Killa Nicotine Pouches - Review. 18 May 2021.

Today, we're going to be talking about Killa Nicotine Pouches.  This is my third time visiting this line.  I first reviewed Killa Cold Mint back in 2018.  Fast forward to the summer of 2020, and I reviewed Killa Blueberry, Melon, and Cola.  Back then, they were kind of niche products.  But now, some of the main stores like SnusBolaget (Sweden), and SnusMe.com (US/International) are carrying the Killa brand, so I figured it was time to revisit them, and give them a proper rating!  The Killa brand itself is made by NGP Empire, a company in Sweden.  Where it's actually produced, I'm not sure.  The side of the can says "Made in Sweden", but the bottom of the can says "Made in Denmark".  So, it's most likely one of those two.  Each can weighs 16g and has 20 portions for 0.8g portions.  SnusMe.com lists the strength as 16mg/g (1.6%), or 12.8mg/portion.  In this review I'll be reviewing all 5 products, but they do have some similarities, so I'm going to cover those first (so as not to be redundant).

Similarities between these five products:

Portion Material/Mouthfeel - All of these are the slim nicotine pouch size.  The portions are all pretty soft in touch, and are decently comfortable under the lip.

Nicotine Strength/Release - These are stronger than the average product, feeling between strong and extra strong.

Flavor Longevity - The flavor longevity varies, but on average it seems to hover between 40 and 45 minutes for all of these products.

Now with all the commonalities discussed, let's talk about the differences in each:  aroma and flavor!

Killa Blueberry Nicotine Pouches

Flavor Description:  "A sweet taste of blueberries".

Review:  When you open the can, there's a present smell of blueberry.  I pick up some menthol in the aroma, as well.  There's also a cooling presence in the lip when you put a pouch in.  In terms of the flavor, it's a mild, gentle taste of blueberry.  It's not super sweet, either.  The menthol is also present in the taste, but in the background of the flavor profile.

Killa Cola Nicotine Pouches

Flavor Description:  "The sensation of a cold, sparkling glass of cola".

Review:  This one has a pretty smooth, sweet aroma of cola with a light hint of menthol.  It also has a light cooling presence in the lip when you put a pouch in.  In terms of the flavor, the cola taste is relatively mild.  It's sweet in nature, but not overly sweet.  The menthol character comes through pretty clearly, but it's mild in presence.

Killa Cold Mint Nicotine Pouches

Flavor Description:  "A cooling taste of mint with a fresh hint of menthol".

Review:  In the aroma of this one, I pick up a pretty mild, subdued mint smell.  There's also (surprise surprise) a subtle hint of menthol to it.  Like the last ones, this one also has that cooling presence in the lip when you put a pouch in.  In terms of the flavor, the mint is very, very mild.  I also pick up a rather faint hint of that menthol character in the background.

Killa Watermelon Nicotine Pouches

Flavor Description:  "A fresh taste of watermelon with a hint of mint".

Review:  I didn't pick up much aroma and taste to this one.  The watermelon aroma is quite faint, and comes with a present smell of menthol.  Like the others, it also has a cooling presence in the lip.  In the flavor, the melon taste is incredibly mild; there isn't much to it.  But, there's a lot of menthol in the flavor character.  This one is mostly menthol, but with a hint of melon.

Killa Cold X Mint Nicotine Pouches

Flavor Description:  "A classic fresh mint flavour combined with a traditional tobacco flavour".

Review:  That flavor description was very curious to me when I read it.  A lot of nicotine pouch companies have tried to make a tobacco flavor, so I was curious to see how Killa approached this.  That, and a blend of artificial tobacco flavor and mint could be really bad, or surprisingly good.  In the aroma, I pick up a subdued mint aroma.  It has a somewhat earthy present to it, but I can't really peg down what that is.  It also comes with a cooling presence in the lip, like the others.  In the flavor, the mint comes through in a mild, clean way.  It's a balanced mint flavor, and isn't super in your face or overly sweet.  It has that earthy character to it, which is hard to describe.  It's kind of dank, and very slightly herbal.

Rating and Final Thoughts

Of all five of these, Cola and Blueberry are the only two I didn't mind.  Cola came in at 3.08 out of 5, and Blueberry at 2.92 out of 5.  Both of those had more flavor presence than the other three.  Cold X Mint, Cold Mint, and Watermelon didn't have much flavor to them at all.  Cold X Mint rated at 2.75/5, Cold Mint at 2.71/5, and Watermelon at 2.67/5.  In closing, the Killa line isn't awful.  There are certainly worse nicotine pouches out there.  However, my suggestion would be to take the menthol out of all the flavors because it takes away from the other tastes in the profile.  And, kick up the flavor presence on what tastes are there.  That would make these products much better, in my opinion!  But, if you want to try this line, I'd say check out Cola and Blueberry.  I'd take a pass on the other 3.  

Killa Nicotine Pouches are available from SnusDirect.com.