To make these comparisons I have had to create my own super scientific methodology to be objective in my results. Well. Kind of. I basically use the lighter pouches first thing in the morning when I open my eyes, then take notes. It would be unfair to compare the two throughout the day, when I am using stronger pouches anyway. My go to pouch would be somewhere around the 20mg level. So, to properly quantify the strengths in some sort of equilibrium, I needed to ensure my tolerance was at its lowest - and for me, that is the morning.
I have actually been quite surprised with the Nordic Spirit pouches. They come in three strength variants that I found, being 6mg Regular, 9mg Strong, and 11mg Extra Strong. It seems laughable to call 11mg Extra Strong, but fair enough. Taking the terrible flavour out of the equation, and quantifying the effects of the the strengths, they were pretty good. The 6mg, was definitely the one that surprised me the most. At 6mg, especially in the mint variants, NS performed well. The uptake time was slow, as was expected, but the mild effects lasted longer than I thought they would. Both the 9mg, and 11mg were very similar, with not much to call between the two. Had I been a cynic, I would have said they were both the same thing. I can say that the effects of both the 9mg, and 11mg, were identical, regardless of the time of day I tried them. The uptake time of nicotine was slow, and only slightly more intense than the 6mg. I would probably choose the 6mg over the other two, the effects are a little lighter, but it means you can keep your nicotine intake lower in the long run.
VELO was disappointing at every strength level outside of the 17mg. I expected so much more from VELO. Perhaps the brand carries the weight of being backed by BAT as a manufacturer, you naturally expect something great. But, all of the lower strength lines lack any real conviction in nicotine uptake time, and longevity. The effects are mild, at best, regardless of the strength. The 10mg is comparable to Nordic Spirit’s 6mg, and the 14mg is comparable to the 9mg.
The 17mg is where VELO does offer something, but I had to push to the strongest VELO. I personally think that it hits more like a competitive 10mg, but it offers some continuity for nicotine pouch users at higher levels. Even the mint flavours, which typically hit harder due to perceived strength, struggle to really commit to the acclaimed 17mg. Maybe it is something to do with the way in which BAT have created these pouches to perform. But, the expectation of a faster nicotine hit, and somewhat more of an aggressive ride, was stopped in its tracks.
Winner: Nordic Spirit