Flavour
Liquorice and salmiak nicotine pouches
The flavour Sweden kept. What salmiak is, why it ended up in pouches, and the handful of liquorice tins you can buy in the UK.
No products match those filters.
Quick answer: Liquorice pouches are a Scandinavian tradition that has only partly crossed to the UK. Pablo Liquorice Exclusive at 50mg is the one tin reliably in stock, Helwit Salmiak at 12mg is the proper salty liquorice when it is available, and Killa Exclusive Liquorice at 16.5mg and CUBA Liquorice Ninja at 30mg come and go. Expect a dark, sweet, slightly salty taste that is nothing like a mint or a fruit.
This is the smallest family on the flavours hub, five tins in the catalogue and rarely more than two in stock at once. It is here because the people who want it really want it, and because the story behind it explains a lot about where pouches came from.
What liquorice and salmiak pouches taste like
Liquorice in a pouch is the black, aniseed-sweet flavour of a liquorice wheel, not the red twisted sweet. It is dark, round and warming, with a touch of bitterness, and it sits under a strong nicotine hit better than almost any other flavour because it does not compete with the tingle.
Salmiak is liquorice with ammonium chloride, which gives it a salty, almost savoury edge. In the UK it is an acquired taste, and the first reaction is often "that's wrong" followed a week later by "where can I get more". Helwit Salmiak is the only true salmiak pouch we list. The Pablo, Killa and CUBA tins are plain black liquorice, sweeter and easier.
The nearest relatives are coffee pouches, which share the dark, sweet profile, and the richer end of cola pouches. If you like one, you will probably get on with the others.
How liquorice pouches are made
Tobacco-free, like everything we stock: plant fibre, nicotine, water, pH adjusters and sweetener. The liquorice flavour is a food-grade blend built on anethole, the compound that gives aniseed and liquorice root their taste, with caramel notes and sometimes a little real liquorice extract. Salmiak tins add ammonium chloride for the salt.
No cooling agents are used, so a liquorice pouch feels soft on the gum. That matters at the strengths these tins come in. A 50mg Pablo Liquorice is still a 50mg pouch and should be treated as one, but without menthol or cooling to sharpen it, the hit builds rather than bites. Flavour lasts well, 20 to 30 minutes, because the aniseed note is persistent and does not depend on sweetness to register.
Why Scandinavians love it
Nicotine pouches grew out of Swedish snus, and Swedish snus has carried liquorice and salmiak flavours for decades. When the first tobacco-free white pouches appeared in Sweden, salmiak was one of the first flavours offered, because that was what the market expected. The snus hub covers how that history shaped the pouches we use now.
The UK market arrived via mint and fruit instead, and the Nordic flavours never got the same push. That is why the liquorice tins we do have come from brands with a Scandinavian or continental base (Helwit is Swedish, Pablo, Killa and CUBA are made in Europe for the strong-pouch market) rather than from the UK-focused ranges like VELO or Nordic Spirit.
Liquorice and salmiak nicotine pouch tins
| Product | Brand | Strength | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| XPCT Megacan Liquorice (100 pouches) | XPCT | 8.4mg | £19.99 |
| Helwit Salmiak | Helwit | 12mg | £4.29 |
| Killa Exclusive Liquorice | Killa | 16.5mg | £4.29 |
| CUBA Liquorice Ninja | CUBA | 30mg | £4.29 |
| Pablo Liquorice Exclusive | Pablo | 50mg | £4.29 |
Only Pablo Liquorice Exclusive and the XPCT Megacan are reliably in stock. Helwit, Killa and CUBA are catalogue regulars that sell through and come back, so check before you plan around them.
Best liquorice pouches by strength
Low (up to 6mg). Nothing. There is no low strength liquorice pouch in regular UK stock. If you want a gentle dark flavour, ZYN Coffee Mini Strong at 6mg is the nearest thing.
Medium (6mg to 9mg). XPCT Megacan Liquorice at 8.4mg, sold as a 100 pouch tub for £19.99 rather than a 20 pouch tin. It is a fair way to try the flavour at a sensible strength, and the only medium band option.
Strong (9mg to 12mg). Helwit Salmiak at 12mg, when available. It is the best liquorice pouch we list, and the only salty one. If you see it in the strong band, buy two.
Extra strong (12mg and up). Killa Exclusive Liquorice at 16.5mg, CUBA Liquorice Ninja at 30mg and Pablo Liquorice Exclusive at 50mg. Pablo's is the one you can always get, and it is a very strong tin. If you are not already a regular in the extra strong band, do not start here.
Who liquorice suits
Liquorice suits people who grew up with the flavour, which in practice means Scandinavians, Dutch and Finns living in the UK, plus anyone who buys black liquorice or salmiak sweets by choice. It suits heavy users well, because the tins that exist are strong and the flavour carries strength gracefully. And it suits people who have exhausted mint and fruit and want something that tastes grown up.
It suits beginners badly, through no fault of the flavour. The lowest single tin is 12mg and the one you can always buy is 50mg. If you are new and curious, the Megacan at 8.4mg is the only sensible way in.
It also suits anyone interested in where pouches came from. Using a salmiak pouch is the closest a tobacco-free product gets to the original Swedish snus experience, and Pablo and Helwit both lean on that heritage.
Frequently asked questions
What is salmiak?
Salty liquorice. It is liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride, which gives a salty, slightly sharp edge. It is a mainstream sweet across the Nordic countries and the Netherlands and an acquired taste everywhere else. Helwit Salmiak is the only true salmiak pouch in UK stock.
Is there a low strength liquorice pouch?
Not as a standard tin. The gentlest option is the XPCT Megacan Liquorice at 8.4mg, sold as a 100 pouch tub. If a brand launches a 4mg or 6mg liquorice we will add it here.
Does liquorice flavour affect blood pressure the way liquorice sweets can?
Real liquorice root contains glycyrrhizin, which can raise blood pressure in large amounts. Pouch flavourings are mostly synthetic anethole with little or no root extract, and the amount in a pouch is tiny compared with a bag of sweets. If blood pressure is a concern, talk to a GP about the nicotine, not the flavour.
Why is it so hard to find liquorice pouches in the UK?
Because the UK market was built on mint and fruit, and the brands selling here follow demand. Liquorice sells through in bursts and restocks slowly. Pablo Liquorice Exclusive is the exception and is nearly always available.