Killa & Pablo (Chew Bags) - Review. 3 November 2022.

With nicotine pouches growing in popularity, we don't see a lot of new chew bag products anymore.  Originally, chew bags were a way around the EU snus ban.  However, companies have discovered nicotine pouches are easier and cheaper to make, and easier to sell.  So, we are seeing less and less of these products.  Basically, for them to become legal in the EU, they have a thicker portion material and cut (instead of ground) tobacco.  I know, it doesn't make much sense, but that's the way it works.  I recently discovered these, and after trying them out, they remind me a lot of some GN products.  Killa Cold Dry reminds me of Oden's Cold Dry, and Pablo Ice Cold reminds me of Siberia Red White Dry.  I'm not sure if GN produces this, because they're labeled as being NGP products (the usual manufacturer of Killa and Pablo).  But, it wouldn't surprise me if GN did produce these because they seem virtually identical.  That being said, let's check these two products out.

Killa Cold Dry

Product Description:  "Spearmint"

Can Contents:  16 grams, 20 portions, 0.8 grams each

Nicotine Strength:  22mg/g (2.2%), 17.6mg/portion

Review:  When you open the can, the aroma that comes through is a sweet, gentle aroma of spearmint.  The pouches are the white dry format, so a little dry at first but they do get more comfortable as they moisten up.  Putting one under the lip, I get a nice cooling sensation from the mint.  The flavor profile is what made me think this was a GN product - it tastes just like Oden's Cold Dry.  The taste is a present, sweet taste of spearmint.  The nicotine strength feels to be at the extra strong level, packing a solid kick.  Being a white dry, I find the flavor to hang out for well over an hour, sometimes up to 1.5 hours.

Pablo Ice Cold Max

Product Description:  "Sweet and spicy peppermint flavor"

Can Contents:  16 grams, 20 portions, 0.8 grams each

Nicotine Strength:  43mg/g (4.3%), 34.4mg/portion

Review:  Yes, this one is stronger than I usually review.  I try not to go over 26mg/portion in what I review, and I certainly don't use anything stronger than that myself.  However, I got into this review before I realized how strong it was.  So, I'm still going to review it, I just don't suggest people use anything this strong.  Opening the can, I can tell this one is a lot like Siberia Red.  It has a big, sharp peppermint smell.  In the lip, it burns at first, but then turns to a cooling presence.  The pouch is dry, but as it gets moist under the lip it starts to soften up.  In the flavor, it's a pretty sharp, semi-sweet taste of peppermint.  Usually, I'll talk about how long the flavor lasts, but I can't keep this one in too long, it's way too strong.  I take it out after about 10 minutes, because that's about all I can handle.

Rating and Final Thoughts

In the end, I'm pretty sure these are Oden's Cold and Siberia Red, but rebranded as Killa and Pablo Chew Bags.  I don't really care about any of that, lots of companies do this sort of thing so it's really no big deal. The Killa one isn't too bad if you like Oden's Cold.  The Pablo one I wouldn't suggest though, because I don't encourage anyone to use anything that is over 26mg/g of nicotine.  That being said, the Killa one ended up at 2.83/5 for me and the Pablo one ended up at 2.67/5 for me.  If you like stronger chew bags, you may enjoy these.