NIIN Nicotine Pouches: Wintergreen (3mg and 6mg) - Review. 8 May 2021.

The once small world of nicotine pouches seems to be growing exponentially by the day as this new category continues to grow in popularity.  Nicotine pouches provide a way for people to transition from traditional forms of tobacco to completely tobacco free alternatives.  NIIN Primed Nicotine Pouches is a new line launched in the US with 5 flavors, 2 strengths, and moist pouches.  Yes, these are not the small, dry pouches like most of what's in the US.  Today, we're going to be talking about their Wintergreen flavor!  The product description for this one says, "Breakaway from the boundaries of traditional nicotine products with NIIN Zero Tobacco™ Wintergreen Nicotine Pouches."  Each can weighs in at 10 grams, and contains 20 nicotine pouches, for 0.5 gram pouches.  The 3mg strength is 3mg per pouch, or 6mg/g in total.  The 6mg one is 6mg/pouch, or 12mg/g in total.

   

The description from their website provides a little more background on the product line:  "The New Era of Nicotine Is Here:  100% Tobacco-Free Nicotine Pouches.  Zero Tobacco, Pure Nicotine Satisfaction.  Unlike the majority of other nicotine pouch products, which contain some form of generic tobacco-derived nicotine, our Zero Tobacco Primed Pouches™  are made with Certified Tobacco Free Nicotine (TFN®).  As a synthetic nicotine product that is not derived from tobacco, our pouches are completely free of the residuals and contaminants that are commonly found in tobacco-derived nicotine.  Our pouches are made with the highest-quality ingredients and carefully formulated flavors, then infused into a finely ground eucalyptus-derived cellulose base and pre-moistened to ensure even adherence."

Now that we've got all the fun background stuff out of the way, let's get into the review!  Since the products are basically the same other than the strength, I'm going to review them together

If you've watched or read my reviews long, you already know - I'm not the biggest wintergreen user.  I use it from time to time, when I get a craving for it, but it's not something I use regularly.  So, keep that in mind!  When you open the can, a mild aroma of wintergreen comes through.  It's not in your face like American moist snuff, but more balanced out with some sweetness to it.  The pouches are 0.5g in weight, and slim in size.  They're comfortable under the lip, with moist/soft contents.  They also come with a subtle cooling presence when you put one in.  In the flavor, the wintergreen is milder in nature, with a light sweetness to it.  Again, it's not in your face like American moist snuff, so it's more approachable to folks like me.  It's pretty pleasant.  In the strength, the 3mg level feels to be a little lighter than regular strength, and the 6mg one feels to be right at the regular mark.  The flavor, on average, lasts about 40-45 minutes.

Rating and Final Thoughts

When I review nicotine pouches, I always mention that I'm a snus user full time, and a casual nicotine pouch consumer.  I use them, but not all the time.  In my ratings, however, I've found that anything at or above a 3/5 is what I'd consider to be a good, or quality product.  I've only ever ranked two products at a 4/5, and nothing about a 4/5.  So, a 4 might as well be a 5 when I'm reviewing nicotine pouches.  

When it comes to NIIN Wintergreen, I rated the 6mg one at 3.17/5, and the 3mg one at a 3.08/5.  In terms of my rankings / ratings of nicotine pouches, that's a pretty decent score.  The NIIN line is pretty solid.  It has nice can designs, comfortable portions, a steady nicotine delivery, nice flavors, and a good amount of flavor longevity.  And, even though I'm not a big wintergreen user, I enjoyed the approach this one took to the flavor profile.  I think the elevated sweetness balanced out the wintergreen flavor.

If you're interested in trying these out, or if you want more information, you can check out their website, NIINPouches.com.  It's pretty exciting watching the US nicotine pouch market grow, because it's providing more options for people looking for this sort of thing!