Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Three Friars

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2012-10-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

As a Three Nuns aficionado, I can say that this blend tastes nothing like the older tinned version of Three Nuns or the current tinned version either. Don't buy it thinking that it will or you will be disappointed. You should buy this because of its own merits, which are many.

This has just enough raisin, plum, and spice from the perique to notice, but not enough to control the flavor. The tart and tangy citrus from the lightly grassy Virginias is understated, and a little more prominent than the burley. The woody burley is a little toasty, earthy and nutty with a light brown sugar taste, well complimenting the Virginia. It comes a bit dry in bulk, so you may prefer to moisten it just a little. Once moistened, I find it to be a cool, clean, even burning smoke all the way to the bottom with few relights. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste level is medium. Has a minor rough edge at times, but there's no chance of bite. Fast puffing may result in a harsh note. Leaves just a hint of moisture in the bowl. It's not overly complex, but you will taste all the mildly sweet, nutty, rugged, lightly savory flavors in every puff from start to end. Has a lightly lingering pleasant after taste, and room note. An easily repeatable all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

58 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2013-11-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am not basing this comparison on any meaningful recollection of the original Three Nuns or having tasted the current version. I expected to like this tobacco from the description, and I was not disappointed.

This is a wonderful Virginia forward VaBur with perique used as a condiment and not the main attraction. I found it to be about the right moisture content from the bag. It burns well and smoked cool for me.

I think when blends burn hot for me, it is because I am sucking on it too hard trying to get some flavor out. This one was very tasty - a slight Va sweetness with just enough spiciness and burley fullness to keep it interesting and push it from a 3 to a 4. For my palate, this is a great balanced flavor, and a very good smoke. There is a somewhat "thick" quality to the smoke that I find very enjoyable.

Edit 8/19/14 If anything this blend has grown on me, and my initial rating was a 4. It really is that good for me. I have two pipes in the rotation that are good smokers in general, but they just deliver with Three Friars.

44 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2006-01-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A lightly sweetened Virginia/Burley with a dash of Perique. And yippee, nicotine!!!!!

If you like your Virginia without a grassy taste, if you like your Burley to be Grade A+, and if you like top-shelf, Louisiana grown (the real deal) Perique, then you're gonna love Three Friars.

The blend does stink in the tin, but at the match it smells good enough to keep you from being thrown outside with the dogs.

31 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2011-09-15		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I think that this is one those tobaccos that it's easy to overlook. I suspect that's partly because of whole “clone” or “copy” identity that the stuff has. It seems to suggest second rate from the git-go. Can a clone ever be as good as the original? Aren't copies subject to degradation? So this stuff isn't Three Nuns. From what I understand, even Three Nuns isn't Three Nuns anymore. Never having smoked Three Nuns (in any of its successive iterations), this little fact doesn't faze me a whole lot.

On its own, I find Three Friars to be a wonderful smoke. It probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense to call this a Burley-based VaPer, but that's really what it is. It has some things in common with familiar VaPers like Escudo, Dunbar, Cumberland…even Haddo's. All of these share (though intensity levels vary, as do toppings) the standard VaPer nose of dried fruits (primarily fig and date), tomato leaf, dried hay, and caramel. Where 3 Friars wanders off on its own path is with the addition of a quantity of good quality Burley. This has the effect of muting the familiar VaPer qualities on the nose, and reducing some of the sweetness associated with straight Virginias and VaPers.

The muting of the nose and the reduction of the sweetness will no doubt be unwelcome to plenty of regular VaPer smokers. However, those with a fondness for the nicotine richness and, for lack of a better word, “dry” qualities of Burley (me, for example), may well prefer 3 Friars to the more familiar VaPers. I'm fond of both the familiar VaPers and 3 Friars. What I find, however, is that if I'm on a pipe-smoking binge, I'm better able to smoke successive bowls of 3 Friars than a sweeter VaPer. If I'm glued to my desk working on a project from home with a pipe stuffed in my jaw for hours on end, 3 Friars is great. If I'm just enjoying a pipe in leisure, I'm more likely to opt for the greater depth and concentration of Escudo or St. James Woods or Beacon Extra.

To my mind, 3 Friars is the OTC VaPer that the American market currently lacks. It ought to be produced by Middleton so that it can enjoy the simultaneously wide-scale and down-scale distribution of Carter Hall, Prince Albert, or Sir Walter Raleigh. In bulk, it's actually a shade less expensive than a typical OTC tub. And it shares the easy-to-light, easy-to-pack, easy-to-smoke qualities of the OTCs. For all-day smokers—especially those on a budget—I'd be inclined to recommend this highly. Less prolific puffers may well find something to like here, too.

