Three Star Blue has been in continuous production and a top seller since the 1950s, and until now, it was only available at Iwan Ries. Sutliff, who has produced the blend for many years, is now nationally distributing it in order to reach a wider audience. I was asked to review it. As I have been smoking a freshly manufactured production, I’ve rewritten my previous review to reflect my latest thoughts on this tobacco.
The lightly fruity, grassy, citrusy sweet Virginia is the base of the blend. The very nutty, earthy, toasty burleys are the most noticeable component, and also provide a drop or two of molasses. The properties of the fire cured black cavendish are a smoothing brown sugar along with a touch of smokiness as a supporting player. There’s a minute amount of Cyprian latakia that offers a mild smokey, woody sweet push to the blend. In a minor role is some plum and a faint spice hit from the perique. The mildly applied vanilla topping has a light richness. I also observe a small amount of licorice, which has a light soap and floral perfume quality. The toppings do tone down the tobaccos a little as they work in concert to create a very consistent, harmonious flavor from start to finish. It won’t bite or get harsh, but I recommend a moderate puffing cadence to allow the various aspects of the mixture to shine. The strength and taste are just shy of being in the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is mild. Burns clean and dry at a reasonable pace, and requires few relights as it easily burns to ash. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers, and the room note is rather sweet. An easy going all day smoke that kind of leans in the direction of an aromatic English without reaching that level.
The lightly fruity, grassy, citrusy sweet Virginia is the base of the blend. The very nutty, earthy, toasty burleys are the most noticeable component, and also provide a drop or two of molasses. The properties of the fire cured black cavendish are a smoothing brown sugar along with a touch of smokiness as a supporting player. There’s a minute amount of Cyprian latakia that offers a mild smokey, woody sweet push to the blend. In a minor role is some plum and a faint spice hit from the perique. The mildly applied vanilla topping has a light richness. I also observe a small amount of licorice, which has a light soap and floral perfume quality. The toppings do tone down the tobaccos a little as they work in concert to create a very consistent, harmonious flavor from start to finish. It won’t bite or get harsh, but I recommend a moderate puffing cadence to allow the various aspects of the mixture to shine. The strength and taste are just shy of being in the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is mild. Burns clean and dry at a reasonable pace, and requires few relights as it easily burns to ash. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers, and the room note is rather sweet. An easy going all day smoke that kind of leans in the direction of an aromatic English without reaching that level.
