I recently scored some of these Maggie pouches from a friend in the UK. I've been curious to try them out, mainly for the theme. I travel a lot, but one of my favorite places will always be the beach. These are Jamaican inspired, and while I've never been there, I've been Mexico, as well as the Dominican Republic, which are pretty close! Sounds like I need to plan a trip down that way soon. So, I found the website for these products, and from what I can gather they're made (or distributed) by Nico Distribution in the UK. So while they say "Original Jamaican Pouch", I'm pretty sure they're made in Europe. To get to know them better, this is how their website describes them: "Where we bring you the vibrant tastes and cultural richness of Jamaica through carefully crafted nicotine pouches. Whether you're looking to relax or add a touch of Caribbean to your day, choose Maggie for a refined journey into island vibes". Each can weighs 16 grams and has 20 pouches, weighing 0.8 grams each. The nicotine content is 16mg/g, which breaks down to 12.8mg per pouch.
I have four products to review today, so as not to get redundant I'll discuss what they have in common, first.
Product Commonalities
Pouch Feel - The pouches are slim, moderately moist, and pretty comfortable under my upper lip.
Nicotine Release - The nicotine strength feels about the strong level, and has a pretty quick release to it.
Flavor Longevity - The flavors all seem to last between 30 to 40 minutes, on average.
Now that we've discussed what they have in common - let's discuss their differences: aroma and flavor!
Flavor Description: "A delicious mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackcurrant"
My Review: Opening the can, this one has a pretty intriguing berry aroma, accompanied by present notes of menthol. It is slightly sweet, and seems to be a good mix of raspberry with subtle hints of blueberry. The flavor is a mix of berry and menthol. I pick up blueberry and raspberry, with a subtle sweetness to it.
Maggie Jamaican Kola
Flavor Description: "A playful blend of cola sweetness and tropical lemonade delight"
My Review: This one has a pretty interesting aroma. It's a slightly spicy cola, with a kind of tart element to it, and a little sweetness. Yes, the pouches are brown, but that's most likely due to the flavorings used. The flavor is pretty good. It's a sweet taste of cola, with some subtle, tart elements of citrus to it.
Maggie Fruit Punch
Flavor Description: "A delightful blend of orange, mango and grapefruit flavours"
My Review: This one is pretty subdued in aroma, and rather gentle. I pick up some menthol right off the bat, along with a mild citrusy presence. In the flavor, it's sweet, and has a pretty present menthol character. The flavor is mild, and slightly citrusy, and mostly seems to be a bit of orange.
Maggie Cherry Tonic Wine
Flavor Description: "A delightful blend of rich cherry and bold black-grape flavours"
My Review: I really like the aroma of this one, it smells a lot like a cherry hard candy. It's lightly sweet in nature, and has a hint of menthol to it. In the flavor, it's a subtle cherry. It's like a black cherry, and isn't overly sweet, but has a light sweetness to it. It also has a little menthol in there, too. I'm not sure why, but it reminds me a lot of Killa pouches, because they mix menthol with all of their flavors, so that's what I gather from this one, too.
Rating and Final Thoughts
All in all, these weren't too bad. From top to bottom, Kola came in at 3.17/5, Cherry Tonic at 3.08/5, Mr Blue at 3/5, and Fruit Punch at 2.92/5. The pouch quality was pretty solid, the flavors were decent, and the nicotine and flavor release were pretty nice. For me, I'd say the Kola one was my favorite, with Cherry right behind it. If I had to suggest either, I'd say go for one of those two.
The maximum score is 5?
ReplyDeleteYes and no. Yes, technically. But also, I prefer snus, so nicotine pouches usually have about a 1 point handicap in the rating, so I basically say (to those who enjoy nicotine pouches), add a point to whatever my final score is if you like this type of product and that will give you what the score would be for you.
Delete- Chad