21 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2014-02-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A tasty blend. Virginias and Burley pretty well balanced and the Perique applied with a light touch. Medium body and taste. A nice any time of day smoke.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2015-08-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good mixture with a sweet tone and solid structure. In my opinion Three Friars is another fine example of the kind of natural American style blends that Cornell and Diehl excels at. The pouch note has a sweet and sour fermented bread-like scent. The perique is done to balance, adding a touch of spice without overtly influencing the flavor. The burley is quite noticeable and adds a dose of rustic heartiness and a bit of flavor strength. The Virginia's used are the meatier, deeper kind more than the bright grassy-sweet variety. The flavor is bittersweet & earthy with a subtle tanginess coming from the perique. Three Friars is not a complex tasting mixture, but there are enough variations in flavor to keep things interesting throughout the entire smoke. Overall this blend has a good amount of flavor strength. Nicotine strength is a comfortable medium, and becomes more noticeable in larger bowls.

Pipe Used: Briar and Cob

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is no Three Nuns!!!!!

Now that we have that out of the way (again), this blend screams for a 2.5 star rating within the TR system. This is mostly because sometimes when I smoked it, it was something I'd recommend to anyone, and other times I'd have to condition that recommendation. Few tobaccos I've smoked were as much of a changeling bowl to bowl as this one. I'm not sure what that means.

I'm a huge fan of Three Nuns and burley. That said, I think I would have left the burley out of this one or changed it 'round somehow. At its worst, it drowns out the perique and virginia and at its best, it's a bit of a question mark as to need. Even so, I found this to be a pleasant smoke, with a breath of perique spice to go with the VA sweetness. The burley gives it body - whether I liked it or not. Definitely something to try if you like complex tobaccos, as this one writes the book on it! I'd call it a successful tobacco, even though I'm not sure where it fits in to my rotation, if anywhere.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2015-04-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I was coming on here to update my review of three friars, which I was sure I placed 4 stars on after receiving a sample a while ago. That is when I discovered I never actually reviewed the blend at all. Well, I was so taken by my first experience with it, I ordered some more and just finished it today.

I will say that I still like this blend, but Would give it three stars today as it just didn't blow me away like it did the first time I tried it and perhaps, I have just tasted so many more Va Bur Pers since that time.

This is a good example of that genre that offers a nice balance between the three elements. C & D burleys can come off pretty harsh if they are over provoked only slightly and this one is no exception to that. You will get the most of this one in a quiet contemplative smoke. When you are in the zone it is fantastic. Nutty sweetness with a great amount of spice. The trouble is getting in the zone with this one. It is not as easy a task as many other blends. For this reason I ended up having several ashy tasting harsh moments when I was smoking this one.

I will say when I was there, it was a four star experience, but the difficulty of getting there put it at three stars for me. I will likely buy this again though for those times when I have a pretty clear mind and can really get into the zone.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2010-09-03		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was sent a baggie full of this by a forum buddy to try. I find it to be a very interesting and unusual blend. First off, it has a very parculiar pouch smell to it, kinda tart but with a little of the old fashioned dark straight cane syrup of my youth aroma about it. Hard to describe but very different. The tobacco is a very rough cut running from khaki colored to medium brown. Being C and D, it arrived to me in the perfect moisture content, no stickiness and was very easy to pack and light up. Upon lighting up, it emitted a very creamy strong flavor of burley with a touch of sweetness and the spiciness of the perique. Though nowhere near as strong or loaded with perique as Frenchy's SunzaBitches, that is what I thought of when I lit this. Smoking the first half of the bowl, the burley and perique dominate and it is a touch harsh tasting but still very smokable. With light puffing, one can taste a touch of the VA sweetness but with anything other than light, it is very spicy and can bite you a little. But, at the half way mark, look out, the VA takes control and it becomes a spicy sweet smoke that just gets better and better down to the bottom of the bowl. I really enjoy the second half of this one, if it all tasted this good, this would be a regular for me. The room note is pleasant, not great but not bad or harsh. It burns clean, down to a grey ash with no moisture at all it the bottom, in fact i hardly pick up anything running a pipe cleaner through a pipe of this just smoked. I find it smokes much smoother in a large bowled pipe versus a smaller one. I would recommend trying this as it's an experience all to itself. I don't give it four stars because of the first half of the smoke, but a solid 31/2 for sure.

12/14/2011 Update. I don't usually update my reviews, but I feel i have to upgrade my rating on this one to a four star review. The reason is I find that everytime I open a tin of this blend, I find myself not smoking anthying else until the said tin is comepletely gone! This blend is very addictive in a good way, i find i just love the stuff especially during the colder months. I really think this blend offers enough that all should experience it. This blend is gradually becoming one of my regular blends and is for sure in my top ten blends that I keep in my rotation now.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2003-01-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

There is nothing as cagey as gustatory memories: as ephemeral as a ballerina's pirouette, and not liable to being filmed, either...The very strong tobaccos that I enjoyed as a younger man I no longer enjoy as much, and have stopped using many of the large pipes that I favoured then. A Charatan full of THREE NUNS was a peak experience of the popinjay and coxcomb I once was...but my taste buds, like my temples, have become grayer. Nothing and nobody tastes as wonderful as it once did.

