Mac Baren Three Nuns

If the current incarnation of Three Nuns isn't up to snuff, as many of the old hands on here suggest, than the original must have truely been heavenly stuff. I've smoked my fair share of vapers over the last couple years and Three Nuns stands up to the best of them. Its strong, slighty sweet and full of flavor. Everything I look for in a vaper. Perhaps its not the most subtle blend out there but dammit it's tasty! Maybe I'm just a sucker for brisk baccies but this stuff is just plain good in my book. Highly recommended for the vaper lover, if you can get your hands on it (I had to get some from a friend in Belgium).

About a year ago I took two tins of TN of unknown age which had been given to me in a dessicated condition and rehydrated them. I smoked a bowl (it was outstanding) and placed the remainder in a bail top jar where it has remained untouched ever since. When I opened the jar and took a whiff, the tobacco smelled exactly like a box of raisins, not raisiny, exactly like raisins. The tobacco had darkened considerably compared to a newly opened tin of TN. The smoke was a treat. I am a perique lover. It reminded me of Escudo far more than other bowls of TN I have recently smoked. If I could get hold of this TN on a regular basis, I would smoke it everyday. I have a stash of the newer version TN tins on hand, and I am hoping that age will create what is now in the jar. If not, I will dry it completely and rehyrate it to see if that works. It delivers a smooth, sweetened Va. flavor laced with mouth watering perique. I have heard that the newer version contains no perique. We will see. Meantime, I give this version four stars. Paddy.

I had seen the Three Nuns around for years when I was a youngster, and like all things that were everywhere years ago, they are nowhere when you finally want them!

Luckily a good friend and unnamed online pipe dealer and pressed tobacco expert sent me a tin from his own "Private Stash" as it is readily available in Europe (Which is where I am not.) Needless to say, I was eager to pop the seal.

Upon opening, the tin has an interesting sort of warm leathery smell, with a little zingyness from the perique (Which is not the dominating aspect of this blend IMO).

I would call this a VA with a hint of Perique to be honest, but its excellent nun the less (Sorry, couldnt resist :))...

The tobacco is very strong, but this isnt imtimidating, its a cool and flavour filled mixture that could be a nightcap or an all dayer, and seems to satisfy my needs whenever I decide to imbibe. I do find the rounds are best in a think walled group 3, packed whole and with rubbed out bits between the rounds sortof in layers, and its a little wet in the tin. I usually take a few rounds in a leather tobacco pouch with me and let them sit in the pouch overnight prior to smoking.

Definately not for the faint hearted, this tobacco can get quite strong in the deeper regions of the bowl, hence my smaller pipe size recommendation, but you owe it to your self to try this.

To be around this long The Three Nuns have to be doing something right!

Delicious - cellar lots.

Some tobaccos have attained legendary status for good or ill. I have been considering a shot at Three Nuns and was recently gifted with some (Thanks, J.) :).

The details of this tobacco have been discussed at length. I can only expand upon them.

This is elegant. It has a bit of the sweet refinement of Esoterica's Dunbar and Dorchester - but a slightly earthier taste. The topping - which is in fact very mild - is an enhancement. It does not detract from the subtle yet flavorful taste.

The perique lends a sweetness without too much zing; the cut and texture is lovely and dense.

I recommend this tobacco highly. Do I recommend spending huge amounts on tins of it? I am not sure I am going to go out and bankrupt myself to stock up - but I know I would never turn it down. Some of the C+D attempts at homage to this blend (Three Friars) are good, but not quite at the unique aged taste. Dunbar may be a favorable substitute... but there is something unique about this blend that makes at least trying it worthwhile.

When I first started smoking a pipe in the 70's, this was my father's "good" blend. This was his Saturday Night, Recliner, "Take It Easy," smoke.

After all week long smoking his burley blends, this was Nirvana to him.

As for myself, this is an all-time favorite. Although primarily an "oriental/english" smoker, I find this blend deeply satisfying.

I usually pack the discs whole and rub out one or two for the lighting process. After the false light and tamping I can sit back and really enjoy this blend.

Sometimes I can start to puff too fast wanting to get more and more of the deeply satisfying flavor.

No problem though, if I build up the moisture to the point where I get some juice coming into my mouth, I find it to be one of the few blends that does not taste acrid.

As a matter-of-fact, it has just the tinge of sweetness. I just use a pipe-cleaner and slow my smoking down.

Definitely the benchmark blend for VA/Perique.

Appearance: Small variegated coins, sizes vary from ½ inch to ¾ inch. About 50% medium color, with some ligher and darker leaf in each disk The disks are not uniform in color distribution.

Aroma: A lovely sweet, matured Virginia smell with some Perique tang in the background.

