Iwan Ries Three Star Royale

This is by far the most elegant of the 3-Star line. I like this a lot and have smoked it off and on for the past 30 years. It contains just a bit of latakia and oriental leaf along with some virginia and burley.

It smells awsome in the pouch, and has a subtle, sweet taste at the match. This blend, like all of the 3-Star line, does not change much as you work your way down the bowl. A friend of mine, who adores latakia blends, says this one tastes like sugar cane. I don't think it is that sweet, but you get the picture.

A delightful smoke, give Royal a try!

This is the third blend in the three star line that I have tried. The blue, green, and this. Blue's toppings were too much for me. The green was better, but this is the best so far and the blend that got me into English blends. Royale is a mild blend. None of the individual components seem to dominate. One can taste the tobaccos in this blend. A good all day blend and good for beginners.

I am a little confused after reading what others have to say of this blend. My impression is of a good, old-fashioned sweetened drugstore pouch from maybe 40 years ago. The experience was positive over all but not exceptional. The word "English" never came mind. If there is Latakia in this blend it is very subtle as my tolerance for that tobacco is slight.

TSR burned well, smelled nice, tasted pretty good. A better than average yard smoke and easy on the tongue. Not too damp with a well designed pouch that has a built-in ziplock seal. If you have been smoking some of the more popular American Aromatic blends I would say this would be a step toward an English-type mixture.

Or,just fire up that lawn mower and puff away.

Nice mild English, with a touch of sweetness.

Very low maintenance, delightful tin note, the smoke is thick and somewhat dense.

Doesn't stand out a mile, by far the best of the Three Star line up.

I detect mild Latakia, a little burley, some Black Cavendish and maybe even some sweet Cavendish.

Don't detect much topping.

Very nice. Give it a go.

I have been smoking TSR since the mid 1970s. Lately, however, it seems to have substantially more bite. I don't know if its me or a change in the tobacco. I should contact Iwan Reiss. The store is a mere shadow of what it used to be. The collection on display is gone, and the store is a small portion of the second floor. very sad.

Three Star Royale was a pleasant surprise. It is a light easy smoking blend that does not bite. It is a great change of pace and it is rather inexpensive. Iwan Ries came through again

Very mild American English, with a very slight sweet aroma, maybe anise. I would say by smell of the bag, there is some latakia in the mixture, but not much. Very little taste. Much milder than Middleton Walnut, which I would also characterize as a Mild American English. Description on bag that this is "rich in taste" is really off the mark. Not sure if there is any casing...Iwan Ries says that this is a non-aromatic. Non- aromatics generally indicate no casing is added. Non-aromatics still can produce a variety of room notes, however.

This is the mildest American-English I have smoked to date. The Latakia is barely noticeable in the pouch aroma, and it melds into the flavor of the smoke, becoming almost imperceptible. I agree the pouch description is misleading. This is not a rich full flavored blend. It is mild, delicate, with a pleasant anise/licorice top note. You do have to puff gently, or it will bite, and turn bitter. This might make a good morning smoke, or change of pace for the aromatic smoker,as long as you take it slow and easy.

What?s in a name???.and consistency? This blend is spelled as ?Royal? both here and at Ries? web site but on the pouch label and in the Ries? catalog it is spelled as ?Royale.? Regardless, this is an extremely well balanced, well-behaved blend that is sweet, pleasant and mild from the first match to the last puff with nary a hint of bite. It has a wonderful pouch aroma and a unique, sweet taste that I cannot compare to other blends I have smoked. The taste didn?t become tiresome but neither did it change much. Ries? lists Royale as a non-aromatic blend. I, however, would classify Royale as a light, sweeter than average, English aromatic. This is another fine offering in the Three Star Line. With the advent of the web and all of the other tobaccos that are now within a ?credit card?s reach,? many folks have lost sight of the Ries Three Star lineup of tobaccos. You owe it to yourself to try a couple of these Three Star blends.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 9.2 out of 10.