How to Use 77 in South Africa: First Time and Every Day

You use 77 by placing one pouch between your upper lip and gum, leaving it there for 30 to 60 minutes depending on your preference, and then taking it out and putting it in a bin. That is the routine for every one of our 77 nicotine pouches in South Africa, whether the can is 5.2mg or 20mg per pouch, and it works the same way in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban.

Think of it as a mug of rooibos left to stand: you set it down, get on with your afternoon, and decide for yourself when it has done enough. Once it is in place, there is nothing to chew, nothing to spit and nothing to adjust. For the record, the only real decisions are which strength to start with and when to take it out, and the chart below covers the first of those.

How do you use 77 for the first time?

Take one pouch from the can, place it between your upper lip and gum, and leave it to rest there without chewing or swallowing it. The rest of the first session is waiting, which is a skill most of us already have from queues at the bank.

Before you open the can

Read the mg per pouch figure on the can before anything else. On our shelf in South Africa it runs from 5.2mg to 20mg, and that number, rather than the flavour or the colour of the lid, tells you how strong each pouch is. A standard 77 can holds 20 slim pouches. Clean, dry hands make the whole thing tidier, which is fine and not a complicated instruction.

Placing the pouch

Slide the pouch under your upper lip with a fingertip and let it settle to one side or near the middle, wherever it sits comfortably. At first you will notice the shape of it more than the taste, a small raised patch, some gentle pressure and a pouch that feels slightly drier than you expected. That passes as the covering takes up moisture, and the flavour then comes forward.

Shifting it about with your tongue only draws your focus back to it, so it is simpler to set it in place and let it be. The covering keeps the filling where it belongs, so spitting is never needed. Swallowing is not part of the routine either, and the pouch itself should never be chewed.

Taking it out

When you are finished, lift the pouch out with your fingers and drop it in a bin. A used pouch is damp and a little flattened, which is exactly how it should look. If you want another, start again with a fresh one rather than reusing the first.

Which strength should you start with?

Start with a Light can, which on our scale means 5.2mg per pouch, because it lets you learn the routine before the nicotine becomes the main event. Our scale runs per pouch: Light is 1 to 8mg, Medium is 8 to 16mg, Strong is 16 to 25mg and Extreme is 25mg and over. The 77 range on our South African shelf sits across the first three of those bands.

The 5.2mg cans are Light, the 10.4mg and 15.6mg cans are Medium, and the 20mg cans are Strong. The 15.6mg figure surprises people, since the lid on some cans suggests a higher band, but on our scale it is Medium because it falls below 16mg. If you want every number laid out can by can, the page on 77 strengths and mg levels in South Africa lists them.

One practical point from ordinary use: the first pouch of the day usually feels the strongest, because you have nothing else in your system to soften it. If you are new, the morning suits a Light can, and a heavier one can wait until you know how the routine feels. A Light can in the morning and a heavier one later, if you want it at all, is a sensible way round that.

The tingle under the lip is not a reliable measure of strength either. A lively mint can feel intense at 5.2mg, and a quiet cola can carry far more nicotine at 20mg. Read the figure on the can, and treat the sensation as a matter of flavour.

How long should you keep a 77 in?

Keep a 77 pouch in for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on your preference. Some people take it out at half an hour once the flavour has peaked and started to fade, and others leave it nearer the hour because they like the long, even finish. Both are ordinary, and neither is more correct than the other.

If you are working out how a pouch fits into a morning, think in terms of a single meeting or a single commute. A Johannesburg to Pretoria train ride fits comfortably inside the range, and so does a long call at a desk in Sandton. The page on how long a 77 lasts in South Africa goes into timing in more detail.

A good rule is to remove the pouch when the flavour no longer suits you. Paradoxically, a pouch you leave in out of habit is rarely better than one you took out a little early. Make of that what you will, but fresh pouches are cheap in patience and the next one is always in the can.

Does the flavour change how you use it?

The flavour changes how the pouch feels, but it does not change the steps, and it does not change the strength. Mint, ice and menthol flavours make the lip feel cool, because menthol activates a receptor that senses cold. Nothing about the pouch actually gets colder, and that sensation says nothing about how much nicotine is in it.

A useful comparison is peppermint chewing gum against a menthol lozenge. Both feel icy, and neither tells you anything about nicotine, which is a separate number printed on the can. A sweet cola or berry flavour behaves the other way round: it feels gentle on the lip, but the mg figure is exactly what the can says.

