Iwan Ries Blends

[Butter Side Down]

Check out their flakes.

Bullseye and Luxury Twist Flake are obviously Peter Stokkebye. But still good and at a reasonable price.

IRC Virginia Flake is my favorite of the bunch. I've seen conflicting information on its origin. I remember reading somewhere that it used to be blended by Orlik (which, if true, would now be STG). Also I've heard people assert that it's luxury navy flake. My taste buds disagree with that one. I also couldn't figure out why they would rename that one and not Bullseye or LTF. Either way, it's a fantastic VA and definitely worth a try. Kind of in the vein of Golden Sliced.

IRC Slices is a nice mild VA. Solid good but a little one dimensional. Probably won't be sorry you smoked it, but I doubt it'll make it into the letter home to Mom and Dad. Unless of course mild VAs are your jam.

 

[Dr. Van Loafer]

Bullseye and Luxury Twist Flake are obviously Peter Stokkebye. But still good and at a reasonable price.

IRC Virginia Flake is my favorite of the bunch. I've seen conflicting information on its origin. I remember reading somewhere that it used to be blended by Orlik (which, if true, would now be STG). Also I've heard people assert that it's luxury navy flake. My taste buds disagree with that one. I also couldn't figure out why they would rename that one and not Bullseye or LTF. Either way, it's a fantastic VA and definitely worth a try. Kind of in the vein of Golden Sliced.

IRC Slices is a nice mild VA. Solid good but a little one dimensional. Probably won't be sorry you smoked it, but I doubt it'll make it into the letter home to Mom and Dad. Unless of course mild VAs are your jam.

Thank you for the suggestion. I have been enjoying Newminster No. 400, for me this is a very approachable virginia, and while not overly complex delivers consistent results.

 

[huntertrw]

Personally, I enjoy their Dr. Bradley Mixture and Balkan Supreme. As others have said, be prepared to spend some time (and, to that end, be sure to take along plenty of money for the parking meter or find a nearby parking garage) exploring all that they have to offer.

Iwan Ries (and the late, lamented Chez Paul restaurant) is the only good reason I can think of to visit Chicago. Otherwise, my favorite thing about that city of broad shoulders is seeing it in my rearview mirror as I'm leaving.

Enjoy your visit!

 

[Dr. Van Loafer]

Personally, I enjoy their Dr. Bradley Mixture and Balkan Supreme. As others have said, be prepared to spend some time (and, to that end, be sure to take along plenty of money for the parking meter or find a nearby parking garage) exploring all that they have to offer.

Iwan Ries (and the late, lamented Chez Paul restaurant) is the only good reason I can think of to visit Chicago. Otherwise, my favorite thing about that city of broad shoulders is seeing it in my rearview mirror as I'm leaving.

Enjoy your visit!

Sage advise about time and money. Also I was going to ask about parking so thank you. Good to know there is some metered parking and garages.

 

[Butter Side Down]

Re: Parking. They offer discounted parking at the garage located at 55 East Monroe. Take your parking ticket to the counter at Iwan Ries and they'll validate it for you. Be aware that the garage is in downtown Chicago, so even at a discount, it is still jaw-droppingly pricey ($20-$40 depending on how long you stay). If you can find street parking, that'll be much cheaper, but you'll have to get lucky to snag it. If you have a Spot Hero account, you can sometimes score garage parking at a cheaper rate a little further away. It will depend on what deals the individual garages are offering at the time and how badly they want to fill the spaces.

If you're staying with friends in the area or somewhere farther out, you can also likely save a ton on parking by leaving your car and taking the train downtown. No matter where in the city you are, all the train lines radiate into downtown, so that'll get you pretty close to IW.

In the area, IW is only a few blocks South of the Chicago River. If the weather is nice, grab some takeout for lunch somewhere nearby and eat it by the river. If you're going with your wife, the Magnificent Mile shopping area on Michigan Avenue can be a good way for her to kill time while you nerd out on pipes and tobacco.

BTW, I've lived in Chicago for about 25 years and for 20 of them I worked about a half mile from Iwan Ries, so if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[JoburgB2]

Re: Parking. They offer discounted parking at the garage located at 55 East Monroe. Take your parking ticket to the counter at Iwan Ries and they'll validate it for you. Be aware that the garage is in downtown Chicago, so even at a discount, it is still jaw-droppingly pricey ($20-$40 depending on how long you stay). If you can find street parking, that'll be much cheaper, but you'll have to get lucky to snag it. If you have a Spot Hero account, you can sometimes score garage parking at a cheaper rate a little further away. It will depend on what deals the individual garages are offering at the time and how badly they want to fill the spaces.

