Mac Baren Three Nuns

I hate to post a real downer of a review, but this is the worst tobacco I've had in ages. I mean, every hint that it's going to get sweeter, or spicier, or fuller, or... or anything at all.... just disappears as soon as you think "Ahh, here we go..." It doesn't go. It tastes flat, comparable to a cheap burley like Carter Hall but tastes worse. Expected good things from a good blender and a hallowed blend. Yuck. Flat and bitter. Cardboard would be as good.

EDIT: For the first time ever... I think I can say I had a "bad tin". I was gifted another tin of 3N last year and it bore no resemblance at all to the rotten-sock burley I had before. I find this tasty, pleasant and tobacco-y, like a diluted Scottish Cake maybe I'll give it another star.

The following review is based on a recently produced tin (a round tin. Purchased in 2014). I know the younger set dislikes us old farts reviewing blends we once loved; and how we complain about how different the new blends are from the old blends, but, you know, it can't be helped (wait until your favorite blends fall by the wayside and then reappear; you'll see).

The original Three Nuns was a blend I'd smoke from time to time back in the eighties—this current incarnation is not that blend. However, for me, all the attributes of the missing Perique remain; the tingling on my tongue (that real peppery smack), the strength of the blend; it all measures up to Perique. So, if there's no Perique in this, what's giving me all these signals? The Kentucky? The Virginia? It sure couldn't be the Burley. And, speaking of Burley, that's what I remember from the older blend—the Burley, then Perique. It was never a Perique bomb, like this new blend (or faux Perique, whichever might be the case). The nuttiness and body of the Burley used to come out more, not so with this new one.

Really, all this reminds me of the arguments running over Presbyterian Mixture; as to whether or not it really has Latakia in it. I guess the bottom line for me, is the new mixture is okay, but it's nothing to write home about. It certainly isn't in the same class the old blend was in. What a pity.

I'll give this current incarnation a high two stars (the old blend, a solid three). It so happens I own a much older tin of Three Nuns, and I'll pop it sometime in the future, when? I don't know. Check back for an update sometime.

Keep Piping!

The Bell's Three Nuns as manufactured by MacBaren is a very fine tobacco, but it is not the Three Nuns of old. For me, the only real drawback to this version is the name, a name which suggests a tobacco different from this current offering, the predecessor being the one presumably prized by C.S, Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

As a pipe smoker for more than half a century I sometimes smoked the original Three Nuns in my earlier years of pipedom. In those days of yore in a metropolitan area you had the option of several dozen over the counter blends as well as the tinned blends in a bricks and mortar tobacco store. I have always been a pipe smoker who preferred to have great variety in what I smoked, and thus I didn't smoke a lot of Three Nuns because most of what went into my pipes was the much cheaper OTC's. But when I smoked the Three Nuns blend I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Over the years Three Nuns was dumbed down, and eventually it was offered as a blend without perique. That didn't necessarily make it a bad blend, but it wasn't Three Nuns. To the best of my memory I never smoked a no perique version until the current incarnation which is manufactured by MacBaren. MacBaren has been roundly criticized for their no perique blend, but unfairly so. MacBaren manufactures Three Nuns, but they do not own the brand, and thus they follow the recipe they are given. There is some speculation that there are legal issues involved which prevent reversion to the original recipe.

So what do we have with the MacBaren produced Three Nuns? You find darkish medallions of Virginia and Kentucky (fired burley). The medallions in my tin were a bit worse for wear, partially broken up, which is no problem so long as you plan to rub out the blend rather than stack the coins. The tin smell has nothing out of the ordinary. Like most MacBaren products it is a bit too moist and benefits from breaking the seal several days before the smoking.

At any rate, the tobacco lights without great problem and is not difficult to keep lit. The flavor is predominately a slightly sweet Virginia, but the dark overtones of the Kentucky are always there, and they seem to intensify as you work your way down the bowl. Overall you will find a medium to full flavor which is quite pleasant for those who enjoy darkened Virginia/burley blends.

The room note will offend only the tobacco Nazis, but there is nothing outstanding about it either.The nicotine level is fairly high for a Virginia forward offering.

My personal experience in smoking this was quite positive. Three Nuns it ain't, but it is a very pleasurable offering.

I used several different pipes in smoking the tin, primarily Sasienis and Petersons. I had good luck with all, although I did not find one that particularly married to the blend.

