Iwan Ries - IRC Cavendish Slices pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 10 reviews of this tobacco
Tony	10/14/2010	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Boy Iwan Ries really has a winner here in my opinion. I've smoked about a pound of this blend and whever I get low on it I find myself treating it like a top shelf blend that I use sparingly. But when I got a bunch It's everyday. However, IRC is easy to contact for more. This blend 's slices break up really nicely and doesn' need any drying before filling and lighting. Not too shabby for a roll and stuff method either. Slowly smoked IRC slices makes my mouth tingle slightly in a good way! A fantastic room note too, burns nicely all the way to the bottom. no complaints here and as you can see I AM a fan of this blend and it is in my rotation. No not rotation it's everyday a least a bowl or two. This puppy gets a strong THREE stars.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
piedpiper	07/17/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
A good Va-Per offering from IRC. Although not ordinarily into this niche, I do enjoy my Perique in English blends. IRC describes the Perique component as a whisper. I would call it a shout. Earns a solid 2 stars, as it is ok as a fill-in, but not good enough to be part of my regular rotation.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
esoteric_666	01/27/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I smoking this stuff more than 3 years. At the beginning, I didn't find something interesting here, but, after smoking 20-30g, just falled in love in it. Stright, bright and clear taste that does not changing a lot from the very beginning, till the end. The Perique is undistinguishable, only at the end of the pipe I can feel something like it. Nevertheless, the perique builds up the Taste. Without perique, this blend become the IRC Virginia blend. There is no bite here, a little moist in the pipe and VERY sutisfying smoke.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Winter pipe fan	08/19/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I stopped in at the famous Iwan Ries tobacco shop in downtown Chicago last week searching for a new pipe and was particularly interested in finding a few flake tobaccos to try out. IRC slices was recommended and so I picked up a 2 oz pouch. This VA/Perique flake smells faintly of vanilla in the pouch, rubs out very easily and was at a perfect moisture level to smoke right away. This flake lights easily with a very pleasant flavor, ever so slightly sweet with a predominant nutty flavor that many smokers will find quite appealing. IRC slices is a tobacco that once lit will burn without the extra relights I normally need with most tobaccos. The first two matches to properly light it was all I needed until I reached the lower 1/4 of the bowl - amazingly good burning, so much so that I hardly remember tamping anywhere near the number of times it takes with any other tobacco in my arsenol of blends! I asked my wife how the tobacco smelled to her as I was puffing and she hardly noticed it - a plus for indoor smoking. On the cautionary side, one should LIGHTLY sip this tobacco once lit as it can heat up the bowl rather quickly, almost without your knowledge, so, slow down and puff this tobacco very slowly. I pushed things just a bit too quickly and found the tobacco to amp up a bit in strength and the nicotine buzz started - you know, it's like having that extra shot of whiskey that can put one over the edge kind of experience. Once I was "buzzing" I put down the pipe and guzzled some ice water to ride out the effects of the nicotine. I admit that I struggle a bit with Perique tobacco as the nicotine can almost overwhelm me, and sometimes I can break out into a cold sweat regardless of the amount in the blend. Most fans of Perique will find the amount just right, so don't be deterred from trying this flake blend. When smoked correctly (slowly) the flavor settles in and does stay rather constant in flavor and strength at least through the first 2/3 bowl and is a VERY pleasant smoke. Bottom line, if you are a fan of VA/Perique flakes, you will most likely love this flake blend. The nice surprise here was the price - much lighter on your pocketbook than the import flakes. I'm going to recommend this tobacco even considering the Perique buzz and the hot burn as this was a first time learning experience with the tobacco and next time I'll slow down and smoke it in a smaller bowl. That said, this one is recommended.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Pipestud	07/02/2009	Mild	None detected	Mild	Very Pleasant