This hommage to the beloved old blend does pretty well, as far as my fading brain cells will allow me to be certain. The old Nuns probably had some burley in it too, and C & D has handled the Périque?top quality?very adeptly. I will certainly keep some of this around, gladly. And the ribbon-cut makes it easier to use, particularly in a smaller pipe. If only this was available in an elegant tin.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FrankyBoy (1)	2020-07-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

My personal favorite.

I am new to the world of Pipe smoking and have very quickly fallen in love with this blend.

I will do my best to translate into words the little that my inexperienced palate tells me. I taste the sweetness of Virginia and the nuttyness of the Burley accompanied by what i can only related to roasted coffee beans. Not because of the bitterness but due to the earthiness that comes through.

On the nose, when i open the mason Jar where i keep it, I smell the sugars of the virginia and a faint cheese like wiff that i image must com from the fermented Perique.

I smoke slowly so as to be able to enjoy a book while keeping the pipe lit at the same time therefore I feel no tongue bite.

I hope this helps anyone on the edge of giving this blend a try.

Pipe Used: Peterson 313 PLIP

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MrGoGoDanbo (4)	2017-09-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

The tin note was tangy with a smell that reminds me of shredded wheat cereal without the sugar.

Lit easy and stayed lit. Only had one or two relights depending on the bowl or what I was doing.

The initial flavor was tangy with a slight sugar spice. I have had times where I would get hit with spice but after I let the blend sit for a couple months that has seemed to gone away to a nice lingering background spice.

I found this blend to smoke really quick and as a result the first few bowls I smoked of this I burned my mouth pretty bad. But once I slowed down with it and found a nice leisurely pace I had no further issues.

There is a slight burn on the retro hale. The room note is a nutty, shredded wheat, almost hay like smell. Smoke out put is moderate but not heavy. It has a nice chewy texture to it.

I gave this blend no dry time. For me it smoked best in my cobs. I tried it in a few different briars and it just didn't work for me.

I have never had Three Nuns so I cannot say if this is a good comparison, but I will say it is a nice smoke.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Legend

Age When Smoked: About 2 Months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2016-12-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Cornell & Diehl - Three Friars.

My pouch contains a blend that's 50/50 big and small: half of it's easily recognizable as ribbons, of which a few are quite large, yet a lot of the remaining blend's tiny cube-like pieces.

There's not much Perique-spice to the smoke, it's mostly VaBur, the Perique only adds a mild seasoning. To me there seems to be more Burley compared to Virginia; there's only a touch of grass/hay. Even though Three Friars has no casing it bites me as much as a heavyweight aromatic. T.F. also burns too warm; steady and even, but too warm.

The room-note's pleasant enough, and the nicotine's medium.

I'm not too impressed by this, so I'll only somewhat recommend it.

Two stars.

Pipe Used: Altinok Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: One month

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	haparnold (6)	2019-01-31		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Note: I won't be discussing this blend in reference to either the original or the current Three Nuns. I've never smoked it, and I don't think this blend needs comparison to any other.

I generally know whether I'll like a blend or not after my first bowl.

Three Friars is the exception to this rule. This was the first Burley and Perique blend I had ever smoked, and I didn't quite know what to make of it. My first impression was that it had a funky 'old man' taste. But after smoking a few bowls, I grew to like it. In fact, I grew to REALLY like it.

The burley is the star of the show in this blend, but the perique adds a really important element and makes it delightful. The grassy Virginia plays a backup role in this, but I would miss it if it weren't there. The smoke is pretty full and rich, and has a kind of grey velvet quality.

Something I really like about this blend, and which makes it a perfect all day smoke is that the flavor is very consistent throughout the bowl. You can enjoy it as you light it, zone out and forget about it for a while, and come back to it without missing anything.

If you're a burley fan but are looking for something a little more interesting than a codger burley, but which can still do service as a no-fuss all-day smoke, look no further than Three Friars.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gr8tefuldawg (87)	2020-07-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

C&D- Three friars

Tin date 27Nov19. First tin opening smell of buttery nutty toast with a small spread of honey sweetness. This blend is slightly moist out of the tin and could use a little drying time.

Having never tried three nuns I cannot comment on that aspect, although I do find this quite close to Newminster 403, which is blended by the same company that currently produces three nuns.

This blend tastes just like it but not in coin form, slightly spicy with a honey hay sweetness that combines together and works well, smoke it slow and enjoy the combination of flavors, smoke it fast and it all sort of separates which is an interesting aspect but take away from the formula.

If I didn’t have 8-10 oz of the Newminster left I’d gladly buy more of this, but they seem to equate to the same combined flavor profile although both still are cheaper than the three nuns product.

Do not regret buying this while on sale, however it doesn't do enough to separate from it’s counterparts.

