After reading and hearing things about this blend, I thought I'd get some for myself.
Wow! I was missing out.
Wow! I was missing out.
Three Nuns Tobacco
- Thread starter Honkytonk Man
- Start date
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Waiting for the oldtimers to say they ruined the blend unless this is original Bell's tobacco in 3..... 2...... 1......
Just kidding, if you enjoy it have at it. I've seen those 3 Nuns tobaccos and it has the bell's logo on it, wondering if it might be NOS or they still use the original logo and its coming from a STG factory for example. But steep for me at 19 euros a 50 gram tin if it's not NOS.
Just kidding, if you enjoy it have at it. I've seen those 3 Nuns tobaccos and it has the bell's logo on it, wondering if it might be NOS or they still use the original logo and its coming from a STG factory for example. But steep for me at 19 euros a 50 gram tin if it's not NOS.
Yup, I am waiting for the OC's to chime in.
Regrettably, mine isn't NOS, but at least it doesn't have the shitty health warning label.
I am glad you like this but as for me I prefer the Bell's.
Hey honyktonk Man!!!! Cool name mate. A bit of a story, but part of the reason I started smoking was because of my Aunt who was a nun, and I have often wondered about whether I should get a bit of three nuns to run through the pipe. What’s it like mate? What’s it all about and would you recommend it? Cheers from Adam, an Irishman here in New Zealand.
Hey buddy. Thanks for your kind words.
Yes, I would certainly recommend it.
My usual go-to is either Escudo or Peterson's De-lux Navy Rolls, both Vapers. I also enjoy Virginias. So I figured that Three Nuns was kind of a no-brainer, since its a Virginia, with Kentucky dark fired & burley. At least that's what the back of the tin says.
I understand that it's not the same as what Bells was producing, but what you never had, you never miss, right?
So, yes. I would definitely recommend trying it.
Thanks, Dan.
But hey, don't think I'm too proud to accept a tin of the original Bells.....
Just kiddin' buddy.
I find Three nuns fabulous, no matter which label you put on it. 
It is a favourite of mine. If you like it, try Savinelli Doblone D'Oro. Very similar blend with a hint of perique. Those who know say this is closer to the original Three Nuns, but I just take their word for it.
Who doesn’t??
Only trouble is they stopped making it over twenty years ago & it’s never coming back.
I bought a load of the ‘new’ stuff about ten years ago, in Andorra of all places. Nice smoke, nothing special. Revisited it recently & age has greatly improved the blend, I thought. Very nice.
So the story goes.. There were four nuns who enjoyed their pipe smoking break after the evening mass. But one of them died of unfortunate lung cancer. So remaining three decided to commemorate her death by coming up with blend that will honor her memory. Good story? I just came up with it.
I loaded up with Three Nuns green when it came out, the one with perique it was so good they took it off the market
The red tin is ok but there is no perique, but I still smoke it.There is the same argument over STG Erinmore Flake not being as good as the previous version I like it but I have nothing to compare it with.The Belfast made Erinmore Flake is long gone.
The red tin is ok but there is no perique, but I still smoke it.There is the same argument over STG Erinmore Flake not being as good as the previous version I like it but I have nothing to compare it with.The Belfast made Erinmore Flake is long gone.
There where two nuns in the bath tub.
One nun says to the other, "Where's the soap?"
The other nun replies, "Yes it does!"
You're welcome.
Recognized worldwide for their fine pipes, Italian marque Savinelli also offers a line of luxury tobacco blends. A blend of delightfully unique components combine in Savinelli's Doblone d'Oro for a distinctively alluring flavor profile. It features Virginias and Burley combined with Dark-Fired Kenyan tobacco and Perique and aged before being cut into coins, offering a zesty, flavorful smoke.
That's the description from SP webpage. And it's very highly rated too. Think I'll get some.
When it's back in stock!
I picked up some Three Nuns and the Savinelli a few months ago. After going through a tin of each I actually prefer Three Nuns though they are both fantastic.
I can't speak to the original recipe, but I was pretty underwhelmed by the 3N I did try. It's not terrible, but there are so many other DFK blends out there that are more interested and flavorful. But if you like it, then that is what matters.
Doblone d'Oro was at the beginning in 2014, but not since they changed the formula in 2017. They reduced the perique and upped he DFK to save money.
In case you never saw my lengthy review (the longest I've written by far) comparing the last three versions of Three Nuns, I'll post it here. This will give you a detailed look at my experience with the blend. Glad I still have some of the old VaPer version.I loaded up with Three Nuns green when it came out, the one with perique it was so good they took it off the market
The red tin is ok but there is no perique, but I still smoke it.There is the same argument over STG Erinmore Flake not being as good as the previous version I like it but I have nothing to compare it with.The Belfast made Erinmore Flake is long gone.
This first paragraph contains my review of the VaPer Three Nuns, which was in continuous production until the end of 2003. I smoked around a 130-150 pounds of the several versions (WW2, the 1980s through 2003) of this particular mixture, and while the 1990s and later manufactures had a tad less perique, this review is meant to describe the experiences I was most familiar with: The fermented Virginias provided a lot of rather tart and very tangy citrus, some tangy ripe dark fruit, wood and earth, a little grass and bread with a few light sour, floral, acidic, sugar notes. They took a small lead in the proceedings. The tingly perique was very spicy, earthy, with an abundance of stewed raisins, plums, figs and dates as a strong supporting player. The perique was about 18% of the mix, and played a little above that percentage in terms of effect. The woody, earthy, sweet, floral, herbal, vegetative, slightly nutty, mildly spicy Brazilian lights were just above being condiments. The very mild prune, rum and anise toppings lightly sublimated the tobaccos. The strength and taste levels were a step past the medium level. The nic-hit was medium. Wouldn’t bite, but sported a few small rough edges. The coin cut was loose enough that you could easily rub it out or stack them without getting a tight draw. Had just a little loose cut in the tin, too. Well balanced and very complex, it burned cool, clean and slightly slow with a very consistent, deeply rich sweet and spicy, lightly savory flavor that translated to the pleasantly lingering after taste and stronger room note. Despite its strength, it could almost be an all day smoke for the very experienced smoker. Four stars for this version.
