Epok Switzerland: Hugo & The Kräuter Mix (All White Snus) - Review (Discontinued). 5 February 2021.

NOTE:  This product has been discontinued and is no longer for sale.

I've got some new products out of Switzerland that I've been pretty excited to review.  These are limited edition products created exclusively for the Swiss market.  Today we're talking about their new Hugo product, and the Kräuter Mix.  For those unfamiliar, Epok was the product that pre-dated Lyft.  It's made with white tobacco, and isn't a nicotine pouch product.  White tobacco is made a little bit different.  To describe it better, this is what they say about it:  "Before the treatment, the carefully selected brown tobacco is prepared.  In the next step tobacco is treated through a washing process in order to obtain white tobacco.  This process lasts until the brown tobacco is completely cleaned into white tobacco.  When the tobacco has its all white color, it’s refined with different and fresh flavors."

Now, on to the reviews!

Epok:  The Kräuter Mix

Flavor Description:  "A mélange of herbs come together to create an aromatic taste experience in an X-strong EPOK pouch inspired by the Swiss alps and made for our Swiss consumers."

Can Contents:  16.8 grams, 24 portions, 0.7g each

Nicotine Strength:  16mg/g (1.6%) or 11.2mg/portion

Epok:  The Kräuter Mix

Review:  When you open the can, a present menthol character greets you, along with a green herbal character and a light sweetness.  The portions are slim, comfortable under the lip, and have a soft portion material.  You'll also notice a nice cooling presence in the lip as well!  In terms of flavor, it has a green herbal taste.  It's close to kitchen herbs, like rosemary, maybe a little thyme.  There's also a menthol character in the flavor, a light sweetness, and a little black pepper.  The strength feels between strong and extra strong.  The flavor, on average, lasts about 45 minutes!

Epok:  Hugo

Flavor Description:  "This Hugo cocktail flavour blends rich elderflower and refreshing mint in an X-strong EPOK pouch created especially for Switzerland."

Can Contents:  16.8 grams, 24 portions, 0.7g each

Nicotine Strength:  16mg/g (1.6%) or 11.2mg/portion

Epok:  Hugo

Review:  When I first heard about this product, all I could think about was Hugo from Lost.  But, a Hugo is actually a Swiss cocktail, made of Prosecco, elderflower syrup, seltzer and mint leaves.  I've never had one, but it sounds great.  The aroma of this one is a nice presence of elderflower.  It's lightly sweet, and has gentle hints of mint.  The portions are slim, soft, and pretty comfortable under the lip.  They also come with a nice, mild cooling presence as well!  The flavor is a present taste of elderflower.  It comes through as a slightly herbal, slightly floral taste.  There's a light sweetness to it, and a subtle hint of mint in the background.  The nicotine on this one feels to be between strong and extra strong, and lasts about 45 minutes on average!

Rating and Final Thoughts

Both of these products were pretty fun to try out, and quite unique!  I liked Hugo more, and rated it at 3.58 out of 5.  I gave the Kräuter one a 3/5.  Hugo was a delicious, fresh flavor, and one I'd definitely buy again (well, if I was in Switzerland).  The Kräuter one was unique, but not exactly my cup of tea.  I imagine mint lovers would really enjoy it though, because it has a mint character but with a twist on it due to the herbal character.  If you're in Switzerland, you can find these on the Epok website!