Pipe Used: Falcon system pipe

Age When Smoked: 7 months

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Newminster - No. 403 Superior Round Slices.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MarkTheLad (46)	2017-06-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I've never had the old Three Nuns, so I have no basis for comparison, but this is a good solid tobacco in it's own right. The burleys are nutty, the Virginia's are grassy and I definitely get a bit of citrus in there. The perique is sweet/spicy and fruity in kind of a fermented way. Some of the flavors are at times, more pronounced than others, and the flavors just kind of trade places coming to the fore and then fading into the background. It's a very flavorful blend with a satisfying nic hit to it. This is a good tobacco to just sit back and sip it, I think you get a lot more flavor from it that way. I'm sure this will age well, so I bought an extra 8 oz. to put back specifically for that purpose. I will recommend this blend and give it 3.5 stars.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gent

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: C&D Bayou Morning.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	youngs11 (3)	2016-01-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I was expecting this to be similar to other C&D VA-based blends, and it indeed is. This tastes a lot like Bayou Morning, simply with the Perique turned down to a more condiment level and the Burley adding a little extra strength and nutty depth.

If you like some of the other similar C&D blends, you will like this. I would not really consider this Burley-forward, but it is definitely in there. Not bad, nothing special either.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Punto Oro lovat

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: gift

Similar Blends: most of the VA-based C&Ds.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2015-11-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A Va forward VaBur with a dash of Perique, made to a British codger style.

This is a short ribbon cut tobacco, quite light in colour, and very dry. The tin note has malt and caramel notes with a distinct spice.

Burns easily. This is a one match tobacco,

The Perique asserts itself throughout in that ineffable way that it has. The zing of salted plums, a strange pepper on the lips. It is imo perfectly balanced; supported by some very tasty Va's, with just a touch of Burley to provide a foundation.

Finger-stuffed into a Falcon Dublin, a Coopers Sparkling Ale, and cricket on the radio: the real world can wait another day.

Pipe Used: Falcon Dublin, Lepeltier

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-09-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Strongirish says it all in his review.

Very reminiscent of Frency's Sunzabithces. But this one has better manners and doesn't cross the line into harsh like Frenchy's likes to do some times.

If you smoke any OTC codger burley you just have to try this. It's loads better than the PAs and Cartehalls of th world (I like those blends too). And guess what? It's cheaper!

C&D quality. The most welcoming great tasting blend I've smoked in recent memory. Just a really fine smoke.

I'm starting to really appreciate C&D VAs along with their burley. Sure McClelland has that nice sweet round stoved red VA in many of their blends. But this light colored chunky C&D VA that I keep running into is really good stuff too. Pardon the food reference but it's somehow sort of like fresh baked biscuits with molasses or something.

I think this one would be rated much better, but for the whole 3 Nuns thing.

Forget this has a 3 in the name and buy some. I think you'll love it for what it is. I do.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeKing David (134)	2010-08-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is, as other reviewers noted, sort of a stepped-down version of Cornell & Diehl's Old Joe Krantz. A good blend with occasional hints of Virginia sweetness, this tobacco will likely please many VaPer fans especially those that appreciate the fullness that the added burley provides.

Govern yourself accordingly

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sir Walter Smiley (24)	2010-04-22		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I am giving this a 4 star rating because this blend gives you a great virginia/perique smoke without all the usual prepwork that other "higher quality" vaper flakes require. Coming in pretty small pieces is its only negitive with me; smaller than ribbon, shag like. I have no need to dry this blend due to, like most C&D tobaccos; especially bulk, it comes rather dry. Friars smokes sweet with a nice light perique pepper background. Mid-bowl the sweetness subsides to a nice grassy flavor that a virginia lover would recognize. Grassy is not right, but close. Perique has a tendency to sour in vapers at the bottom of a bowl. Not so with this blend. Friars is not that heavy in nicotine and is light on the palette. It makes for a great all day smoke, if it doesn't get to sweet for you. Pound after pound, this never lets me down.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flaminbill' (57)	2007-07-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I have to agree with Moe on this blend. It is simply a great blend. It is also a great value. It is a shame that some knuckleheads have to post "edited" reviews that bring the rating of this blend down below what it richly deserves.

Just enough Perique for a fair nosebite and just enough brown burley to keep the virginias from biting. This is a a very well balanced blend

This is one of my favorite C&D tobaccos. I used it to break in a "new" 30 year old Castello KKKK and it was excellent. It really shines in a CAO Meerschaum as well.

It is an all day smoke if one is so inclined and it has just enough tin moisture to last for months from a 8 Oz. tin.

Yes, there are other good tobaccos besides Christmas Cheer 2005 and 2006

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-04-15		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

The description says simply "A combination of Virginia ribbon, Brown Virginia burley and Perique." It is my understanding that this blend was created with the legendary "Three Nuns" in mind.

Pouch aroma: Grassy, nutty scent that is more akin to peanuts than cashew or walnut.

Composition: Mostly light brown and blonde (nearly white) flecks of short-cut ribbon. There only seems to be a 5-10% composition of dark ribbon, which I will attribute to the perique.

