Après vs NOIS: which nicotine pouch should you buy?

Choosing between Après and NOIS usually comes down to strength band, pouch format and what is actually in stock. All three are things we can answer directly, because both brands are ours to ship.

Side by side

Strength

NOIS spans 4 mg to 25 mg per pouch; Après goes 3.2 mg to 11 mg. The NOIS Light line (Blueberry ICE, Cherry ICE, Cool Strong Light) starts at 4 mg; the 25 mg NOIS Blueberry Extreme Mini tops the range. If you want a high-strength pouch, NOIS is the only place to get it.

At the same concentration, the 3.2 mg Après Mochaccino Mini is 8.0 mg/g in a 0.4 g pouch; the 4 mg NOIS Light is also 8.0 mg/g but in a 0.5 g pouch. The 11 mg Après Hyper Strong is 20.0 mg/g, matching the 10 mg NOIS Mint; the 25 mg NOIS extremes hit 50.0 mg/g.

For a 4 mg dose, the 30-pouch NOIS Light costs CA$0.47 a pouch and carries 120 mg total; a 20-pouch Après at 4 mg costs CA$0.70 a pouch and carries 80 mg. The 3.2 mg minis hold 64 mg per can. So NOIS gives more nicotine per dollar at the light end; Après's minis offer a smaller pouch with the same concentration.

• Light — 1.5–4 mg per pouch (177 cans listed, in stock or not). Where to start. Enough to feel, mild enough to sit with for an hour.
• Normal — 4.2–6 mg per pouch (76 cans listed, in stock or not). The everyday strength — enough to feel without taking over the afternoon.
• Strong — 6.3–12 mg per pouch (259 cans listed, in stock or not). A firm kick and a real tingle. Not a first pouch.
• Extra Strong — 12.5–20 mg per pouch (96 cans listed, in stock or not). Heavy hitters for a tolerance that is already built.
• Super Strong — 22.2–30 mg per pouch (70 cans listed, in stock or not). Serious doses, for a tolerance that is already well established.
• Extreme — 32.5–50 mg per pouch (70 cans listed, in stock or not). The highest doses we list. Far above any Canadian-authorized product.

Flavour and format

The two brands overlap on just four flavours: berry, mint, blueberry and cherry. Après uses its 49 cans to cover peach, licorice, banana, coffee and elderflower; NOIS keeps a compact list of fruit-and-mint mixes like mango and watermelon. Après wins on variety, NOIS on simplicity.

Both sell slim and mini pouches, but the minis are the differentiators. Après offers Mochaccino, Hugo Spritz, Raspberry Liqorice and Bananas minis; NOIS has Blueberry Extreme Mini and Cherry Mini. If coffee in a small pouch appeals, the Après Mochaccino Mini is your match; for a cherry mini, it is the NOIS Cherry Mini.

Even between two slim pouches, the sensation differs. NOIS Extreme Light rates sting 9 out of 10, while NOIS Cherry ICE Light is fruit 8 with a sting of 2. Aprés No.10 Tangerine Spritz also scores fruit 8, sting 2. Use the tasting data to find a strong sting or a fruit-forward chill.

The NOIS range in full

• NOIS Blueberry ICE Light (4 mg) — Reach for NOIS Blueberry ICE Light when you want a smooth, easy-going hit of berry without smoke or tobacco.
• NOIS Cherry ICE Light (4 mg) — Reach for NOIS Cherry ICE Light when you want a smooth, easy-going hit of cherry without smoke or tobacco.
• NOIS Cool Strong Light (4 mg) — Reach for NOIS Cool Strong Light when you want a smooth, easy-going hit of mint without smoke or tobacco.
• NOIS Extreme Light (4 mg) — Reach for NOIS Extreme Light when you want a smooth, easy-going hit of mint without smoke or tobacco.
• NOIS Mango ICE Light (4 mg) — NOIS Mango ICE Light delivers a smooth, easy-going mango experience in a discreet, tobacco-free pouch.
• NOIS Wintergreen Light (4 mg) — NOIS Wintergreen Light pairs a smooth, easy-going nicotine kick with a crisp fruit taste.

NOIS splits its 20 cans into three tiers: the 4 mg Light line (Blueberry ICE Light, Cool Strong Light, Mango ICE Light and others) in 30-pouch tins, mid-strength cans like NOIS Mint at 10 mg, and 25 mg extremes such as Blueberry Extreme Mini in 20-pouch tins. At CA$14.00 a can, the pouch count sets the per-pouch cost.

The Light line is not one sensation. Cool Strong Light leads with mint 7 and sting 6; Wintergreen Light stays at mint 3, sting 2, with fruit 7. Mango ICE Light splits the difference at mint 3, sting 5, fruit 6. The ICE suffix does not predict chill – Mango ICE has less mint than Cool Strong, which has no ICE in its name.

The minis occupy opposite ends. Blueberry Extreme Mini, at 25 mg, carries 500 mg per can of 20. Cherry Mini, at 10.5 mg in a 0.3 g pouch, offers a smaller format with a lighter hit. Choose Blueberry Extreme Mini for maximum strength, Cherry Mini for a compact pouch.

Price and availability in Canada

Both brands are CA$14.00 per can, so price won't separate them. Shelf space does: we stock 49 single cans of Après against NOIS's 20. Après gives you a larger, more varied catalogue to explore; NOIS's 20 cans form a compact range that's easier to work through. Choose based on how much variety you want.

Shipping is identical for both: from British Columbia across Canada. Orders over CA$150 ship free — at CA$14.00 a can, that's exactly six cans. You can mix both brands in one order to reach the threshold, and the free shipping applies to the combined total. Stock is held in British Columbia, so a Canadian order travels as a domestic parcel rather than an import.

The stock difference also affects reordering. With 49 cans, Après has a deeper backup if a favourite sells out; NOIS's 20 cans are the full range, so a sold-out can is gone until restocked. For a first order, NOIS is easier to sample; for long-term exploration, Après has more room.

Common questions

Après cans we stock are made by Après Nicotine AB and BAT; NOIS cans come from NOIS.WORLD and HRJ Production OU. The maker is consistent across each range, which keeps flavour and strength predictable when you reorder. Both brands are sold as single cans, so you can try one before committing to a bigger buy.

In our tasting data, cans are rated out of 10 for fruit, mint and sting, where sting is the mouth burn. Low sting doesn't mean weak flavour: Aprés Zero No.5 Ice Tea Peach scores fruit 7 with mint 2, while NOIS Blueberry ICE Light scores mint 5 and sting 6, so it hits harder. These numbers are comparable across brands, so you can use them to pick a similar feel even when the flavour names differ.

Keep going: Après, NOIS, our full nicotine pouch range, every brand we carry.