If you cannot decide where to begin, the ranking of which 77 flavour is best sorts the shelf into minty, fruity and sweet. For a first try, choose a flavour you already like the sound of, since a familiar taste lets you concentrate on the routine rather than on a surprise.

What is the difference between slim and mini 77 pouches?

Slim and mini describe the size of the pouch, and size is separate from strength. The standard 77 range comes in slim pouches, 20 to a can, at 5.2mg, 10.4mg and 15.6mg. The Ghost line is mini and sits at 20mg per pouch, and the Valtteri Bottas VB Mini cans are also mini at 20mg.

A mini pouch takes up less room under the lip, so it is less noticeable when you speak or smile. That can make it look gentle, but 20mg is 20mg regardless of how small the pouch is, and on our scale it counts as Strong. A bulky slim pouch at 5.2mg and a tidy mini at 20mg are very different choices that happen to be filed under the same brand.

The VB Edition is a special edition made in collaboration with the motorsport driver Valtteri Bottas, and it comes in slim format at 5.2mg and 10.4mg as well as in mini. The 77 lines explained page covers how the standard range, the VB Edition and Ghost differ, so you can match the line to the strength you want.

Is 77 tobacco free?

Yes, 77 pouches are tobacco free nicotine pouches, which means the filling is a fibre base with nicotine and flavouring, with no tobacco leaf. Tobacco free is not the same as nicotine free, so the mg figure on the can still matters. It is also why there is nothing to spit, since the covering keeps the filling contained as it takes up moisture.

If you want the background on what the brand is and how it fits among other pouches, the page on what 77 is answers the common questions. Nothing about the routine changes from one flavour to the next, which is a relief when you are standing at a shelf with fifty cans in front of you.

How should you store the can and dispose of a used pouch?

Store the can closed, in a cool, dry place away from direct sun, and put used pouches in a bin. South African summers are warm, especially in Durban and Gauteng, so a can left on a car dashboard or a sunny windowsill is the main risk to watch for. A desk drawer or a bag pocket does the job.

Keep the lid shut between uses so the remaining pouches stay in the condition you found them. Check the best before date printed on the can, and rotate older cans to the front of the cupboard if you hold more than one. A can with a lid left open will dry out, and a dry pouch behaves differently under the lip, with a slower start and a flatter flavour.

A used pouch belongs in a bin, never on the pavement, in a drain or on a table. If there is no bin to hand, wrap it in a bit of tissue and carry it until there is. Keep cans and pouches out of reach of children and pets.

How does 77 fit into an ordinary day in South Africa?

A 77 pouch fits into an ordinary day because it asks for nothing once it is in place, which suits a commute, a desk or a long afternoon of meetings. Once it has settled, you can carry on a conversation, stroll to the station or get through a few pages, and the main thing you will notice is the pouch when you move your upper lip. A taxi ride through Johannesburg, a stroll along the Cape Town waterfront and a morning at a Durban office all work the same way.

The practical routine is short: place one pouch, carry on with the day, take it out within 30 to 60 minutes, and bin it. If the day stretches, a second pouch can follow, using the same steps. It helps to keep the can somewhere easy to reach, so you are not searching a bag on the platform.

We deliver to South Africa, so a can can reach you wherever you are, and the page on where to buy 77 in South Africa sets out the options. Pick the strength first, then the flavour, and the rest of the routine takes care of itself.

Which cans make a sensible first try?

A sensible first try is a Light can at 5.2mg in a flavour you already enjoy. 77 Cola & Vanilla 5.2mg is a soft, sweet place to begin for anyone who prefers dessert flavours. 77 Fresh Mint 5.2mg suits readers who like a clean, simple mint, while 77 Ice Mint 5.2mg adds the cooling edge that menthol brings.

If you want something with a drier, bolder mint character, 77 Peppermint 5.2mg is the Light option. All four sit at the same 5.2mg, so you are comparing flavour and nothing else, which is the fairest way to learn what you like. Once you know the routine, the wider shelf is there if you want to shop the full snus range in other strengths.

How does 77 compare with other brands?

77 follows the same placement and removal routine as other nicotine pouches of every strength, so the habits you learn here carry over to any can. What differs from brand to brand is the strength per pouch, the pouch size and the flavour range. If you are weighing 77 against another name, a side by side with Zyn and 77 by strength and flavour lays the two out clearly, and a similar look at Velo against 77 does the same for that pairing.

Whichever you choose, compare the mg per pouch figure first, then the size, and flavour last. That order keeps the comparison honest. For a first session, take a Light can, place one pouch under your upper lip, set a quiet reminder for 30 minutes, and decide from there whether the pouch comes out or stays a little longer.