Taste: I chose an Ashton XX-sized prince that has only seen VA/Perique as the initial bowl. Flame hits weed and my pallette is very happy. Vegetal sweetness from the VA's are the first taste, the perique does not really announce itself, but it would be apparent if this condiment was missing. I can not help myself but to compare it to the best bowls of Three Nuns that I have experienced. There is little if any bite from this blend, the moisture content is spot on. After the Virginia sweetness subsides, a rich, cigar-like body tickles the nose and begs to be rolled about on your tongue. The Virginia's were complex and sweet, it was only towards the end of the bowl did some considerable strength build up that forced me to slow down. For some people, this gathering of strength is the best part. :) The finish was clean with no gurgling and a fine, fluffy ash is the end result.

I do not care for a large portion of perique (but many of C&D's blends cater to those who differ from my preference), but the balance in this blend is just right. Given that most C&D blends are created "on the spot" I can not wait to see how this tobacco improves with some age to it. Whether or not this blend compares to Three Nuns is irrelevant, it stands well on its' own as a fine Virginia-Perique blend.

A solid nine out of ten stars for this masterpiece.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (107)	2022-03-05		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this on a whim thinking it would be good, as it is in my general wheelhouse.

Fairly dry when I got it. A mixture of little bits of dark brown and black. Some fine cut ribbon of lighter shades of brown and a small amount of well rubbed flakes.

It chars and lights pretty easily. Smokes well and is fairly easy to keep lit. It’s sweet to me, and has a little zip from the perique. The burley gives it some body, and I’m not sure what the flake bits are doing.

Overall, I like it. Has a nice sweetness, and a bit of the bread character I enjoy. The perique is present and more of a evenly laid addition than a main feature. Has a good strong flavor, with a intense retrohale. Has a tendency to be a bit bitey for me in the first third of the bowl. And I’ve tried it in several different shapes and sizes. If it didn’t do that, I could smoke this all day.

Pipe Used: A bunch

Age When Smoked: Fresh bulk

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: C&D exclusive. C&D poplar camp.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Singularis (18)	2019-11-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Been three months since my last review, so here goes.

I got Three Friars because the name intrigued me, and I heard about the Three Nuns comparison. As others have stated here: no idea why this comparison was made, because it is really quite different from that respected blend. But that's not to knock Three Friars one bit!

I've smoked this fresh, and aged about two weeks in the jar. First thing to note is the bag/tin note: kind of reminds me a bit of a barnyard -- mostly hay and funk -- probably from the quality VAs -- even reminding of a ripe cheese. (In this way, I'm very much reminded of C&D's excellent Habana Daydream.)

When smoking, that barnyard funk comes through as cream and butter, almost like it is lightly cased, which I don't believe was done. So there must be some quality in those VAs! The burley isn't as noticeable, but probably holds this blend down to the earth quite a bit. The perique, on the other hand, isn't particularly noticeable. Maybe it is supporting that creaminess? I mean, there is a little spice, I suppose; it also may be adding to the room note that DOES recall Three Nun's boldness, but only a little.

In summary, I'm a huge fan. I could see cellaring a good quarter or half pound of this. But fresh-out-the-bag, it's a quality, no nonsense, smooth and buttery smoke, and likely repeatable. Three and half stars.

Pipe Used: Basic straight apple briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Habana Daydream, Peter Stokkebye - Black Coffee.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2017-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Va/Bur/Per -- blends made from Burley, Perique and Virginias -- blends may be trending, but finding the perfect balance proves elusive. "Three Friars" attempts to replicate the original "Three Nuns," using Burley, Bright Virginias with some red Virginia, and a moderate amount of Perique. The result tastes at first like a rich nougat as the bright and red Virginias meld, then as they caramelize, brings in the slightly sweet-sour tang of the Perique and then warms it with the broad taste of Burley. The result is a flavorful smoke where the second half of the bowl is the superstar as flavors fully converge. While I miss the little round coins of "Three Nuns," this is probably a better substitute for those who simply want a plain, solid, and balanced Va/Bur/Per.

Similar Blends: Savinelli - Doblone d'Oro, Dunhill - De Luxe Navy Rolls, Mac Baren - Three Nuns.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a blend that not only could I smoke all day but I find myself wanting to smoke all day. It's medium strength, well balanced, and very flavorful. The burley is toasty and nutty with fresh baked bread notes. The Virginia is earthy and grassy. And finally the Perique is fruity with some spice/pepper. It isn't a very complex blend but it never gets boring throughout the day. The DGT is great, no loss of flavor.

