What’s the Best Alternative to Menthol Cigarettes? Answered

If you’re a smoker who likes the cooling sensation you get while smoking a menthol cigarette, finding a proper alternative can be challenging. Whether you’re looking to eliminate smoke, comply with laws, or find a healthier option, there are several options worth considering, but how do you choose?

To help you decide, we’ll explore five nicotine products and see which of them could be the best alternative to menthol cigarettes.

Why Look For Alternatives to Menthol Cigarettes?

The most common reasons to make a switch from menthol cigarettes to other products are related to health. Cigarettes, although the most popular nicotine product, are also the most damaging.

The ingredient list for cigarettes includes over 60 carcinogenic chemicals, and smoking has also been associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Most notably, inhaling cigarette smoke damages oral tissues and the lungs and will almost inevitably lead to cardiovascular issues.

Menthol contains chemical compounds that cool and numb the mouth and throat, making them feel less harsh on the body. However, they still share most of their ingredients with regular cigarettes, meaning they carry the same health risks.

Another common reason to look for an alternative to menthol cigarettes is the legal limitation. When the original bans on flavored nicotine were put into force in some U.S. states, menthol was not on the list. However, certain states like Massachusetts and California have since expanded to include it, and others, like Hawaii, are working towards it.

The flavor bans include all flavored nicotine products, meaning that it may be impossible to find any kind of menthol-flavored alternative in these states. Still, other states such as Illinois, Texas, and Florida don’t have these bans in place, meaning you can easily find and purchase menthol cigarette alternatives there.

What Are the Best Alternatives to Menthol Cigarettes?

Although crush balls and flavor cards are often mentioned as options, they’re not independent products—they serve as a way to add the aroma of menthol to regular cigarettes. Because of that, they aren’t menthol cigarette alternatives in the literal sense since you still need to smoke, which doesn’t reduce any health risks.

There are several great products you should consider when looking for a replacement for menthol cigarettes. Each of them is different, but they may provide a refreshing experience and help satisfy your nicotine craving.

The best alternatives to menthol cigarettes are:

1. Vapes
2. Moist Snuff
3. Snus
4. Nicotine Gum
5. Nicotine Pouches

Source: Tnarg

Vapes

Vapes and cigarettes are both inhalable products, but they have some notable differences in the way they work, what they’re made of, and the health risks they involve.

The most important part of a vape is the liquid, which provides the nicotine hit. Vape liquid comes in a variety of flavors—including menthol—and strengths, letting you adjust the experience to your preference.

Vape liquid doesn’t contain any tobacco, and you inhale vapor instead of smoke, which means vaping won’t affect your health the same way menthol cigarettes will. Although it’s safer than smoking—it’s not safe. Some studies suggest that vaping can still cause health problems such as lung damage.

Moist Snuff

Snuff is a smokeless product made from ground or finely cut tobacco that comes in two texture varieties—fine and coarse. You can find it in a variety of flavors, but mint and menthol variations are the most common since they are the best at masking the bitter flavor of tobacco.

Using snuff doesn’t involve combustion or inhalation—all you need to do is pinch some snuff from the packaging, place it between your gums and cheek, and let it sit there for up to 30 minutes. The tobacco juices and the flavor are released constantly for 30 minutes, which makes it a great alternative to menthol cigarettes because it offers a longer-lasting flavor and buzz. 

A downside of using snuff is that you can’t swallow your saliva while it’s in. This means that you have to spit regularly, which can be inconvenient if you’re outside with your friends or family.

Another factor to consider is that while it’s safer than cigarettes, it’s not harmless. Because of the way it’s made, snuff contains tobacco-specific nitrosamines—carcinogenic chemicals that significantly increase the risk of oral, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer.

Snus

Similarly to snuff, snus is made by grinding the tobacco plant into a fine powder, with one crucial difference—it’s packed in small pouches. Like snuff, snus also primarily comes in mint and menthol variants to mask the bitterness of tobacco.

Snus is simpler and more convenient than snuff, though. Because the tobacco is packed in pre-portioned pouches, all you need to do is place one between your gums and cheek and let it sit there for up to 30 minutes. 

