Mac Baren Three Nuns

If you like the taste of Kentucky, smoothed out with some mild VAs, this is well worth trying. Despite being in small coins, easily folded and stuffed, this does burn fairly quickly, but not too hot.

Mac version: a good all day smoke, buttery sipper, steady burn, smokey, mid-nic, I smoke some 50% Perique blends but this is a good change of pace, my only negative is that it is slightly cigaretty for the little lady. For me it is somewhat similar to Old Gowrie.

This is about the latest version of Three Nuns, manufactured by Mac Baren.

When I first opened a tin of this re-released Three Nuns, its content reminded me strongly of Mac Barren's Roll Cake tobaccos. Compared to the older versions, the coins have gotten slightly larger. They look a little bit messy and frayed out, but the curly cut is clearly recognizable. The lighter Virginias are complemented by the dark fired Kentucky, which gives the tobacco a full bodied, spicy tin note, and some Burley.

I fill my pipe by stacking the coins on top of each other and by crumbling some broken bits on top. That way lighting becomes quite easy.

Right from the start, Three Nuns developes a strong tobacco flavor mixed with some sweet and grassy aftertaste. You should enjoy this one gently and tamp down the ash regularily. Then it'll burn down evenly and give you a smooth and relaxing smoking experience. The nicotine content seems quite high to me.

The room note is rich, but not unpleasant.

In my humble opinion, even though this blend does no longer contain any Perique, too, the taste of the Mac Baren re-release seems closer to the original Bell's blend than the former version.

What a pleasent surprise. After reading all the "shrieks of no perique" I was determined to pick up a few tins and see what gives. Being a lover of Va/pers, and just comming of a straight virginia binge, I was interested in trying Three Nuns. The only other blend I've smoked lately with decent amounts of dark fired was Mac Barens Dark Twist. Three Nuns was another great spun coin tobacco from MB. I'm not going to bore you with flavors and burn rates and such. One hell of a satisfying smoke. I've never smoked any other incarnation of this blend so I can't speak for it. I say only this Three Nuns is a great smoke and I would recommend it.

I never had the pleasure of smoking any earlier iteration of Three Nuns--this review is of the Mac Baren version now available in the U.S. Although purportedly Three Nuns does not contain Perique as any proper VaPer should, I think it smokes very much like a VaPer and I would put it in that category. The dark fired Kentucky and fine dark Virginia tobaccos blend to produce a rich, nutty, creamy flavor with a hint of citrus.

I smoked the dark coins pretty much intact, folded into an IMP meerschaum, a filling technique I've not had much success with in the past but that works fine with Three Nuns.

The "new" Three Nuns rates a permanent place in my cellar.

I have never tasted the original Three Nuns and picked this up for because I heard C.S. Lewis like the old stuff. I also wanted to make a foray into Virginia territory (I cannot smoke aromatics, they just do not agree with my palate and thus have been sticking to straight unflavored/light flavored burleys). I do not like perique, so this was a plus for me. Opening the tin was a raisin note with very loose coins. They crumbled up easily into the pipe, I did not rub out the coins just kinda scrunched and stuffed them into the chamber. I was surprised to find it burnt as easily as an OTC, very few relights, always down to ash without an ashy end taste. Very pleased with that! The taste is a mild sweetness with a wispy hint of citrus all undergirded by the fullness of the burley. The room note was lighter than a burley and not unpleasant. I will say the after room note was more toward cigarette though... So an outside sort of thing for my home. All in all it might not be true to Lewis' pipe, but it will have a home in mine. I believe it will become a favorite.

All around, a good English style blend. Tin note is pleasant. After drying a little, this blend burned quite well, before drying it needed the occasional re-light. The taste is fuller and deeper than many. It offers complexity, obtained perhaps by a peppery quality that some may like. It smokes cool, a major plus. I had better luck with this blend in larger bowls; for me, it burned poorly in smaller pipes. Another reviewer remarked on loosely packing the tobacco; I agree, especially if the tin is newly opened. After drying, I got away with some more robustly packed Billiards style pipes.

This is the new MacBaren version. Found it accidentally at Cigars Int'l in Hamburg, PA. Figured I'd give the new version of an old icon a go. (I've never had Bell's original VaPer version.)

The tin aroma is interesting but I didn't find it all that compelling; it didn't scream "smoke me now!" Besides nice mellow dried hay/grass (VAs?) and the earthy aroma of flu cured, there was a smell like burnt rubber. Not off putting, but different. I believe they source some or all of these tobaccos from producers in Africa, so they were probably new to my nose.

It sat on my shelf for a few months. After finally digging in, I'm sorry I waited. This is a terrific smoke. Very nice tobaccos in perfect proportions. The Kentucky smoked like an exceptionally smooth Latakia, with some buttery burley-like flavors, plus a healthy nicotine kick. The Virginas were just there to accompany. Burned well as long as it was tended to (no drying time). No bite at all, and I puffed pretty hard on it at times. No "mouth ghost" to speak of. A nearly perfect performance all in all.

Really, really nice blend and highly recommended. Probably a good intro to KY-driven blends (before attacking something heartier like Pease's New World) or a higher-nic alternative to rich, mellow Lat blends.

While not my favorite Virginia blend, this is in the top 5 for me for certain. I am reviewing the new version, not the original. I belive there is a touch of perique in this. Not enough for my taste, just a bit. I prefer Dunhil Va/Pers over this, but it is a good solid smoke. The presentation of the small coins in the tin is perfect, and the tin aroma is very plummy and inviting. It seems to take on very different characteristics depending on which pipe I choose. I love to rub out the coins and pack a bowl of this. Usually 2 to 3 times a week I really enjoy this. Not a 4 star smoke for me, but very good!