Two side notes: the tin aroma is pretty rancid. Sour and fermented smelling. But this is no indication of the taste. Also; this blend ages wonderfully. I recently opened a tin from 2007. The blend is visibly darker. Much more sugar with fruit, black pepper, and tea flavors.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Black Sheep (25)	2014-08-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a good relaxing smoke. My one complaint is that it often burns poorly and requires frequent relights (I am not used to this problem, so perhaps I get disproportionately annoyed when I cannot keep a bowl lit). I am too young to have appreciated the original Three Nuns; however, this tobacco, when judged on its own merits, is worth buying.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: New, Bulk

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-11-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is the Virginia-laden brother to Haunted Bookshop and Old Joe Krantz, in my opinion. The Virginia is at the front in this blend, whereas it is in the background of the aforementioned blends. Not at all unpleasant, assuming you enjoy Virginias. The perique and burleys barely take the stage here, and when they do, they serve to round out what is otherwise a straightforward and fairly linear smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Slow Triathlete (62)	2008-11-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I will keep this short since so many others have reviewed this blend. As a lover of VaPers I have to say that I feel the Burley addition to this blend ruins it. It drowns out the sweetness of the Virginias and also the spiciness of the Perique. It turns it into a bland blend. No surprises here.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2008-07-31		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Thanks to Laudante, my fellow reviewer and friend, I managed to get an 8 Oz. tin of Three Friars (among other smokeable goodies). So far, I?ve smoked around five bowls, and I certainly intend to smoke much more!

Maybe I should start by stating the obvious: this is an excellent tobacco. In fact, I find it scrumptious. It has all the piquant-sour-sweetness of most Virginia/Perique blends, plus the added Burley that provides temperance to the fiery nature of the other two components, as well as an earthy smoothness to the whole construction, rounding up its flavour nicely.

I was surprised to find the blend rather moist (which, in my experience, is unusual for a C&D tobacco), but that didn?t interfere with its excellent slow burning rate, nor did I find it difficult to light and keep lit. By no means a cool smoke, it never really got uncomfortably hot, nor did it bite.

Medium strength, with quite some nicotine, the different layers of flavour gradually developed throughout a smoke that was never boring, nor overwhelming. Though pretty well balanced, I ?m under the impression that the Perique is more pronounced than the Virginias or the Burley.

As to the inevitable comparison to its female counterpart (the bygone Three Nuns, as spun and blended by Bell?s, which I did manage to smoke in the late 70?s and early 80?s), I find there are more differences than similarities.

True, the Virginia-Perique relation is common to both. Then again, the Nuns never invited King Burley to their sorority, nor did they allow themselves, as befits their religiousness, to be rubbed up to the point of becoming ?lose?. In this context, it?s not only the Burley leaf what gives Three Friars its ?manliness?, but also a more abundant and stronger variety of Perique, and the general flavour of the blend seems to me stouter, with a density and depth that I never really found in the Nuns (as good as it used to be). It is also a more pungent blend than the Nuns!

In my opinion, this blend shares the same flavour-region as the Nuns and Escudo. It is definitely not as sweet and ?juicy? as Dorchester or Astley?s Nº2, and though slightly less powerful than Escudo, it seems to me closer to the latter than to the Nuns. If you enjoy Virginia/Perique blends, this is a must.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Blue Jazzman (73)	2007-09-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Nice play between the tobacco's in this one. For my taste buds mostly good quality Burley. Packs a decent nicotine punch. Burns well, didn't bite (and I can puff like a freight train sometimes)and was basically a cool smoke. Picks up some strength about one third into the bowl and finishes fairly strong but pleasing to the palate. For quality leaf at a fair price you just can't beat C&D.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2005-08-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't have any problem with this. It's a good smoke..you can taste the Perique, and it billows with great fun. My only concern is that--to me--it tastes exactly like 067 Bayou Morning, also by C&D. If I were given a blind taste test, I would be unable to tell the difference.

The site that I bought this from described it as a Three Nuns clone; although this is a ribbon cut, unlike Three Nuns, which I believe is curly cut.

I can't compare the two regarding taste, as I have had a hard time coming across Three Nuns in Southern California..but I would definitely recommend it as a good, solid Vaper. Just a step below Escudo's in my opinion--in preference, not similarity.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-09-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

No, in spite of the name it's not a 3 Nuns clone... but it's great stuff in its own respect! I have never seen such a bright, lemon-colored Virginia: it's like hay, but even lighter in color! I'm usually not a fan of lemony bright Virginias (I prefer the sweeter red variety), but this is as good as they can get: lively, spicy, lemony, with just a nice touch of sugariness. I guess that the burley provides some extra body which is usually absent from most of VA+Perique mixtures: it's not clearly noticeable, but it's there. The taste stays consistent, like lemonade, until the bottom of the bowl even if you puff too fast, and never grows tiresome. Just be careful not to press the tobacco too much when packing, because the long ribbon cut can clog the airhole spoiling the experience and causing tonguebite.