Snus also contains additional ingredients like pH stabilizers, which make it safe for you to swallow your saliva while the pouch is in your mouth, offering a subtler alternative to both cigarettes and snuff.

While snus is safer than cigarettes, it still contains tobacco, meaning that using it includes some serious health risks, such as cancer.

Source: Sherman Trotz

Nicotine Gum

Nicotine gum is chewing gum that gradually releases nicotine when chewed. The flavor variety of nicotine gum depends on the brand, but the menthol and other minty variants are the most common.

Chewing nicotine gum is different from regular gum. To use it correctly, you need to chew slowly until your mouth starts to tingle, then park the gum between your gums and cheek. Once the tingling goes away, you must chew again and repeat the process. Similarly to snuff and snus, the flavor and nicotine release should last up to 30 minutes, after which you should remove the gum from your mouth.

Nicotine gum retains its flavor for much longer than menthol cigarettes, but it has one disadvantage. It contains a relatively low amount of nicotine—2 mg to 4 mg—so it isn’t very strong. However, the nicotine is delivered gradually, so if your goal is to satisfy the cravings but not get a buzz—gum is a great choice.

Most importantly, nicotine gum is significantly less harmful than menthol cigarettes. However, you should still be careful. Using a nicotine gum can irritate your gums and cheeks, and chewing can cause stiffness and soreness in jaw muscles.

Source: Swenico

Nicotine Pouches

Nicotine pouches are a tobacco-free oral nicotine product that you place in your mouth between your upper lip and gums. While the flavor selection is extensive, most brands will offer at least a few minty aromas for you to chose from. Menthol, mint, peppermint, and wintergreen are some of the most popular minty flavors nicotine pouch brands offer.

Nicotine pouches have some clear advantages over menthol cigarettes. They deliver nicotine in a more consistent, controlled way—typically lasting around 30 minutes. Plus, while cigarette flavor fades quickly once you’re done smoking, pouches can keep their taste for up to an hour.

The absence of tobacco in nicotine pouches also means that many of the health risks associated with menthol cigarettes aren’t there. Nicotine by itself isn’t carcinogenic, and since using nicotine pouches doesn’t involve smoke, there’s also no strain on your lungs. 

Although they are healthier than cigarettes, nicotine pouches aren’t completely harmless. Nicotine affects how your body works and can lead to or exacerbate oral, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular health issues.

Which Menthol Cigarette Alternative Is the Best?

Although the best menthol cigarette alternative depends on user preference, nicotine pouches stand out as the best experience with the least adverse effects.

When compared to other products, nicotine pouches have the most going for them in terms of subtlety, ease of use, and buzz:

How Strong Are Nicotine Pouches?

Nicotine pouch strength reflects how much nicotine is contained in each pouch, expressed in milligrams (mg) per pouch or gram. Since everyone has a different nicotine tolerance and preference, the strength variety enables nicotine pouches to cater to different needs.

Depending on what you’re looking for, you can find pouches that go as low as 1.5 mg of nicotine or as high as 15+ mg. As a comparison, an average cigarette contains around 10–12 mg of nicotine. 

Which Strength is Right For You?

Menthol cigarettes and nicotine pouches deliver nicotine differently, so they won’t have the same effects even if they contain the same amount of nicotine. 

A single cigarette delivers about as much nicotine as a 3 mg nicotine pouch. However, the buzz from a cigarette is much shorter because a cigarette makes your blood nicotine spike and then go down much more quickly. 

On the other hand, a pouch releases nicotine gradually. Due to this, comparing how many cigarettes you smoke every day will give you a better idea of what pouch strength to choose:

This table is more of a guideline than a rule, and choosing the right strength will take some trial and error. However, as long as you follow these tips, finding what works best for you shouldn’t be difficult:

• Work your way up: Starting with milder pouches is a good way to adjust to how they work before you start moving on to stronger products
• Mind how you react: Using nicotine pouches should be pleasant. If something feels off—you feel dizzy or nauseous—remove the pouch
• Don’t overuse pouches: Having consistently high levels of nicotine in your body increases the odds of having a negative reaction

Source: Swenico

What Flavors Do Nicotine Pouches Come In?

