Iwan Ries Three Star Blue

This is an easy one to review. It came dry enough in the pouch that I could smoke it without further fuss. One bowl was enough.

The good news is that this has a decent room aroma. The bad news is that it has no discernible tobacco flavor. Reminded me of Mac Baren roll cakes in that regard and also in its tendency to produce tongue-maligning steam. I found absolutely nothing to recommend this atrocity. Was this stuff this bad in the old days? Thankfully, I missed out on it. Probably in my bottom 10 of all pipe tobaccos. If this were all that was available, I'd grow my own because even I couldn't screw something up this badly.

Ok, I KNOW you're going to try it! Everyone does. There are plenty of in depth reviews here so don't say you weren't warned!!!

This tobacco was free with a purchase I made recently. It wasn't good at all. I tried it and it smelled like Medicine. Had tongue bite early on tasted like cough syrup mixed with sugar and didn't smell very nice either. I would not recommend, but there will be someone out there that likes this... there always is.

A family friend died suddenly early this year, and I was gifted his pipe (which he never used really), and as it happened to be an older Iwan Ries pipe, I figured better get some of their shwag for a remembrance smoke. It is a great store if you ever get the chance to visit, and I was a fan of their tasty King's Oriental, so how did this mainstay stack up?

Well, the pouch let out a whine of drug store aroma (think Half & Half) of tangy topped spice. Not as licorice forward as Mixture 79, possibly a sharp cherry licorice, certainly not a sweet Vanilla, but the kind of mixture you could imagine a no-nonsense grandpa puffing on. The soft mix (with some rogue sticks), packs like putty and lights without issue. The initial few puffs offer a bright taste, that quickly turns to an icky sharp smoke that bites back, which by bowls end you get used to... and that is when you've earned your stripes to smoke another bowl [like a cheap cigarette with an addictive hook].

This sits among other $5 pouches (made partly of shredded cardboard) you don't expect much from, so why go out of your way to order it when a few bucks more gets a quality tin? Good question.

Before I was old enough to legally drive a car, a buddy and I would take a train to the city from the suburbs to hike around the Loop in downtown Chicago, where we discovered a marvelous wonder of the world at the time, the Iwan Ries store. Just walking into the hushed atmosphere was awe inspiring - a veritable world class museum of every sort of pipe imaginable, including a huge collection of exotically carved antique meerschaums. But the most wonderful memory is the smell of miriads of tobacco blends wafting through the atmosphere. It was there that I discovered Three-Star Blue and fell in love.

Well, years have passed and I have lived far from the windy city. One day, I waxed nostalgic and via the miracle of the internet, I wanted to see if it was still possible to acquire some of my old favorite. Sadly, I must say no. Even though the packaging says Three-Star Blue, and the aroma of a freshly-opened pouch is the same wonderful smell I remember - smoking the mixture is only enjoyable for those fortunate enough to catch a passing whiff of second-hand smoke.

It does not matter how you try to smoke the stuff to minimize "bite" - it bites. Big time. And, it frequently goes out, requiring constant re-lighting. It fouled my brand-new meerschaum with a very unpleasant after-odor. Definitely not recommended. It should be called "Zero-Star Blend."

Initially expecting the mixture to be the old Three-Star I came to love in my younger days, when I ordered my batch of Three-Star Blue, I bought a couple of extra boxes to give to friends as gifts. I gave one to a friend who was just taking up pipe-smoking, and he tried the Three-Star Blue. I have not seen him smoke a pipe since.

This literally was the worst thing I have ever had. It was just..well...lets just say down right nasty as butt. The packaging it came in gave off the vibe like "this will be ok." but no. The cut wasn't even ribbon. It was the most dried out crappiest stuff I have ever seen. I reccomend this tobacco to go die.

This tastes like the other 3 star blends. All of them are similar to Mixture #79. Aromatics are ok if the casing doesn't overpower the taste of the tobacco. This stuff is like smoking a bar of soap. Not recommended.

I cannot see how this can possibly be the best selling private blend in the country, I tried this years ago and was just given some lately. The only thing I can say good about this is it packs good and burns well. I get a hot burn and bite. I will not smoke this again even as a gift.

So as another reviewer mentioned; I too smoked Three Star Blue in the mid-70's and also tried the Three Star Red. Although I didn't care for TSB back then, I recently decided to give it another try a half century later. Although our taste matures over the years, and I have a fondness of re-enjoying my past; this one not the case. While I get it, that any tobacco could potentially give tongue bite; TSB has that tendency because it's simply smokes too wet and goopy. I would agree the room notes are excellent and almost enjoyed by non-pipe smokers; I didn't purchase potpourri and therefor don't care enough for only one product benefit. All said, I gave away a mostly full can I purchased and will never purchase again. It's simply overrated for me.

I agree with Pipestud's 2002 review of this. The flavoring is over the top, it burns too fast, and bites like a rabid badger. It did when I tried it about 14 years ago and still does. I agree, if this is popular and a best seller, I believe anaudit is in order. If you like this, have at it. I will never try it again.