Newminster No. 403 Superior Round Slices

403 - Superior round slices . These coins are very simplistic and quite tasty.This blend could easily be an all day type of smoke . They have more flavor than my six year old tins of Three Nuns and they are much cheaper . They needed dry time and after my first bowl I dryed it a little more and no threat of a bite whatsoever. Very similar to Mac Barens Dark Roll Cake . Virginia grassy and light fruit and bread . The Kentucky is spicy , nutty with some bbq smokiness . I think it is cased with something sweet ? A fine Vabur that is priced right and would probably age well . I may jar some for the cellar . Recommend for sure . Sometimes I wish you could comment on reviews because when I read someone saying this bites the crap out of me I want to tell them to dry the tobacco out some . If you smoke a lot of blends right out of the tin or bag it will bite you ! Virginia and Burley blends need a certain moisture level . Latakias can be quite moist and not bite . It’s a shame because that’s why some people quit smoking pipes probably. Sorry about the rant .

So, this tobacco represents a change in my pipesmoking paradigm. Let me explain: As with many here, I've been avidly enjoying my pipes and although Ive found many tobaccos that I truly enjoy (as well as those that I dont), I'm still exploring...still throwing a "few more" ounces of this or that onto my online orders just to try different stuff out (some thing like almost 2 dozen C and D blends so far, all of the available gawith ropes and bizarre geranium lakelands flakes etc, etc.)- I probably have a hundred blends in jars and baggies in jars in my cellar at this time along with my "bulk stash" of codger burleys and jarred long term bulk blends.

But I've always been somewhat conservative- even to the point of going out to my car and searching this site prior to buying a tin of something at my local B & M. I feel that I've made responsible choices regarding experimenting- for example- although I appreciate Latakia in certain blends, I'm not a huge fan- being more of a VaBur/ VaPer/ VaTurk kinda guy- so my large scale purchasing has been in accordance with my known tastes.

Recently (in the past few months) I've been ordering larger quantities of the things that I like and can expect to age well (PS Luxury Bullseye flake, PS Cube Cut, PS Navy Flake, C and D Orions Arrow/OJK, G and H Happy Bogie and Sweet Rum twist etc) as well as be somewhat affordable. Also have ordered some multipouch packs of some of the aromatics I enjoy like Skan full aroma, Sail and Troost.But of the bulks, its pound quantities, mind you, for incorporation into my cellar pending what I believe to be an imminent tax increase/governmental demonization of all tobacco products...but I digress. I just can't believe that I'm buying pounds of pipe tobacco at this point to stash away. It sorta blows my mind.

I had never really heard of the "Newminster" brand before, but clicked onto an item description on a website and was confronted with an image of the most gorgeous coin cut tobacco i'd seen in a long time- reminiscent of MacBarens Club Blend or Dark Flake in appearance- just with a few more birdseyes.

So I researched it- and found out that it was actually made by MacBarens (which I like), somewhat similar to Stockton and Norwood (which I've liked) and club Blend and Dark Twist and roll cake (which I like)

So...on the strength of the reviews here and elsewhere on the web I threw all caution to the wind and ordered a pound...for $26.

I've never done this before. Never ordered more than an ounce of an untried tobacco. Never took the plunge like this. Granted, I didn't buy a $150 tin of some decade old GL pease masterpiece off of ebay, but a pound of tobacco is alot of tobacco if it turns out you dont like it...

Yes, $26. cheap. Here where I am it's tough to find a 100g tin of Club Blend for less that $19.00.

Let me tell you, after a few days and a half dozen bowls, I am relieved and excited. This stuff is fantastic. Smokey, cool smoking (my package seemed slightly dry- perfect actually). I don't know why it's described as "mildly aromatic", because it's not. Its basically dark fired Kentucky with about an equal proportion of bright virginia. Some mildly piney, bitter marmalade and vegetal overtones. a hint of lemony sweetness from the virginia counterbalanced perfectly by the almost pumpernickleish kentucky. As someone else described, this blend almost tricks you into thinking there is some perique in there. Something figgy and almost fermented about the kentucky that does it. Tart apple jelly on slightly overdone rye toast washed down with strong black coffee might be a good way to describe it

Tendertongues, don't believe what you read- puffed low and slow (properly, that is), there is NO tongue bite (smoked out of a kaywoodie bent pot with a stinger and a few legend MM cobs)

I think this is fantastic stuff, and at the pricepoint, it's absolutely wonderful. Is it as refined as one of the other macbaren offerings? No, but it's different too. Reminds me taste-wise of the Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky that you can't seem to find any more, with a sweet virginia added.