This second paragraph is my review of the Orlik Va/Kentucky version (2004-2013), of which I smoked a couple of pounds: The Virginias offered semi-sweet tart and tangy citrus with slight sour, floral, acidic, and bread notes, a little grass and tangy ripe dark fruit, some earth, wood and few grains of sugar as the lead components. The woody, earthy, floral, mildly spicy, slightly nutty, slightly sweet Kentucky was a supporting player. The amount of Kentucky in the coins varied at times, but it usually ended up being around 18% of the blend. The woody, earthy, sweet, floral, herbal, vegetative, slightly nutty, mildly spicy Brazilian lights were condiments. The very mild prune, rum and anise toppings didn’t sublimate the tobaccos much, and seemed to be a tad less obvious than in the VaPer version. The strength and taste levels were medium. The nic-hit was a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. Wouldn’t bite, but had a hint of a rough edge. The coin cut was loose enough that you could easily rub it out or stack them without getting a tight draw. Had just a little loose cut in the tin, too. Well balanced and mildly complex, it burned cool, clean and slightly slow with a very consistent, moderately rich sweet and spicy, slightly savory and sour flavor that translated the pleasantly lingering after taste and lightly stronger room note. It could be an all day smoke for the experienced smoker. Three stars for this version.
Mac Baren licensed the rights to manufacture Three Nuns in 2013. They used the Orlik VaKy formulation instead of the VaPer due to legal reasons. This review is for the current Mac Baren version: The light and dark Virginias provide a burst of tart and tangy, acidic citrus and grass, some wood and earth, a little tangy dark fruit and honey with hints of bread and floralness, and light sugar. They are more team players than they are the lead components. Giving them stiff competition and occasionally taking the lead is the very spicy, earthy, woody, rather floral, herbal, lightly nutty sweet, vegetative, dry and mildly sour dark fired Kentucky. The woody, earthy, sweet, floral, herbal, vegetative, nutty, mildly spicy Brazilian lights are barely condiments. The strength is medium, while the taste is a step past the mark. The nic-hit is a step short of the medium mark. Won’t bite or get harsh, but it does sport a few rough edges. The coins are inconsistent in size and shape, and the amounts of the varietals varies a bit in each one. Between that and the loose cut tobacco, the aforementioned aspects leads to some inconsistency in the overall sweet and spicy, acidic, mildly sour, lightly savory flavor. Burns clean, moderately cool, and a tad slow. Leaves little dampness in the bowl and requires a few more than an average number of relights. The after taste reflects the overall taste as it and the lightly stronger room notes pleasantly linger. Not an all day smoke but it is repeatable. Three stars.
Comparisons: the VaPer versions was tangier and more fermented than all other productions, and much spicier than the Orlik VaKy, which sported a very small amount of it. The spice in Mac Baren’s TN is almost as potent as the VaPer TN, but it’s a different spice. The perique had much more fruit than the other non-perique, which made the VaPer much sweeter than Orlik’s TN and a step sweeter than what Mac Baren makes. There’s more acidity in both VaKy blends than there was the VaPer TN. The Brazilian Lights are less prominent in Mac Baren’s than the others, which essentially equal each other in that respect. This is primarily because the dark fired Kentucky Mac Baren uses over powers them. In fact, the DFK has a stronger presence than the perique does in the older TN as well, which wrecks the flavor balance in the Mac Baren TN, and in comparison to the other better balanced productions. The VaPer was deeper and richer in flavor than what has followed. Mac Baren’s TN has the same strength and taste level as the VaPer, and both had more of each than the Orlik TN. The VaPer and Orlik’s were a little less sour than Mac Baren’s, and the VaPer was a little less so than what Orlik made.
The coin cut and amount of loose cut in the VaPer and Orlik VaKy were the same, except the VaPer tended to be more consistent in the distribution of tobaccos in each coin. The Mac Baren coins are bigger and more loosely held together with more loose cut tobacco in the tin. The Kentucky is generally more spread out in the coin rather than centered as in previous manufactures. Also, the toppings are much less obvious in the Mac Baren TN, and it has more honey than the others ever did. Essentially, Three Nuns has gone from the original Bell's blend to being a full fledged Mac Baren product that uses the VaKy Orlik recipe with their own tobaccos. The rating at this forum reflects the Mac Baren TN, and not the earlier incarnations.
Great detailed writeup! I never tried the old VaPer 3 Nuns, and the current VaKy version doesn't impress me too much, though it's a nice tobacco anyway.
Your description of the old VaPer version of 3N reminded me of another sliced VaPer twist: the new Samuel Gawith Cabbie Mixture. Lots of tang (significantly more than in St. James) too, and lots or fig and raisin.
Was the old 3 Nuns similar to Cabbies in a way, or was it a completely different beast?
Your description of the old VaPer version of 3N reminded me of another sliced VaPer twist: the new Samuel Gawith Cabbie Mixture. Lots of tang (significantly more than in St. James) too, and lots or fig and raisin.
Was the old 3 Nuns similar to Cabbies in a way, or was it a completely different beast?