Anyone Smoking -- and Liking -- the Three Star Blends?

rmbittner · Jan 7, 2014

This came to me when replying to something unrelated in another thread: I can't recall ever seeing any mention here --favorable or not -- of Iwan Ries's several Three Star Blends. I'm not a fan myself, but I thought these were pretty popular blends.
Or maybe my perception is colored by spending so many years in Chicagoland, where you could walk into any Walgreens and find Three Star Blue, Three Star Red, Three Star White, etc. with all the other drugstore tobacco.
Any fans? Or are these blends not even known much outside of the Chicago area?
Bob

judcole · Jan 7, 2014

I tried a few of the 3 Stars a few years back, and was not super impressed. I had some Private Blend, though, earlier this year,and enjoyed it. That could be a repeat - a good solid burley.

Not sure why IRC blends don't get much notice here, except that a good number of the members seem to only shop at advertisers.

mso489 · Jan 7, 2014

I really like Iwan Ries as a pipe retailer and have bought several pipes from them. Their English blend,

I think it's Blue Star, seems a little rough to me. I can do Dunhill 965, or Nightcap for a slight nicotine

buzz, or others that are more subtle, like Nat Sherman or Altadis Fox and Hound. I might try another

blend some time. But that one I ended up cutting with burley to smoke it.

moses · Jan 7, 2014

I've got two pouches of their Three Star China Black Vanilla Burley that came with some other stuff as a BOGO deal. Got it because it was cheap, still have it because I didn't find much to like about it.
But then (to be fair), I'm not an aromatic smoker by any stretch so... Not a fair judge.

bigvan · Jan 7, 2014

10 years ago (when I smoked nothing but aromatics) I tried it and thought it was pretty weak.

sallow · Jan 7, 2014

You can still get 3 Star blue at Walgreens and some tobacco shops here (Lake County, IL between Chicago and Wisconsin). My dad would smoke Blue from time to time. I've had a pouch of it and enjoyed it each time I smoked it. It is a fairly distinct tobacco, the smell reminds me of my childhood.

warren · Jan 8, 2014

I'm pretty far removed from the Chicago area and have smoked 3 Star Blue for many years. I've extolled its virtues on this site more than once. That company has been serving the piper a lot of years now and I suspect they know their market pretty well after all these years.

ravkesef · Jan 8, 2014

It was Three Star Blue that taught me to sip tobacco slowly. Any faster than that and you'll die – or wish you had. Smoked this way, Blue becomes a delightful and mild smoke with a spectacular room note. I have applied the lessons learned from this tobacco to every bowl I have smoked since.

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Anyone Smoking -- and Liking -- the Three Star Blends?

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