Packing: Packing in a smaller or narrower bowls required some rubout of the disks, while larger pipes allowed a drop in method with some broken up pieces on top.

Lighting: Because of the density, (and possibly the moisture content), I sometimes needed two charring lights before I got a proper burn.

Initial flavor: The sweet richness of the Virginia jumps right out. My first thought was ?Who needs Perique? This is perfect as is?. Then the Perique joined the party, just the right amount.

Mid-bowl: The Perique presence seemed to vary somewhat, probably owing to the non-uniform distribution of the blend. This is NOT a flaw, it serves to keep me inerested. The smoke was always cool and dry, but with a really dense feeling on the tongue.

Finish: I seem to get a few fragments left in the botom of the bowl, along with clean gray ash. Maybe rubbing out the first pinch more will allow all of to burn better. There was no noticeable increase in harshness at the bottom.

Summary: In the right pipe, (for me a Prince, or small Pot), this gets right in the zone and stays there. A marvelous smoke when you have the time to concentrate on it, but a shame to waste it if you treat it too casually.

This Jew has never loved any Three Nuns more than this Three Nuns.... OK, so I am not a comedian... Sue me. I AM a big fan of this tobacco, however. This is a wonderful blend which comes in little attractive coins (much more manageable than Escudo) which I prefer to stack in my pipes. It can be smoked rubbed out, of course, but I find the flavor to be enhanced by the stacking method- it aslo burns much slower which is important with this tobacco. The tin aroma is sublime, a rich musky/sweet/spicy aroma which demands to be smoked immediately. It lights fairly easily (especially with some rubbed out on top of the stacked coins) and it burns well. The interplay wiht the virginia and perique is fantastic. The smoke starts out a bit sweet with the virginias high suger making the first puff deliciously sweet, the perique starts out slow but soon announces it's presence, and there is some perique in this VA/Perique. The perique continues to rear it's head as the bowl progresses, sometimes subtly sometimes rather in your face. I find Three nuns to be a wonderful after dinner smoke as it's strength (which can be rather stong towards the bottom) suits my post-dinner palate very well indeed. This is the kind of blend that makes me wish I still drank- I imagine it would go very well with either wine or Scotch (single malt, of course). I am a fan of the VA/perique blends and of them all I would have to say 3 Nuns is probably one of my favorites, it is delicious, rather strong compared to it's competition, and quite simply delicious. I have never gotten bored smoking a bowl of the three Nuns. I prefer it in tall but thin (about the diameter of one fo tnhe coins or slightly larger) bowls. The three ladeis also age very well. Do NOT confuse this with the pouch version. I have never smoked the pouch, but I have been warned several times that it sucks; and is not even the same tobacco. As for the Ladies in a tin, well them I can vouch for.

80's 100g W.D. & H.O. Wills tin of Bells Three Nuns, wood painted top, distributed by James B Russell at the 25 Park Way address: - Tin note (after 33+ years) of fermented vegetation, mild dried fruit and non-sweet plum juice? Tobacco is a Curly Cut of reddish dark brown and black coins measuring a little over 1/2 an inch. Moisture content is great and rubs out easily. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. Flavoring is medium, with notes of mildly sweet very spicy anise, maybe the perique with the anise makes it seem spicier than it is? Regardless, it remains part of the experience to the end. Taste is medium to full and very consistent, with notes of floral (almost herbal), anise, plumy figs, very spicy, toasted bread, dry bitter wood, spices, earthy, acidic, leathery, sporadic sugar notes, dry hay, mild citrus, a fermented grassy vegetation background note, and a very peppery retro. Virginias are leading with Perique and Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

2017 Mac Baren version: - Tin note of sharp sweet, pungent and barbeque smoky. Tobacco is a Curly Cut of brown, light brown and dark brown 1-inch coins. Moisture content is great, and coins rub out easily. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. Flavoring is mild, with notes of rum, was distinguishable in the initial lighting, but petered out fairly quickly. Taste is medium to full and mostly consistent, with notes of sweet-toasted bread, mild rum, very woody, spicy, sweet grass, spices, slight smoky vegetation, tart and tangy fruit, rich earth, floral, dry hay, leathery, savory, citrus peel/zest, a sweet nutty background note, and a peppery retro. Kentucky is leading with Virginias supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Scores reflect the latest version.:

Not gonna lie... this one really surprised me. I was expecting a tobacco that was coasting on name only. Boy was I wrong. Immediately upon opening the tin I was greeted with a sweet pastry scent that took me back to my childhood. The smoking experience did not disappoint, with the light, sweet virginas perfectly balanced with the dark fired Kentucky. That sweetness I initially smelled was still there, way in the back of the mouth. Perfectly balanced and wonderfully smooth.