamon, and a great choice if you like minty flavors.
Citrus Chill: The Citrus Chill pouches have a slight yellow color to them but nothing compared to the cinnamon. The citrus flavor is light and again, a lot more subtle, lingering in the background and giving some character to the pouch without being overwhelming. The taste isn’t as interesting as the cinnamon, though, more a generic type of citrus flavor than anything. The “chill” is supposed to represent menthol but I really don’t get that from the pouch.
Niin Pouches Review – Everything Else
Satisfaction and Longevity
As the low nicotine strengths imply might be the case, the pouches aren’t quite as satisfying as they could be in terms of nicotine. This is definitely the case for me with the 3 mg pouches; perhaps the 6 mg ones would be better, but it’s still doubtful unless you’re not a particularly heavy smoker or vaper. There is a reason the nicotine levels in most snus pouches are higher than this.
In terms of longevity, the low nicotine basically makes it unsatisfying to use the pouch for a long period of time. With ordinary snus I can keep it in for 20 to 30 minutes before it feels like it’s just sitting there, but with the Niin Pouches it’s more like 10 to 15.
Overall it’s very disappointing on this front.
Does the Niin Pouch Sting?
Many snus pouches give a characteristic sting when you first insert them, and this is generally one of the things people find unpleasant when starting to use snus for the first time. The Niin Pouches do sting a little when you first insert them, especially the cinnamon one. This is not ideal, and even though it’s hard to avoid, the stinging with the cinnamon in particular is a little worse than with most snus I’ve tried.
Price
The Niin Pouches come in 20-pouch packs for $4.99, which is a good price for snus. If you’re already picking something up from Mi-Pod, it’s a perfect opportunity to pick some up and try it out.
Conclusion
The Niin tobacco-free nicotine pouches are a good choice for people who don’t need that much nicotine or are just interested in trying snus out, but a little lacking as a full-fledged substitute for smoking because of the limited nicotine strengths available. However, the flavors are generally good and the price makes it tempting despite the relatively weak strength. They could definitely be improved, but they aren’t exactly bad as much as made with a more vaping mindset than a snus mindset.