Après vs VELO: which nicotine pouch should you buy?

If you are deciding between Après and VELO, the useful comparison is not the marketing copy but the milligrams, the portion size and the price per can. We sell both, so all three are below.

Side by side

Strength

Après starts lower than VELO: the lightest can we stock is No.13 Après Mochaccino Mini at 3.2 mg, while VELO's floor is 4 mg. VELO also goes higher, up to 17 mg, past Après's 11 mg max. If you want the gentlest option, the Mochaccino Mini is it; if you want maximum strength, VELO has the range.

Concentration per gram matters at the same label strength. VELO Dark Cherry Mini and VELO Simply Spearmint Mini put 4 mg in a 0.42 g pouch, or 9.5 mg/g. Après's 4 mg slims like No.10 Tangerine Spritz use a 0.55 g pouch, giving 7.3 mg/g. The VELO minis are the denser 4 mg choice.

Stepping up, VELO Arctic Grapefruit is 6 mg in a 0.6 g slim (10.0 mg/g). At the top, both reach 20.0 mg/g: Après Bananas Hyper Strong is 11 mg in 0.55 g, VELO Bright Spearmint is 14 mg in 0.7 g. Same density, different dose per pouch—choose by how much total nicotine you want.

• 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

Flavour is where these two brands truly split. Both cover the basics—mint, berry, citrus—but each carries flavours the other doesn't. Après brings coffee, banana and licorice; No.13 Mochaccino Mini is coffee in a mini, and Aprés Zero No.5 Ice Tea Peach is a slim that mixes mint and peach. VELO counters with mango, watermelon and coconut, plus a spearmint line that includes VELO Bright Spearmint Mini. If a specific taste is what you're after, let the flavour list decide.

Format reinforces the split. VELO's mini options include Dark Cherry Mini and Sour Lime Mini, and its 115 cans give you a broader range to rotate. Après offers both shapes—No.10 Tangerine Spritz and No.12 Blueberry are slims, while No.13 Mochaccino is a mini. So the practical question is pouch size first: pick VELO for a smaller pouch, or Après for a slim in flavours like tangerine and blueberry that VELO doesn't have.

The VELO range in full

• VELO Bright Spearmint Mini (4 mg) (4 mg) — Reach for VELO Bright Spearmint Mini when you want a smooth, easy-going hit of mint without smoke or tobacco.
• VELO Dark Cherry Mini (4 mg) — With VELO Dark Cherry Mini, you get clean cherry flavour and a smooth, easy-going release that lasts.
• VELO Simply Spearmint Mini (4 mg) — VELO Simply Spearmint Mini delivers a smooth, easy-going mint experience in a discreet, tobacco-free pouch.
• VELO Sour Lime Mini (4 mg) — VELO Sour Lime Mini pairs a smooth, easy-going nicotine kick with a crisp citrus taste.

VELO is a BAT brand, and that consistency shows across the line. Every VELO can we stock is CA$14.00; each pouch works out to CA$0.70. Beyond mints and fruits, the flavour list includes cardamom, elderflower, liquorice and dragon fruit. Physical format varies too: some minis weigh 0.42 g, while VELO Zesty Elderflower is a 1 g pouch.

Our tasting data separates similar flavours. VELO Sour Lime Mini rates 5/10 for sting and 7/10 for fruit – a tart, lively pick. VELO Dark Cherry Mini is the reverse: fruit 8/10, sting 2/10, so it's sweeter and smoother. VELO Bright Spearmint Mini sits at 6/10 mint, 4/10 sting – a balanced mint. These numbers give a quick sense of each pouch.

Can-level totals vary even at similar label strength. A 4 mg mini like VELO Bright Spearmint Mini carries 80 mg of nicotine per can of 20; VELO Orange Spark (10.9 mg) carries 218 mg. When comparing, check per-can totals, not just per-pouch numbers.

Price and availability in Canada

Price is the one point where these two don't differ. Both brands sell their cans at CA$14.00, which is the top of our single-can price range (the other option is CA$12.00). Since neither has a cheaper or pricier tier, cost won't make your decision for you.

The availability contrast is in scale. Après has 49 single cans in stock; VELO has more than twice that total. If you like rotating through different flavours, VELO gives you a larger pool to pull from. If you've already got a specific taste in mind, you may find it in either lineup – but it's worth checking the brand that actually makes that flavour. Since the price per can is the same, that extra choice doesn't cost you anything extra.

Both are in stock now, and we ship across Canada. Orders over CA$150 ship free, so you can pick a few cans from each brand and compare them side by side without adding shipping cost. Tracking is included on every parcel at no extra cost, anywhere in Canada.

Common questions

If you are wondering where these two brands sit relative to our whole shelf, here is the map. Label strengths run from 1.5 mg to 50 mg per pouch. The Après cans we stock start at 3.2 mg (No.13 Mochaccino Mini) and top out at 11 mg, which places them in our Light and Strong bands (Light is 1.5–4 mg, Strong is 6.3–12 mg). VELO starts at 4 mg and goes up to 17 mg, so it reaches into the Extra Strong band (12.5–20 mg) with cans like VELO Arctic Grapefruit at 14 mg.

The cans we've named on this page hold 20 pouches and cost CA$14.00. So whether you pick VELO Bright Spearmint Mini or Aprés Zero No.2 Mint, each pouch works out to CA$0.70. The count and the price do not vary between the two brands.

Our tasting data gives every pouch a score out of 10 for sting, which is the immediate hit, and for flavour intensity such as fruit or mint. For a gentle, fruit-forward start, Aprés Zero No.5 Ice Tea Peach scores sting 2 and fruit 7; if you want a stronger mint punch, Aprés Zero No.2 Mint scores mint 8 of 10. Use those numbers to match the pouch to the kind of burn you are comfortable with.

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