Tin, can, pouch or portion? Nicotine pouch terms explained

Nicotine pouches grew out of Swedish snus, and the vocabulary came with them. Then the UK market added a few words of its own, and brands added a few more for marketing. The result is that a product page can read like a code. This is the short guide to cracking it. For the full A to Z, see our nicotine pouch glossary.

Tin, can and the container

Tin and can both mean the round plastic container the pouches come in. Tin is the British habit, can is the American and Swedish one. Neither is actually made of metal any more; almost all are polypropylene. The lid has a small compartment for used pouches.

A tin holds a set number of pouches, usually 20, though 15, 18 and 24 are common. Two tins at the same price are not the same value if the counts differ, which is why our product pages show the count and the price per pouch.

Pouch and portion

A pouch is one unit: the small bag of filler and nicotine you put under your lip. Portion is the Swedish snus term for the same thing and still appears on some packaging and in older guides. "Portion snus" means snus in bags rather than loose. On this site, pouch always means a tobacco-free nicotine pouch; for the tobacco product, see what snus is.

The size and shape words

Term	What it means	Who it suits
Slim	A long, narrow pouch that sits flat under the lip	Most UK users; the default format
Mini	A smaller, shorter pouch with less material	Beginners, discreet use, lower strengths
Large or original	A fuller, wider pouch closer to Swedish snus size	Ex-snus users, people who want a longer release
Super slim or ultra slim	Narrower than slim	Maximum discretion

Size affects feel more than strength. A 6mg mini and a 6mg slim contain the same nicotine, but the slim spreads it over more material and often feels gentler. The formats hub compares them, and mini pouches are the usual recommendation for a first tin.

All-white, dry and moist

All-white means the filler is clean white plant fibre with no tobacco and no colouring, so it does not stain. Almost every UK nicotine pouch is all-white, and the term is mostly used to distinguish pouches from brown or off-white snus. Confusingly, "white snus" is a different thing: snus with a bleached surface that still contains tobacco. Our page on white snus vs nicotine pouches sorts that out.

Dry and moist describe the water content. A dry pouch (Killa's "Cold Dry Mint" says it on the tin) has little moisture, releases nicotine more slowly at first and produces less saliva. A moist pouch starts faster and feels stronger early on. Most UK pouches sit in the middle. See dry vs moist pouches.

Drip

Drip is the saliva and flavour run-off a pouch produces, especially a moist one. More drip means more flavour early on and more swallowing. Swedish snus users spit; nicotine pouch users generally swallow, because the liquid is just saliva with flavouring and a little nicotine. If a pouch drips so much that it bothers you, switch to a drier brand or a slimmer format. Do you spit or swallow with pouches answers the obvious question.

Dots

The row of dots on a lid, from one to six, is that brand's own strength ladder. Two dots at one brand and two dots at another are not the same mg. Read the mg per pouch figure for the real strength and use dots only to compare tins within one brand. What the dots mean lists the main brand scales.

Why the words matter when you buy

Once you know the terms, a product name reads itself. Killa Exclusive Cold Dry Mint is a dry, extra strong mint slim. ZYN Mini Dry Cool Mint is a small, dry, lower-strength mint. Nordic Spirit Max is that brand's strongest line. The nicotine pouches hub groups every tin by brand, strength, flavour and format, so the words do the sorting for you.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Nicotine pouch glossary: every term explained
• How to read a nicotine pouch label
• What do the dots on nicotine pouch tins mean?