One of the main appeals of menthol cigarettes is the aroma that keeps your mouth fresh and masks the bitter taste of tobacco. Since nicotine pouches don’t have to deal with tobacco aroma, they have more freedom than cigarettes when it comes to menthol flavors.

Aside from the regular mint, peppermint, and spearmint flavors, nicotine pouches come in a few more creative variations:

• Extra strong mint flavors: If menthol cigarettes weren’t refreshing enough for you, some brands like Snatch offer double mint pouches that combine menthol with an additional cooling ingredient
• Mint-fruit combinations: By combining fruity flavors with mint, pouches like Dennssi’s Watermelon Freeze create a sweet-cool contrast that keeps your mouth feeling refreshed
• Mint-berry combinations: Flavors like Thor’s Arctic Berries add a mix of sweetness and tartness to the mint flavor

If you prefer an unadulterated nicotine experience, there are also unflavored nicotine pouches. Products like ZYN Chill use WS-3, an artificial cooling agent that will cool your mouth without interfering with the taste of nicotine.

How Do Nicotine Pouches Work?

Once you place a nicotine pouch in your mouth, it delivers nicotine directly into your bloodstream through the mucous membrane on your gums. The delivery is steady, so you won’t feel an immediate buzz like you would with a cigarette. Instead, it can take about five minutes for the pouches to kick in, and the effects can last for more than 30 minutes.

The timeline of a nicotine pouch looks like this:

1. Minutes 0–5: Your saliva wets the pouch, which initiates nicotine delivery
2. Minutes 5–10: The nicotine starts to interact with your body, and you feel a slight buzz 
3. Minutes 10–20: The buzz continues, slowly increasing in strength. You should feel your mood improve
4. Minutes 20–30: Most of the nicotine from the pouch is gone, and you feel calmer and more focused. The buzz is at its strongest

After the first five minutes, how long you keep the pouch in your mouth depends on your preference and tolerance. However, you won’t get an additional buzz from the pouch past the 30-minute mark, so that’s usually considered a good time to remove it unless you want to savor the flavor for a while longer.

Source: nrd

Do Nicotine Pouches Expire?

Although they are made from food-grade ingredients, nicotine pouches will not expire the same way as food. Instead, similar to cigarettes, they will start to lose potency and flavor over time.

This happens because nicotine starts to break down once it comes into contact with oxygen and sunlight. The process is slow, so you don’t have to worry about your pouches going bad a few days after you open the pack.

A nicotine pouch that’s been sitting for a while doesn’t look much different than a fresh one, so it’s hard to tell them apart at first glance. However, the difference is obvious once you put the pouch in your mouth. The nicotine hit won’t be as strong, and the flavor will be much more muted.

Under normal conditions and provided the packaging wasn’t opened, nicotine pouches should last up to a year before they go bad. Two factors can significantly affect their shelf life:

1. Storage: Once you open the packaging, factors like humidity, temperature, and light exposure can speed up nicotine degradation. To ensure your pouches last longer, keep them in a dark, dry, and cold place, like the fridge
2. Quality: Higher-quality nicotine is more stable, meaning that it will take more time for it to start degrading, and the loss of potency won’t be immediately noticeable. Premium nicotine pouches use ingredients that slow down moisture loss, helping maintain nicotine and flavor intensity over time

Find High-Quality Pouches At SnusBoss

At SnusBoss, you can find some of the best nicotine pouches on the market. Run by industry experts, the website offers premium nicotine pouches chosen for their freshness, fantastic flavors, and long-lasting nicotine buzz.

The website currently offers a great selection of pouches from these brands:

To order from SnusBoss, all you need to do is:

1. Go to the online store
2. Select the brand, strength, and flavor you like
3. Put in your payment and shipping information

Shipping is free for orders above $249. Select express shipping and get your pouches within 2–3 business days.

Featured image source: Luka Malic