Cuba Black Watermelon: A Comprehensive Review of the 43mg Pouches

I have been a fan of Cuba since I first saw the brand released. There was something about the innocuous branding that echoes confidence. Compared with most brands prone to making as much retinal noise as possible, Cuba is a lot easier on the eye. The Black Line intrigued me, especially when I found out the pouches are actually coloured black. It was a friend that had raved to me about the Cuba Watermelon flavour in both the black and white lines. I had actually forgotten about it, until I saw it on Snusboys site, so thought I would order a lone can and give it a go. This is how it went.

Cuba Black Watermelon: The Packaging: 8/10

The Black Line packaging is a little more crisp than the white, and the Watermelon is no exception. The papery feel that you get with the white line is not as prominent on the black, even though it still exists. However, the Cuba logo stands out a lot more and does a lot in terms of first impressions. I like how Cuba used the colour of the flavour (watermelon has the green to red fade like the actual fruit) to represent the flavour. These nuanced touches add to the premium feel of the can, as much as I can expect the black clashing with some darker colours, such as blue. 

The Smell Test: 9/10

The Cuba Watermelon does well to balance the stench of nicotine strength with the rich watermelon smell. I have to admit that the combination of the two makes for quite a party on the nose when you first open the can. But, the watermelon smell is much stronger than I thought it would be, in fact, maybe even too strong. I noticed my brother look over like I had cracked something even he would be interested in. Gym going nerd. Give him a waft of Siberia and he screws his face and gives me the whole ‘that can’t be healthy for you” speech. Then, he cracks a can of Cuba Watermelon, and his woke self decides to ask for a look. No.

Pouch Composition: 15/20

I know that the Cuba Snus is doing well at the moment, and the Cuba Black, in particular, very well. They are probably the best-built pouches around that have a smooth feel to the internal contents and well-manufactured papers. However, there is something about the black line all together that I am still unsure of. I know the pouches are black and although its not my cup of tea, I get it. Trying to make a product stand out and be a little unique in a crowded market is a smart move, but the execution isn’t there for me. I mean, a rich, deep black would almost be a game-changer. But, the misty black with clear evidence of colour manipulation just means the products in the line just suffer from a premium aesthetic. That being said, the pouches do exactly what they say on the tin. They are really well made, have never broken in transit, always remain with a slight bit of moisture whether I have kept them in cold or warm temperatures, and they always stay fresh.

The Black Watermelon Flavour: 16/20

Now, if you like watermelon, you will love these pouches. The watermelon pouches are one of the first Cuba pouches so far that have a drip at the back of the throat. A little incongruous for Cuba, but actually quite enjoyable with the watermelon. The flavour is rich enough to offer a real life-like experience of the fruit and it accurate beyond belief. I bet if I did the blind test on my little brother with an enlarged version of one of these pouches he would actually try to eat it. In fact that might be a good idea, maybe I will reach out to Nicotobacco (Cuba manufacturers) and see if they will hook me up. Would be funny to watch this idiot get a mouth full of nicotine whilst blindfolded. Ha, take that, there is you thinking you were going to devour some natural sugars for your stupid low carb diet for abs, instead you get some of my world. 

Cuba Watermelon Strength: 20/20

The Black Line comes in at 43mg of nicotine, and I am led to believe this is per pouch. The Cuba Watermelon absolutely blew my head off. Maybe it is something to do with the actual flavour, maybe the pouch composition, I am unsure. Either way, these pouches made me have to sit down and ask the mrs to get me a glass of water (from the bottle too, I swerved the tap when I got a job in 2005). Honestly, if these are supposed to be less strength then Pablo then someone made a mistake, they are so, so strong. I would go as far as to say that I was completely taken aback by the strength of the watermelon flavour. Luckily I opened the can at home, while sitting on my sofa. Had I been in the office Susannah would have seen me dribbling at my desk like something out of Resident Evil. 

Side note, when a snus is strong or your system gets overwhelmed, get water and quick!Water is the secret escape route for when you are suffering and, my God, the watermelon flavour had me scrambling for about 3 minutes.

Longevity: 17/20

The suggested 40 minute load time felt like an eternity. For some reason the watermelon flavour just does not relent. The nicotine infuses into the system like crashing waves and just never seems to end. Maybe for some of you snus junkies out there that want to sit and stare into space these would be great. For me, spinning consistently through a load is a bit much. Whatever nicotine is used in the watermelon flavour is wild, the longevity of these pouches is mental. I think these could be loaded for longer than 40 minutes, that is for sure.

Pros:

Absolutely wild strength for a 43mg pouch

Great flavour, super rich, and bold

Pouch composition as you would expect from Cuba, great feel and quick acting 

Cons:

For new users these snus pouches would be too strong

Verdict: 85/100

There is something about the Black Line that I am not sure of in the colour of the pouches. The uniqueness is a bold move by Nicotobacco, but the execution is not quite there yet in making them a true black pouch. Whether or not that is even possible remains to be seen. But, the flavour of Cuba Black Watermelon is undeniable, to the point of being the most accurate I have tasted to date. At this strength point, only 43mg, it begs the question as to whether Nicotobacco have miscalculated the balances, or every other company lies about how strong their pouches actually are. The watermelon is not your every day snus, they are extremely strong and new users would suffer under the load. But, most people that are taking snus or nicotine pouches want that kick, and believe you me, watermelon will kick you, and a punch, and probably a bottle over the head. You can check out our Cuba range here