After reading a lot of positive reviews I thought I would purchase a tin of this tobacco. I opened the tin to a nicely packed coins of tobacco. I really didn't detect much of an aroma from the tin. After reading these reviews, I feel as though I smoked a different tobacco altogether. It was acrid from the start with a pepper flavored casing. I usually smoke a tobacco for the flavor or for the Vitamin N, and this tobacco doesn't fall into either one of those categories. If Dark fired is what you like I would recommend HH Macbaren Old Ready Rubbed Dark Fired tobacco any day over this! For all of the pompous pipe smokers burning this in a $300 pipe and trying to articulate a description of this in the most eloquent way, I laugh at you. Just because it comes in a tin doesn't make it good and this is clearly an example of that. I had heard of a pipe lasting all day and didn't understand that concept until I smoked this. The fact is everyone's palette is different and this tobacco was a very unpleasant experience for me. For those of you that actually enjoy this smoke up, but you can get a bag of bulk that is a lot better for a couple bucks....

Sadly, I have no idea on what this famed blend used to be in the glory days of old. I've sampled just the current sans-Perique version. Reading ecstatic reviews left by those who knew the Original Three Nuns, I feel I missed a lot. Even without sampling both versions, it's understandable that the recipe change was crucial as Perique and Kentucky are very different tobaccos, and replacing one with another must have been essentially an introduction of a brand new blend, not an updating of the original one.

Well, the Three Nuns is a nice blend anyway. Sourish Virginia well balanced with mild Kentucky. Slices are kinda cute. Tin art is tastefully simple. No complains. And no magic, so often mentioned by those who'd sampled the Original Three Nuns.

If it was a blend in its own right marketed under its own name, I would see no reasons to rate it lower than 3.7. Cause it's nice. But since it's just a knock-off of a seemingly far superior (or, in any case, very different) discontinued product, I subtract two stars for the unfair use of the old trade mark.

Anyway, worth to try. Not outstanding, but still nice.

I delayed reviewing this tobacco, and even after 2 years i'm still having a hard time finding the words to describe it. The easy part: i like it very, very much. I dont find myself craving for Three Nuns very often, but everytime i smoke it i'm impressed by how enjoyable it is. Ugly little greenish coins, easy to rub out. The smell from the tin reminds me of a mix of hay and seaweed. The burn characteristics are excellent, given some drying time. Now the hard part; how to describe the flavors ? Well, 3 Nuns is pretty sweet, very umami, has a hint of smokiness, it is not heavy or cloying but has more body than a straight Va. There are no flavour peaks, not a lot of evolution throughout the bowl, it is not terribly complex or nuanced but there is enough going on to keep my interest. No obvious flavours, but enough obviously good things going on that i dont feel the need to over-analyse. Never tried the previous versions, judging the latest incarnation by MacBaren on its own merit. 3 2/3 stars for me !

This is not Three Nuns. Nor was the Orlik version. The original Three Nuns was sublime. A ten star hall of fame blend. So why call this 3 Nuns???? WHY WHY WHY? Call it four nuns, call it drunk Nun, call it Forty Seven Nuns...I dont care. But do not put a classic label on a blend that bears scant resemblance to the original. That old blend was a piece of history. And i find it really problematic to make money off that legend. So ONE STAR.

Unfortunatelly haven't tried any of the earlier versions.this blend is a must!when you crack the tin you get rich virginia flavours combined with nice flavours from kentucky.the coins are very easy to handle and at proper moisture.lights easy and might need some relights.while smoking the flavours are rich and deep combining dark fruits,citruses,nuts and some sweet notes.burns cool and slow.never bit me.the nicotine level is medium.the room note is pleasant.in my opinion this is an all day blend.totally recommended !!

This is the same brand my Father and Grandfather used to smoke in the 70s, I have not tasted the old formula of this. But the new one is a very, very tasty option. Sweet and peppery at the same time. Round tin and not the square one I remember from back then.

I have bought a lot of different tobaccos this summer, but after three bowls of this, I went out and added another 5 tins of it to the storage and would probably have gotten this in more copious amounts if I had smoked it earlier.

The content of the tin was on opening a bit of broken and whole discs, which let me to experiment a bit with packing, as it is my first go at discs tobaccos, full discs in the bottom, with loose on top, full discs through the bowl, loose tobacco in the bottom... You get the drift, anyhow, my palate is not fine enough to detect any difference in taste regarding packing methode, nor did I experience any other hiccups with it, it is in my regards a cool and easy burning tobacco that burns all the way through the bowl with little moisture let-off. I could happily smokeThree Nuns and only Three Nuns for the rest of my days...