It's actually VERY similar to Straford (no surprise, considering the friendship between Greg Pease and Craig Tarler), but I think that Three Friars is the best of the two: tastier, more consistent and cheaper!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aadelma (67)	2022-06-27		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

When under a few years old, I found the perique and it's nicotine level overwhelming. I bought it in bulk, so maybe the perique jar fell into my batch. On the positive side, it doesn't bite. After 10 years at the back of my shelf, I now find the nicotine level moderate and the perique is much more subdued. I may pick up a tin when my bulk runs out to see if I got a bad batch, as I do like the constituent tobaccos when I can taste them. It tastes nothing like the old Three Nuns.

Age When Smoked: 0-10 years

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2021-04-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Like many I originally bought this blend in a search for an older Three Nuns match. Not knowing what the original was like, this is markedly different from the current iterations of the Three Nuns line. That's not a bad thing, but I want to warn you to try this based on the description instead of what it's trying to imitate.

This blend comes in a tin or in bulk. I bought the bulk version and promptly jarred it up. My sample has lasted me quite a while, at least a year. It comes in a ribbon cut with some broken flakes here and there. The color is mostly light yellows with a little bit of brown and black. The tin note smells of hay, barnyard, nuts, musty fruit and cocoa. It loads well, and is at a good moisture to light. It holds a flame well, and burns a little fast and hot.

When you light up and get past the charing light a lot of flavor comes up. It tastes nothing like what it smells. The Virginias are bready, grassy, and citrusy. A very typical C&D Burley is present; robust, nutty, oaty, earthy with light chocolate. To me the Perique tastes more fruity than it does spicy. Now as I always say when something that has a lot of Burley: slow smoking will yield the best experience. The virginia content in this blend makes it want to smoke really fast. I actually had to smoke it in a cob when I first bought it, because I kept making my briars too hot.

The taste is a medium. It's a typical sort of smoke. The strength is likewise a medium. Even with the amount of Burley in the blend, this smokes without holding you in your chair. I mostly smoke this when I am working in the yard and in the garage. It doesn't need a lot of attention and gives a good taste.

Pipe Used: Peterson St Patty's Day 2021

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CR (30)	2020-07-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Having never tried any iteration of Three Nuns, consider this a purely unbiased review of Three Friars.

There is a great deal of veiled complexity present in this blend. It’s pretty mild for a C&D blend, but fairly stout otherwise. It doesn’t bite, at least not MY tongue, and it burns as clean as anyone could ask for. The base is a delicious Bright Virginia ribbon cluttered with withered balls of a strong Perique - it could even pass for a VaPer at times. The blend itself is not entirely ribbon-cut, there is a significant portion of “broken” (some even partially intact and whole) flakes mingled in the mix. It might be raw, but it’s packed with flavors. I’m finishing up a pound right now that I bought at the beginning of this year, in my Brigham 116 with a new filter, and the first half of this bowl tasted just like milk chocolate - that similitude has only just stuck me. I would have said it tasted like musky lemonade or sourdough bread last week.

I believe the review I published on the vendor’s site wasn’t entirely accurate regarding the flake in this blend - it is a Brown Virginia after all (and quite similar to Newminster no. 400.) Since I had yet to try that variety of Virginia when I wrote said review, I could only guess the flake was a white Burley that had assimilated a Virginia tang. Otherwise, I can’t taste any Burley in Three Friars - it’s totally overpowered by the Perique (as even the familiar chocolaty taste I just encountered had the fermented musk of Perique.) Granted, the Perique in my batch was covered in bloom, and quite strong. In fact, it drove my sinuses crazy and occasionally caused me headaches. But that didn’t stop me from smoking it all (haha). I’ll have to edit this review, my 2 year old won’t let me finish it, but suffice to say this is also good DGT tobacco - and one I will be ordering again for sure.

Pipe Used: Various Briars, Cobs, Clay

Age When Smoked: New/ 6 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2019-03-18		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I know the name is a play off of Three Nuns, but I can see no resemblance to the new and have never tried the old...but for whatever reason this reminds me more of Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture than anything else (even with a healthy dose of Burley in it). This is a nice VA/Bur with just a hint of perique (all my palate can pick up). A faint sweetness from the Virginia's provides a nice backdrop for the earthy and grassy flavors from the VA's and the woody and slightly nutty (think Brazil nuts). After the half way point there are some toasty notes and I get a unique spicy favor, like a hint of white pepper and all spice. The perique is more of a feeling than a flavor in this blend for me, but I am sure it accounts for the peppery favors toward the 2nd half. Very nice, simple smoke that goes well with morning coffee.

Pipe Used: Briar’s and cob’s

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carl VDW (1)	2018-12-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

This is my first review of a tobacco on this site, I apologize that I don't have the gift of words as others do.

A previous reviewer had stated something to the effect that he had rarely smoked a more changeling blend bowl to bowl as this one, I think that is why I really enjoy Three Friars. This blend is most definitely Virginia-forward, I can barely detect the burley, which I believe unobtrusively gives the blend some nice body. As to the changeling aspect, sometimes there is a heavy, spicy presence of the Perique, sometimes a subdued, yet sultry sweetness that really appeals to my palate. The Virginias always shine through in this one, I highly recommend it to any Virginia and/or VaPer lovers. This is the only blend I purchase by the pound, love it!

