VELO Cherry Ice Nicotine Pouches

Cherry, clearly and immediately. The first minute is a sweet, bright red cherry, closer to a fresh cherry or a cherry drop than to the dark, almost medicinal black cherry some brands go for. There is a little citrus in there too, a lemony lift at the edges that stops the fruit from turning syrupy. Most people would not name it unless told, but they notice the freshness.

The ice arrives behind the fruit, around the second or third minute. It is a clean menthol cool rather than a freeze: enough to make the pouch feel refreshing and to give the cherry some lift, not enough to numb the gum or make your eyes water. Next to VELO Freezing Peppermint it is barely chilly; next to a plain fruit pouch it is noticeably fresher.

Through the middle of the session the cherry and the cool sit in balance, sweet and fresh together. The cherry fades first, from around minute twenty-five, leaving a soft minty coolness for the last stretch. Total flavour runs 30 to 40 minutes.

VELO runs a family of fruit-and-ice pouches, and they are closer to each other than to the brand's mints. The fruit leads in all of them, with menthol as a supporting chill.

Strawberry Ice is the sweeter, softer neighbour; Icy Berries is a touch colder and less sweet. Cherry Ice sits between them, with the citrus giving it a brightness the others lack. If you like it and want a change without losing the character, Icy Berries is the nearest step.

Cherry is a popular pouch flavour, and the versions on our shelves vary hugely in strength and style.

The main fork is ice or no ice. VELO Cherry Ice has the chill; ZYN Black Cherry has none and is darker in tone. Beyond that, it is a question of strength. The Killa and Pablo cherries are in a different league for nicotine and are not somewhere to start.

Standard pouch routine; the Slim sits flat and discreet under the top lip.

Yes, and it is one of the easiest fruit pouches to recommend. The cherry is convincing without being sickly, the citrus keeps it bright, and the menthol adds freshness without turning it into a mint. At 10mg in the Slim pouch it suits most ex-smokers and people coming off disposables.

It is not for you if you want no cooling at all (ZYN Black Cherry is the better choice), if you want a strong pouch (VELO's fruit flavours top out at 10mg here), or if you like dark, heavy cherry flavours rather than bright ones.

Buy it as an everyday fruit pouch at 10mg, or as a fresher alternative to a plain mint. It pairs well with one of the colder VELO mints for anyone who likes to rotate.