The Watermelon Face Off: Four Cans, Three Brands, and Apparently Watermelon Has to Be Cold

Nobody seems willing to just make a watermelon nicotine pouch. It always comes with cooling, a freeze or a second fruit. We compared four watermelon cans from three brands to see how differently they handle what should be a pretty straightforward fruit: ZYN Cool Watermelon Mini, 6mg, ZYN Cool Watermelon Slim, 11mg, VELO Wintery Watermelon, 14mg and Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon, 30mg.

ZYN Cool Watermelon Mini 6mg

This is probably the closest of the four to plain watermelon. It still says Cool on the can, because apparently that part is mandatory, but next to the others it tastes like watermelon first and cooling second.

The Mini is also the smallest pouch in the comparison, and at 6mg it's at the opposite end of the range from the Pablo. If the word watermelon is what drew you in, this is the most straightforward place to start.

ZYN Cool Watermelon Slim 11mg

The 11mg Slim is basically the same flavor as the 6mg Mini, in a bigger pouch at a higher strength. That's typical of the way ZYN builds its lineup: you don't have to give up a flavor you like just because you want a different strength or format. So the first two cans are really two versions of the same thing, and the Slim is for people who liked Cool Watermelon and wanted more of it.

VELO Wintery Watermelon 14mg

VELO seems to have looked at Cool Watermelon and decided ZYN wasn't taking the cold seriously enough, so it made Wintery Watermelon. That's a much more aggressive name, and it tells you exactly where VELO wanted the flavor to go. Here the cold is a big part of the flavor, not just something in the background. It's less like watermelon from the fridge and more like watermelon that spent the night in the freezer.

That might actually be the right call, since watermelon is naturally pretty subtle and strong cooling gives it more definition without making it sweeter. But it also means that if you want something that tastes as much like real watermelon as possible, Wintery Watermelon may not be what you're after.

Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon 30mg

Pablo pairs watermelon with strawberry, which immediately sets this one apart from the other three. Instead of deciding how cold watermelon should be, Pablo turns it into a two-fruit flavor, with strawberry adding weight and sweetness and watermelon keeping it lighter.

The other obvious difference is the strength: 30mg. That puts it at a completely different level from the 6mg ZYN Mini, so nobody should be choosing between those two on flavor alone. They're made for very different people. As a watermelon comparison, though, Pablo shows one more way brands deal with the same problem. Watermelon on its own is subtle, so ZYN adds cooling, VELO adds even more cooling, and Pablo adds strawberry.

So Who Makes the Best Watermelon?

That depends on what you mean by watermelon. If you want the most straightforward watermelon flavor in this group, ZYN Cool Watermelon is probably the closest, with the Mini at 6mg and the Slim taking the same flavor to 11mg. If you actually enjoy the cold, VELO Wintery Watermelon goes much further in that direction. Pablo Strawberry Watermelon is the strongest of the four and the only one with a second fruit.

Why Does Nobody Just Make Normal Watermelon?

A plain watermelon pouch, with no Cool, Wintery, Ice or Freeze on the can and no strawberry next to it, seems like the simplest product in the world. In nicotine pouches, apparently, it would count as radical innovation.

Quick Answer

Which watermelon nicotine pouch is best?

Of these four, ZYN Cool Watermelon is the most straightforward watermelon option. VELO Wintery Watermelon puts more emphasis on cooling, and Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon mixes watermelon with another fruit at a much higher nicotine strength.

The right choice depends more on the flavor style and strength you want than on the watermelon itself.

FAQ

Does ZYN make a watermelon nicotine pouch?

Yes. Cool Watermelon is ZYN's watermelon flavor, and this comparison covers two versions of it, the 6mg Mini and the 11mg Slim.

What is the difference between ZYN Cool Watermelon and VELO Wintery Watermelon?

Both combine watermelon with cooling, but VELO Wintery Watermelon puts more emphasis on the cold, while ZYN keeps the watermelon closer to the center of the flavor.

Is Pablo Strawberry Watermelon just watermelon flavored?

No. It's a mix of strawberry and watermelon, so watermelon isn't the only fruit flavor.

Which of these watermelon pouches is strongest?

Of the four compared here, Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon has the highest listed nicotine strength, at 30mg.

More flavor comparisons from DAILY SNEWS: grape, cherry, berry, citrus and apple.

WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.