The Science of the Buzz: Why Pouches Hit Harder

Many smokers switch to pouches and say: "Whoa, that 6mg felt stronger than my cigarette!". How is that possible if a cigarette contains ~10-12mg of nicotine?

Absorption Efficiency

When you smoke, a lot of nicotine burns away or is exhaled. You only absorb about 1-2mg per cigarette.
With a pouch, the nicotine sits against the mucous membrane for 30-60 minutes. The uptake is slower to start but steadier, creating a "plateau" of nicotine in the blood that lasts longer.

The Salt Effect

Modern pouches use Nicotine Salts (protonated nicotine). This molecule crosses the blood-brain barrier extremely efficiently, triggering the dopamine release (the "Buzz") effectively without the harshness of freebase nicotine.