ZIXS (Tobacco-Free Lös): Bergamot & Lakrits - Reviews. 31 July 2021.

The past few years, we've seen an incredible rise in tobacco-free products containing nicotine.  Mostly, it's been a rise of the nicotine pouch/nicopod; these products have really taken over the nicotine market.  In terms of loose products, we haven't seen much of that on the snus side.  In the US, there are quite a few tobacco-free loose alternatives - Black Buffalo, Fully Loaded, Whitetail Smokeless, and Outlaw Dip.  But, internationally there hasn't been a lös snus alternative....until now.  MicroZero AB in Sweden, the company behind NIXS Nicotine Pouches, has launched ZIXS.  This is a product that resembles lös snus, but is completely tobacco free.  I found it recently on Niqopods.online and was extremely curious to check this out.

Before we get into the review, I'll share some product specifics.

Niqopods.online Description:  "World news! Tobacco-free loose snus, but with nicotine.  Experience tobacco free Swedish snus but with nicotine.  Finely ground to easily bake a prilla."

Ingredients:  Water, plant fiber, aromas, humectants, salt, nicotine, acidity regulators

Can Weight:  37g

Nicotine Strength: 8mg/g (0.8%) 

Now, on to the reviews!

ZIXS Lakrits (Tobacco-Free Lös)

Flavor Description:  "Flavored with soft licorice for a fresh taste."

Review:  First thing, opening the can and looking at the material inside: it looks a lot like regular snus. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of the old Thunder Chewing Tobacco.  It's almost a clay-like material.  It's incredibly easy to handbrake, as well.  The aroma of this one is a smooth, gentle smell of black licorice.  It has a light sweetness to it, and some subtle pepper notes.  In the lip it's pretty comfortable but a little more firm than regular snus.  It has a nice moisture amount, and a steady release of flavor.  In the flavor profile, I pick up a mild licorice taste.  It's subtle, smooth, and lightly sweet.  In the background, I find subtle notes of pepper.  The nicotine feels about the regular strength level, and the flavor lasts about 45-50 minutes on average.

ZIXS Bergamot (Tobacco-Free Lös)

Flavor Description:  "Flavored with bergamot to give the classic taste."

Review:  In the aroma, I pick up a present character of bergamot.  Behind it are light floral notes, a subtle presence of black pepper, and a slight smokiness.  The grind is the same as the last one, and pretty easy to work with.  In the flavor, it's very much the traditional flavor profile.  I pick up a present taste of bergamot, along with a subtle smokiness.  There's mild, sweet floral notes, and a light black pepper backing.  The nicotine, also, feels about regular strength, and the flavor lasts about 45-50 minutes on average.

Rating and Final Thoughts

Honestly, I was pretty impressed with these.  I love snus, and I use snus daily.  But there's certainly a place in the market for stuff like this.  There's been tobacco-free dip alternatives for years, and that's fine for dippers.  But there's never been a tobacco-free product with the consistency of lössnus for those who want that sort of thing.  I'm definitely interested to see more of these products coming onto the market.  I'm interested to see how this stuff sells.  I know not a lot of people use loose snus anymore and portions have kind of taken over, but I could see this becoming a thing.  I liked the bergamot one more, and rated it at 3.67/5.  The lakrits one was good, but I rated it a little lower, at 3.5/5.  

Who knows, maybe the next Snubie collaboration will be a tobacco free loose product.  Since no one is making snus anymore, I could have fun playing with a product like this.