Lots of black mottled leaf in this flake. Cavendish with a twist, I suppose. The Perique is very gentle and stands way off in the background but is noticiable. Not very stout for a Virginia flake and smokes faster than most. Not a bad offering for those who prefer not to sit and think much about what they are smoking. The flavor is pretty stable from top of the bowl to the last shred of leaf.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
thedstnguishdgntlmn	02/18/2009	Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Yet again, another reworked McClelland product. It is one of their lighter Virginias in both taste and color. Very similar to Barclay Rex's "Barclay Slices" sans the Black Cavendish. If you like Dunhill's Light Flake with a McClelland twist it could be for you.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
DBCooper	03/08/2008	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
IRC Virginia Slices is rebranded Stokkebeye Luxury Navy flake and all LNF reviews apply here. IMO this is a delicious, very subtle VaPer. If you like that genre, give Slices a try. The pouch aroma is pleasant. I have found that it is best smoked slowly and favors a well rubbed out, loose pack. The thin slices are easily crumbled. As mentioned, the Perique component is very light, but it?s enough for me. Slices lights up well, smokes to a fine ash, and seems to be indifferent to pipe capacity. For a long drive, I will load up a Baronet EX 315, 121 and enjoy. It could comfortably be an all day smoke for a VaPer fan. It can bite if pushed but that hasn?t been a problem for me. This is a very economical tobacco, if you don?t live in Illinois. Thanks to the geniuses running Cook County (Chicago) our Sin tax is moving up to 24%. I am a long time IRC customer, but I now smoke LNF purchased from P&C in NY (which also has an obscene sin tax for residents) and since I live in Illinois, I pay no tax. What a country! Slices seems to me to be Denmark?s answer to Carter Hall. It is a great, everyday, mild smoke at a good price.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
WmZiggy	01/11/2008	Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I like this flake, as I do with most Virginia/Perique blends. This is a nice change from the heavier St. James Flake by Gawith. It burns cool to a white ash, does not bite, and is reasonably priced. The slices are thin and evenly cut which I liked when packing the pipe. Unlike the previous reviewer, I just lightly crumpled the flake, smoking it in a well seasoned small (group 3 or 4) bowel. The taste is very even from top to bottom, plummy and sweet. This is a nice tobacco - top shelf - and worthy of the IRC logo. Follow-on: I filled an old (1975)Caminetto full bent (a size 6) sea coral with two slices lightly rubbed and it was as good as it gets - sublime. This is a wonderful tobacco priced right, next order will be for bulk quanity and it can age away.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Taste Buds	04/09/2007	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I had a sample of this tobacco added to my most recent order from IRC. The flakes are on the thin side, which makes it easy to stuff into the bowl. It lights easily and tastes delicious from beginning to end. The perique is added sparingly, which is very much to my liking. There seems to be a light casing added, which eliminates any sharpness normally associated with virginia blends. It burns cool and dry to a fine white ash. This is definitely a 4 star blend in my book and only the fourth I've rated this highly. Update: Dec.27/06 This is Peter Stokkeby Navy Flake, as I was told by Iwan Ries. Like many blends, it requires a little preparation before smoking. First, it must be rubbed out completely. Second, it must not be tamped down. Use a match stick or other such object instead. You will be well rewarded with a mixture that burns beautifly and cooly to the bottom of the bowl. This is not a gourmet blend, but one you'll enjoy bowl after bowl. Very delicious and at a bargain price. One last point. For those who don't particularly like perique, there is only 3 or 4% maximum, but I feel that it adds rather than subtracts from the taste. Update: April 9/07 The love affair is over. This mixture has not stood the test of time, but we've decided to remain friends and visit occasionally.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
SopwithCamel	12/27/2006	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a fine mild and mellow Virginia, with a hint of Perique. I am very sensitive to Perique, but this blend has just enough to give me that stewed fruit mouth feel, without blasting me out of the water! Wonderful, toasty, no bite. And very inexpensive. Kudos to Iwan Ries for making this blend so accessible. I'd love to go to Chicago and poke around in this fabled tobacco shop...one of the best in the world. I love getting their catalog. Enjoy!
Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 10 reviews of this tobacco