If you're staying with friends in the area or somewhere farther out, you can also likely save a ton on parking by leaving your car and taking the train downtown. No matter where in the city you are, all the train lines radiate into downtown, so that'll get you pretty close to IW.

In the area, IW is only a few blocks South of the Chicago River. If the weather is nice, grab some takeout for lunch somewhere nearby and eat it by the river. If you're going with your wife, the Magnificent Mile shopping area on Michigan Avenue can be a good way for her to kill time while you nerd out on pipes and tobacco.

BTW, I've lived in Chicago for about 25 years and for 20 of them I worked about a half mile from Iwan Ries, so if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

Local, insider advice. Cannot beat that!

 

[dottlejockey]

I enjoy their Cuban Mixture for it's complexity, Blend 111 because i'm a burley fiend and occasionally a bowl of Tashkent when i am feeling like something uniquely English. Highly recommended.

 

[JoburgB2]

. . . Iwan Ries (and the late, lamented Chez Paul restaurant) is the only good reason I can think of to visit Chicago. . .

Uh. Was Chez Paul featured in a scene in the first The Blues Brothers film? Yes? No? Maybe it was something else. If so, shows what I don’t know. I thought it was fictitious. Off topic, but since you mentioned a bygone restaurant, do any Chicagoans remember that fantastic Chicago Hungarian restaurant, Kenessey’s Wine Cellar? The only real rival to the equally fantastic The Balaton, previously on Shaker Square, Cleveland, now in Chardon, Ohio. Sorry for the interruption. Now back to Iwan Ries.

 

[khiddy]

I enjoy their Cuban Mixture for it's complexity, Blend 111 because i'm a burley fiend and occasionally a bowl of Tashkent when i am feeling like something uniquely English. Highly recommended.

I think you may be confusing LJ Peretti (of Boston, MA) with Iwan Ries (of Chicago, IL)? Peretti produces the blends you've named, whereas Iwan Ries doesn't do in-house blending (anymore).

 

[dottlejockey]

I think you may be confusing LJ Peretti (of Boston, MA) with Iwan Ries (of Chicago, IL)? Peretti produces the blends you've named, whereas Iwan Ries doesn't do in-house blending (anymore).

I totally did! I read Iwan Ries and the Peretti label popped in my head for some reason. lol Good call.
Both are great retailers and worthy of mention. (Redemptive statement was worth a try.) XD

 

[huntertrw]

Uh. Was Chez Paul featured in a scene in the first The Blues Brothers film?

Yes, it was, and their cuisine was outstanding. Here's a link to that scene. Enjoy!

 

[JoburgB2]

Yes, it was, and their cuisine was outstanding. Here's a link to that scene. Enjoy!

Fabulous! That’s it! Love it! Laughing all the way! Thank you so much!

 

[Dr. Van Loafer]

Re: Parking. They offer discounted parking at the garage located at 55 East Monroe. Take your parking ticket to the counter at Iwan Ries and they'll validate it for you. Be aware that the garage is in downtown Chicago, so even at a discount, it is still jaw-droppingly pricey ($20-$40 depending on how long you stay). If you can find street parking, that'll be much cheaper, but you'll have to get lucky to snag it. If you have a Spot Hero account, you can sometimes score garage parking at a cheaper rate a little further away. It will depend on what deals the individual garages are offering at the time and how badly they want to fill the spaces.

If you're staying with friends in the area or somewhere farther out, you can also likely save a ton on parking by leaving your car and taking the train downtown. No matter where in the city you are, all the train lines radiate into downtown, so that'll get you pretty close to IW.

In the area, IW is only a few blocks South of the Chicago River. If the weather is nice, grab some takeout for lunch somewhere nearby and eat it by the river. If you're going with your wife, the Magnificent Mile shopping area on Michigan Avenue can be a good way for her to kill time while you nerd out on pipes and tobacco.

BTW, I've lived in Chicago for about 25 years and for 20 of them I worked about a half mile from Iwan Ries, so if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

You are too kind, sir. Appreciate the inside information and the tips. Thank you!

 

[JoburgB2]

Fabulous! That’s it! Love it! Laughing all the way! Thank you so much!

What luck! The Blues Brothers is on telly tonight. I just switched it over and here is a scene with legendary bassist and devoted pipe smoker Donald “Duck” Dunn, with smouldering pipe in hand!

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I was there back in August, and Douglas is a fine tobacconist and he'll set you up with tobacco's of your liking. If you give him some examples of your go to blends he'll make a great recommendation of several of their blends. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. When I was there I went with Old Colonial, and Three Star Royale. Both are very good.