Iwan Ries IRC Slices

I was just in Chicago and, of course, had to stop by at Iwan Ries. The selection there, of pipes, tobaccos or cigars, is mind-bogglingly large! I like VaPers, ever since smoking Duhill's Deluxe Navy Rolls. So I dedided to try IRC Flake, which has a golden to chocolate brown striation. The pouch scent is pleasant, reminiscent of raisins or figs. As others have remarked, the flakes have just the right moisture content to rub out nicely. The tobacco is then easy to fill into a pipe. It lights on 2 matches and smokes cool, though I would advise you to sip slowly, otherwise this tobacco could bite! The perique is a little too subdued for my taste, though the tobacco does provide a nicotin kick about 2/3 of the way through the bowl. It burns down nicely to a white ash. A nice tobacco worth your attention. And if you ever go to Chicago, make sure you visit the shop!

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.

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!

Mellow Virginia blend, the perique is there in a very subtle way, if you let dry out it smokes like a dream, when fresh smokes wet and bites quite easy, not much to say past that, middle of the road Virginia flake with a light touch of perique and with a hint of sweetness.

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.

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.