Upper's Bell's Three Nun's Review
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Ok, here's my review. Upon opening the tin I noticed what looked like a pack of Little Debbie Penwheels smushed into a 2oz. Container, tin note I couldn't say. After rubbing some out its appearance was of a tobacco blend with what appeared to be pieces of that blow in insulation you put in your attic. However I was looking forward to trying this after all I've heard about it, so I loaded into my Savinelli 413 Bruna. Just not exactly what I was expecting. Not fond of the topping. I remember finding a pez despenser in my closet years ago that must have had a good 12 years age on it, for some reason I felt the urge to try it, seemed similar. That was two weeks ago, I'm setting here now smoking my bruna with some Wessex burley slices and all I taste is that freaking pez.
I had thought that Three Nuns only consisted of Virginia and Perique, didn’t think it had a topping. Good to know.
No apology needed, I had no idea it had a topping, I’ve never smoked the old Bells version. I hope it didn’t ghost your pipe too badly. Can’t say I’d want to smoke Pez!
Try the Savinelli Doblones d'Oro. It's the same Va/Bur/Per approach but with less of a rancid contrast between the smoky center and the breakfast cereal Virginias, if memory serves.
if you think that's bad ( I have tried it and agree with you)......you want to try the pouch version we endure here in the UK.....yuk and muck!!
I like the Savinelli Doblones d'Oro much better but unavailable this side of the pond......and I have trouble keeping it alight for some reason............If I dry it out for to long it loses the lovely taste! ( I also like to mix a pinch of Burley in with it sometimes!)
I like the Savinelli Doblones d'Oro much better but unavailable this side of the pond......and I have trouble keeping it alight for some reason............If I dry it out for to long it loses the lovely taste! ( I also like to mix a pinch of Burley in with it sometimes!)
A man after my own heart. I go through more dark Burley than anything else except 7.62mm ammo.
I had trouble getting it lit as well, so I treated it like an Italian... I loaded the pipe, then drank some delicious coffee while conversing with a beautiful woman for a half hour, then lit it up. Smoked like a dream!
Are you talking about the old, long gone Three Nuns from Scotland or the new Mac Baren made version? The former did have a flavoring. I don’t know about the newer stuff. I’m not even sure the new stuff has Perique.
Mike S.
Mike S.
I knew there was some reason, though I have often heard the blend mentioned, nothing said about it ever lured me to order any. It must have been popular. Maybe it still is, among some. The specs and reviews make it sound mediocre. Any fans of it out there offering to give a contrary report?
i smoked 3 nuns back in 1960's - the tin was all coins NO FILL like today's with no flavor & no perique -
back then we didnt analyze every blend - just smoked & enjoyed.
same with erinmore - today's flake is ok but the mixture is a dud. ok i backed the flake it was a success mellowed it out.
anybody remember london dock from back then - the name scared you a bit but it was good - milan bros makes it now - anybody from the 60's tried milan's dock ??
mac baren cancelled my burley london blend - i found 10 tins mostly from 4 noggins - THANKS RICH
nostalgia - it gets me every time
back then we didnt analyze every blend - just smoked & enjoyed.
same with erinmore - today's flake is ok but the mixture is a dud. ok i backed the flake it was a success mellowed it out.
anybody remember london dock from back then - the name scared you a bit but it was good - milan bros makes it now - anybody from the 60's tried milan's dock ??
mac baren cancelled my burley london blend - i found 10 tins mostly from 4 noggins - THANKS RICH
nostalgia - it gets me every time
Right, no Perique in the current MacBarren's incarnation. It's interesting that the older versions did have flavoring. The consensus seems to be that the new version doesn't have flavoring, but I don't know how else they coax the flavors out of the tobacco that they do (though, this may just be because I don't know all the tricks that Burley/DFK can play).
I will. I love Three Nuns. Caveats: I don't have a lot of experience with VaBurs; I've never tried Doblones d'Oro (though I will if the consensus it that it is a better Three Nuns); I never had the old Perique version.
With those out of the way: Three Nuns is like nothing else I've tried (by way of comparison, its palate is nothing like Solani Silver Flake to me). My overall impression is that it reminds me of incense; not fresh, heavy, still-burning incense, but the lingering scent that gets left in a room a few days after it's been burnt. (Of course there are a lot of different blends of incense with very different specific smells, so this impression has limited descriptive value.)
The specific flavors I get are the smell of various dreid woods (including some aromatics). Not forest, more like cut and cured lumber. If know the smell of a woodshop, you are very much in the area.
If you could put the smell of the rafters of a gothic cathedral (dried wood permeated with centuries of incense) into a tobacco you would get something close to Three Nuns.
All this is to say, I, for one, find the contemporary Three Nuns quite a pleasant experience, and a nice change from everything else. I recommend giving it a try.
ok i didnt " backed " the erinmore i " baked " it -lowest heat level in stove for about 2-3 hours - needs to be a sealed tin
but turns out erinmore small rectangular tins are not trustworthy seal was broken even though new -
seems others have noted this problem with tins of this shape not just by erinmore.
but turns out erinmore small rectangular tins are not trustworthy seal was broken even though new -
seems others have noted this problem with tins of this shape not just by erinmore.
Smoketruck; Have you ever had the opportunity to read Fred Hanna's missive on "tin baking"? If not, I would recommend it to you. The tin's seal is not going to survive the heat of the oven. In the article, Dr. Hanna mentions time/temp combos that seem to work best. I've never tried it, preferring to age tobacco the old fashioned way.
Mike S.
Mike S.
I find Three Nuns a very contrary tobacco. My tin was very very dry. I have a lot of trouble getting and keeping it alight,as it turns to a very heavy black ash. Tried it in a few pipes and it was the same thing.I'm thinking maybe I got a bad tin. So I have three more tins and i'm going to open another in a couple of days and see if it's better.Three Nuns got some great reviews..there were raves about the wonderful flavor. So far I have not been able to harness it's richness.
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