June 2022

The summer of 2022 marked the end of an era for Nordic Spirit, an incredibly successful nicotine pouch line by Japan Tobacco International. The abrupt discontinuation of the brand came as a shock to the tobacco-free community, especially since it first launched just three years prior, in 2019. It became a hit for its crystal white, ultra-soft, low-drip pouches with fresh, clean flavors, like mint, watermelon, and elderflower, that boasted an impressively long-lasting nicotine delivery.

With no sign of the range returning to shop's shelves and e-store's stock rooms, fans are up in arms and seeking viable replacement options. Luckily, the SnusDirect team are Nordic Spirit enthusiasts, too, and have compiled a list of the best nicotine pouches to use as alternatives through extensive taste testing, comparing nicotine effects, and judging mouthfeel. To find out what we came up with, continue reading.

In my early days of snus, there weren’t products this strong. Actually, the strongest snus you could get was “Extra Stark”, which usually was in the 16-17mg/g range. In 2011, GN Tobacco launched Oden’s Extreme, which would raise the nicotine ceiling to 22mg/g. They weren’t quite satisfied with that, and pushed the envelope a little further with the launch of Siberia in 2015. Siberia is one of the most popular products on the market, as well as one of the strongest, available today. Their “Red” version if the flagship of the Siberia family, which now includes non-mint products such as Siberia Black, that has a floral tobacco taste. But when it comes to Siberia snus, Siberia -80 Degrees White Dry Portion is the one most snusers think of.

For many, the product name “Thunder” is not unfamiliar. But also, the name “Thunder Frosted” may ring a few bells. Thunder has been associated with high nicotine snus for many years, and the Thunder Frosted product has been one of the most highly regarded in the snus world. But now, the Thunder brand is expanding to high-strength, invigorating nicotine pouches. As someone who used Thunder Frosted in my early days, I can tell you I was pretty interested and curious to check this one out when I heard that Thunder would now include a line of nicotine pouches. Spearmint is an incredible flavor, and I was most intrigued to see how the Thunder Frosted flavor would translate to a nicotine pouch product. Why don’t we find out more about this one?

When it comes to the traditional taste of Swedish Snus, General Snus is the standard-bearer. There isn’t another product line on the market that captures the classic, traditional, premium taste of bergamot and tobacco. Going back to 1866, General has been the benchmark for what Swedish Snus should be, and General White Portion delivers that flavor in a classy, premium package. For many in the US, this is one of the first flavors they tried, myself included, so it stands out amongst others due to its worldwide presence.

Berries. Mint. Put them together, add in an extra strong nicotine kick, and what do you get? Thunder Dark Frost. Thunder has always been known for high strength snus, but now they’re setting out to bring that reputation to the world of nicotine pouches. Thunder has also always had a reputation for some of the best mint flavored snus products on the market, so it’s no surprise that their new nicotine pouch line will also have invigorating mint blends across a wide variety of flavor profiles. Blending mint, menthol, and berries isn’t a common flavor, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you experience Dark Frost. So, why don’t we dive on in and check out this product?