Iwan Ries Three Star Royale

The grassy, citrusy Virginia forms a base for the other components.The nutty, molasses sweet burleys are more prominent. The dry, buttery sweet and mildly sour, spicy Orientals are just a little more than a background player. The Cyprian latakia is a minor addition, providing a smoky, woody sweet push to the blend. There’s a mild anise topping that tends to complement the tobaccos more than it tones them down. I also sense a touch of coconut topping as well. The taste level is a little closer to medium than it is to mild. The nic-hit is mild. Won’t bite or get harsh, but if you puff fast, it may warm your tongue a mite, so I recommend a moderate puffing cadence. Burns clean at a reasonable rate with a fairly smooth, rich, very consistent flavor from top to bottom. Requires few relights and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a pleasant after taste. An easy going, all day American English smoke that leans a little toward the aromatic side.

-JimInks

This is by far the most elegant of the 3-Star line. I like this a lot and have smoked it off and on for the past 30 years. It contains just a bit of latakia and oriental leaf along with some virginia and burley.

It smells awsome in the pouch, and has a subtle, sweet taste at the match. This blend, like all of the 3-Star line, does not change much as you work your way down the bowl. A friend of mine, who adores latakia blends, says this one tastes like sugar cane. I don't think it is that sweet, but you get the picture.

A delightful smoke, give Royal a try!

At first I was not sold on this one. After completing two ounces, it really started to grow on me. I could easily see this as a good all day smoke. Good stuff but won't make my rotation.

Ok, I just gave this blend a second chance. Needless to say, I'm impressed. It seems every time I reach for tobacco I end up with this. That says all that needs to be said.

I like this alot . I was bummed out that I can't get dunhill std. mixture med. anymore and thought I'd try this . Glad I did ! Burns well and dry .... tastes close enough to std. mix. med. so I'm happy . You can taste the components and your head wont swim .It's medium all the way . This blend may suprise you ... It's reasonable in price ! Try it . It's more Oriental forward and mild on the latakia . It has the IRC flavor profile in there as well .. damn good blend

This is the third blend in the three star line that I have tried. The blue, green, and this. Blue's toppings were too much for me. The green was better, but this is the best so far and the blend that got me into English blends. Royale is a mild blend. None of the individual components seem to dominate. One can taste the tobaccos in this blend. A good all day blend and good for beginners.

I am a little confused after reading what others have to say of this blend. My impression is of a good, old-fashioned sweetened drugstore pouch from maybe 40 years ago. The experience was positive over all but not exceptional. The word "English" never came mind. If there is Latakia in this blend it is very subtle as my tolerance for that tobacco is slight.

TSR burned well, smelled nice, tasted pretty good. A better than average yard smoke and easy on the tongue. Not too damp with a well designed pouch that has a built-in ziplock seal. If you have been smoking some of the more popular American Aromatic blends I would say this would be a step toward an English-type mixture.

Or,just fire up that lawn mower and puff away.

Nice mild English, with a touch of sweetness.

Very low maintenance, delightful tin note, the smoke is thick and somewhat dense.

Doesn't stand out a mile, by far the best of the Three Star line up.

I detect mild Latakia, a little burley, some Black Cavendish and maybe even some sweet Cavendish.

Don't detect much topping.

Very nice. Give it a go.

I have been smoking TSR since the mid 1970s. Lately, however, it seems to have substantially more bite. I don't know if its me or a change in the tobacco. I should contact Iwan Reiss. The store is a mere shadow of what it used to be. The collection on display is gone, and the store is a small portion of the second floor. very sad.

Three Star Royale is the most "English" of the Three Star lineup, but it still is more properly an "American-English" verging on "aromatic." Royale arrives fairly moist in the "Perma Seal" pouch, and seems to have been treated to a healthy dose of propylene glycol because it never dries out. Lighting is also a bit of a chore. The burley forms the base of the blend, and while the other component tobaccos are occasionally detectable, the added licorice (and some other stuff I can't place) top-note really dominates the flavor. It is ever-present form top to bottom. If you like the addition, then you'll like the tobacco. If not, forget it. I kind of liked it. To me, the aroma has a nice "old-timey" quality that is appealing. Royale definitely smells like pipe tobacco is commonly supposed to smell. Two-and-a-half stars out of four.

WARNING: Nine months after I ordered this tobacco, my home state sent me a notification of taxes due--plus a penalty. The taxes ended up costing about the same as the tobacco itself, and the penalty put it over the top. BUYER BEWARE!

As a thank you gift while buying a pipe, the good people at Iwan Ries added this one to my bag as a thank you gift.

The initial whif from the pouch reminded me of Half & Half, it had that similar sour note to it. Kind of a medicine-like aroma. When I found out it was made by Sutliff, I got really scared, since their Private Stock April Dawn was one of the worst things I ever had the displeasure to inhale.

Upon smoking it, I could see why they gave it out as a trial tobacco. It was hard to place a flavor and people might enjoy this aura of mystery. There are some spices at work here (think Christmas clover and not the hot kind), similar to their King's Oriental, but with more tang and not quite as fascinating. Nothing really developed by the end of the bowl, and I was quickly bored.

Overall it was OK, but nothing I would want in my aromatic collection.