The Watermelon Face Off: Four Cans, Three Brands, and Apparently Watermelon Has to Be Cold
There is something strange happening with watermelon nicotine pouches.
Nobody seems willing to just make watermelon.
Not watermelon with mint. Not frozen watermelon. Not watermelon that has apparently been stored in Antarctica.
Just watermelon.
We pulled 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
- Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon, 30mg
Four cans.
Three brands.
Zero room temperature watermelons.
ZYN Cool Watermelon Mini 6mg
This is probably the closest of the four to simply saying, "Here is watermelon."
Yes, it still says Cool on the can.
Apparently that part is mandatory.
But compared with the others, watermelon is doing most of the work here.
The Mini is also the smallest pouch in the comparison and comes in at 6mg, which puts it at the opposite end of the spectrum from something like the Pablo.
If what attracted you to the product was specifically the word watermelon, this is the most straightforward place to start the comparison.
The basic idea: watermelon first, cooling second.
ZYN Cool Watermelon Slim 11mg
Then ZYN gives you essentially the same flavor idea in a bigger format and a higher strength.
That sounds like a minor difference until you realize it represents something fairly important about the way ZYN builds its lineup.
You do not necessarily have to abandon a flavor you like just because you want a different strength or format.
The 11mg Slim gives Cool Watermelon a more substantial pouch than the 6mg Mini while keeping the same general identity.
So these first two cans are not really competing over who invented the better watermelon.
They are two versions of the same answer.
The basic idea: you liked Cool Watermelon, but you wanted more of it.
VELO Wintery Watermelon 14mg
VELO looked at Cool Watermelon and apparently decided ZYN was not taking the weather seriously enough.
So we get:
Wintery Watermelon.
That is a much more aggressive name.
And it tells you exactly where VELO wants the flavor to go.
This is not watermelon with a little cooling in the background. The cold sensation is part of the identity of the product.
Think less watermelon from the fridge.
More watermelon had an unfortunate night in the freezer.
That might actually make sense from a flavor design perspective. Watermelon is naturally pretty subtle, and strong cooling gives the flavor more definition without simply making it sweeter.
But it also means that someone looking for the most watermelon like watermelon is not necessarily looking for the same thing as someone buying Wintery Watermelon.
The basic idea: watermelon, but somebody turned down the thermostat.
Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon 30mg
And then Pablo arrives and decides watermelon should not even have to work alone.
Strawberry gets involved.
That immediately moves this one away from the other three.
Instead of trying to decide how cold watermelon should be, Pablo turns it into a two fruit flavor.
Strawberry gives the profile more weight and sweetness, while watermelon keeps it lighter.
There is also another fairly obvious difference:
30mg.
That puts Pablo in completely different strength territory from the 6mg ZYN Mini, so nobody should be choosing between the two based on flavor ranking alone.
They are aimed at very different preferences.
As a watermelon comparison, though, Pablo is useful because it demonstrates another way brands deal with the same problem.
Watermelon by itself is subtle.
ZYN adds cooling.
VELO adds even more cooling.
Pablo says: fine, bring strawberry.
The basic idea: watermelon brought a friend.
So Who Makes the Best Watermelon?
That depends on what you mean by watermelon.
If you are looking for the most straightforward watermelon profile in this group, ZYN Cool Watermelon is probably the closest fit.
The Mini gives you the smaller 6mg version.
The Slim takes the same general flavor direction to 11mg.
If the cold sensation is part of what you actually enjoy, VELO Wintery Watermelon leans much further into it.
And if you want the strongest and most obviously fruit blended option, Pablo Strawberry Watermelon is doing something else entirely.
Which leaves one question unanswered.
Why Does Nobody Just Make Normal Watermelon?
No Cool.
No Wintery.
No Ice.
No Freeze.
No strawberry standing beside it.
Just watermelon.
The kind you eat in August and somehow get all over your shirt despite being an adult.
It seems like the simplest product in the world.
Apparently, in nicotine pouches, it is radical innovation.
Quick Answer
Which watermelon nicotine pouch is best?
Among these four products, ZYN Cool Watermelon is the most straightforward watermelon focused option. VELO Wintery Watermelon puts more emphasis on cooling, while Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon combines watermelon with another fruit and sits at a much higher nicotine strength.
The right choice depends more on the flavor style and strength you want than watermelon alone.
FAQ
Does ZYN make a watermelon nicotine pouch?
Yes. Cool Watermelon is ZYN's watermelon flavor in the products covered here, with different strength and format versions represented in this comparison.
What is the difference between ZYN Cool Watermelon and VELO Wintery Watermelon?
Both combine watermelon with cooling, but VELO Wintery Watermelon places more emphasis on the cold sensation, while ZYN keeps watermelon closer to the center of the flavor.
Is Pablo Strawberry Watermelon just watermelon flavored?
No. It combines strawberry and watermelon rather than presenting watermelon as the only fruit flavor.
Which of these watermelon pouches is strongest?
Based on the four products compared here, Pablo Exclusive Strawberry Watermelon has the highest listed nicotine strength at 30mg.
More face-offs from DAILY SNEWS: the Grape Test, the Cherry Depth Chart, the Berry Bracket, the Citrus Court, and the Apple Face-Off.
WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.