I can certainly say that a few more POUNDS of this will be purchased in the next few weeks. I'll see if my old man is as into it as I am and possibly put together a huge order...may possible "splurge" and pick up a pound of their navy flake as it gets some decent reviews as well.

I'm going to play around a little bit with this one too- I think that adding a bit of Mclelland 5100 redcake virginia to this (maybe 10-15%) may do wonderful things for this blend.

I suspect that this one will age and mature well.

Highly recommended.

Good natural quality tobacco flavor,no bite,good strength and dirt cheap. No real complexity here but just a good,reliable everyday kind of smoke. It almost warrants a fourth star when taking the ridiculously low price into consideration plus the coins are fun to play with. Enjoy!

...very nice rolled coins, perfect moisture in the 1 pound bag I purchased, with a pleasant aroma from the bag.

Another solid preformer from Newminster...not overly complex, yet it has character, quality tobaccos, and could serve as an all-day smoke for many.

For the time being I rate this a 3 star recommendation and will continue my assessment...

...a pipe is to be savored...

Ah, this stuff. The first light and quarter of the bowl taste like chocolate cake - that Virginia reminds me of good cake flour, a natural and earthy sugar, and the Kentucky adds that note of cocoa. It will get a bit warm near the middle of the smoke, and is as sharp as you might expect to encounter from a coin that looks so yellow when completely rubbed out, but it doesn’t bite, and it burns clean and dry. I’m puffing away contemptuously right now in a Savinelli 636 without a filter, and my tongue is quite comfortable - but this is my dedicated DFK pipe, and I still think Newminster 403 could use more Dark Fired. As an aside, this 636 will hold 2 & 1/2 coins rubbed out or folded, it does not alter the taste or burn. Ironically, it may be the presence of the DFK in this blend that keeps it from biting, but it still plays second fiddle to the citrus and grass of that sweet, sharp Virginia. It remains tasty down to the ash, and has that “empty-stomachable” level of nicotine. It is a great smoke for the price, even if it is pretty basic. Oh yes, and that honey taste really does show up in the last half. Did I mention the delayed gratification potential of 403? Still, going to pack this pipe with ODF after I clean it.

This is the modern incarnation of Three Nuns on the cheap. At roughly a third the price of the premium, Newminster's Superior Round Slices offers the familiar blend, curly cut and all, of Virginias and Kentucky at a sharp discount. The flavor is a little spicy, robust, and Virginia forward. A bit harsher than Three Nuns in its constitution, this is an able substitute, which I would welcome to any smoker wary of Three Nuns' relatively hefty tag.

What a great value this tobacco is! For those venturing into Kentucky Dark Fired tobaccos, you won't find a better welcome mat. Just enough smoky richness to get an idea of what dark fired is about. The Virginia seems to be aged nicely, lends a nice grassy sweetness that isn't too dissimilar to a non-vinegar McClelland. Very well balanced blend that smokes nicely, with minimal relights. I did notice a distinct oil that was left on the rim of the pipe, something I have rarely seen. The room note is a bit toasty, with a slight aroma of distinct dark fired. I have no problem rating this 4 stars, due to value, price point and ease of preparation.

Since MacBaren has eliminated Latakia Blend, I thought this to be a possible replacement. I find no difference at all, and suspect it is the same product. I ordered a pound, and am glad that I did. It remains in a sealed Ball jar as do my other blends, including the last of the MacBaren Latakia. I fished one coin of the MacBaren, and one of the Newminster 403, and examined them side by side under the lab microscope at 30X. They are visually structured identically and no difference can be seen. Both display a slight gloss on some of the coin's turns which I presume is the casing material applied before making the rolls. Like other reviewers, the dark fired kentucky seems to be well met with the virginia. Hooray! My MacBaren LB is re-incarnated! Good karma... 😉

These Virginias have teeth and they use them. It not only bites my tongue, but it stings my lips. It does calm down some in the second half of the bowl allowing a small amount of enjoyment. It's a shame because the flavors are pretty nice. The toothy Virginias are the star and the Kentucky adds a mild smokiness and depth. Not complicated, but would be a nice smoke if the Virginias could be tamed. If you're one of those people who never gets bit you may really enjoy this.