Pipe Used: Brigham Voyageur

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: 4noggins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OkieSmokie (20)	2018-03-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

So full disclosure, the C.S. Lewis fan boy in me made this purchase after reading that this was supposedly a copy of the original Three Nuns that he smoked. I've since read several reviews that indicate it's not even close. That being said, this is a really good smoke. The perique has a spiciness that doesn't overwhelm things and burley gives hints of fruit and grass. The both come to play at different points but neither pushes the other too the side. It lights and stays lit pretty easily and the room note is tolerable. It's mild enough that I could see it being an all day smoke.

Pipe Used: Forecaster Billiard

Age When Smoked: 10 months

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-03-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Medium brown, fairly uniform in color, ribbon cut. As is usual for C&D bulks, it is a bit on the dry side, ready to smoke. The tin note (or, rather, jar note, as it is bulk) is sweet and fruity.

The virginias seem to be the star of the show here. Grass/hay/straw and a bit sweet. Perique is obvious, sort of a fruity spice, but is well proportioned and balanced by the Virginias. There is a bit of burley. The burley doesn't jump out at me. I know it's there; when I pay attention, I certainly pick up that subtle dry nuttiness. But the burley isn't the star. It is there supporting the other components, though, adding a bit of oomph.

I can't compare it to the original Three Nuns. And I doubt anyone else can either LOL. That doesn't matter, though, because you shouldn't try. Three Friars is a great blend on its own.

Age When Smoked: 3 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2017-03-13		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a blend that just seemed pretty average to me. The perique was a little forward with its pepper and plum notes, the VA's hay like a little citrus here and there some notes of toasted grain. The burley had some depth a little nutty and woodsy at times. I think there is a slight top note of something to sweeten the blend a little. At times this sweetness combines with the toasted grain note of the VA's and the closest thing that it reminds me of is Cheerios that have sugar added to them, so much that the sugar has pooled at the bottom of the bowl and when you scoop some up you can see sugar on the tip of the spoon. The sweetness does linger on my lips for a while after the bowl is done. Not a bad blend just nothing that really stands out to me as needing to be repeated. Your mileage may vary.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-03-01		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is C&D take on 3 nuns. I never smoked the original, so I can't compare the two. It is very mild. You can smoke it all day. Burns well, easy to light. So why only two stars? Because there are better tasting options out there.

Pipe Used: Cob Peterson

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: 3 nuns I guess.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2015-01-04		Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a really nice VaPer with some burley to give it a kick. I struggle between 2 and 3 three stars on this one. I would give 2 out of three. It burns nice, is not too hot and has a great nic level. I'll go with three. BTW the room note got an approval from the girlfriend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Right Reverend (36)	2014-10-17		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This will be short. Nothing against the tobak but I was confirmed in my dislike for perique. If you want the short on burning, room note, taste, etc... This is like a spicy version of Carter Hall. Carter Hall is my daily and a favorite so that is a good thing, spicy not so much my thing. Worth a try if you want a good quality OTC type burley with perique. Did not notice the Virginias much.

Pipe Used: Legend Corncob

Age When Smoked: New bulk

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-09-25		Extremely Strong	Extremely Mild	Overwhelming	Strong

I wanted to like this tobacco, but just didn't. I found it dry, characterless, and as though I was smoking second-hand ash. I finally tried cutting it with approximately 1/3 black Cavendish and found it wonderful, however. If anyone can recommend this type of blend off the shelf without my mixing it, that would be great.

Not necessarily faulting Cornell and Diehl on this one, but I do have to wonder why on earth they need so many blends. It just becomes confusing and a turn-off after, say, 30-50 blends. What's the point to confusing the consumer to this extent? Focus on quality, especially if I received a potential bad batch?

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-08-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Nutty, slightly sweet, medium/strong "N". However, best smoked at a sip where it's hard to keep lit, otherwise gets spicy hot. Very one dimensional, would love this as an all day smoke if only it didn't need so much attention. May be better as a blender.

Updated 1/12/2012- After some aging and drying the problems with keeping this lit has been solved, I acually like this as a change of pace, much smoother than OJK in the straight VaPerBur's, 4 Noggins "Weybridge" is more interesting with a little whiskey topping . Good "on the go" blend

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-08-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Smoking a bowl of this right now as I type. Very spicy on the palate and in the nose. Not tongue bite, but spice. The room note is pleasant, but seems a bit "dry". Lighting and packing took a few rounds, due to the springiness of this type of cut, but once the fire was established, it has been maintenance free. Ash appears to be fluffy and gray, a good sign it is clean underneath. No dampness in the bottom of the bowl.

I do not see this being an all day blend, I think that spice could hold this down to a few bowls a week.

Pairing it with a Kenya AA coffee right now.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-04-04		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I tried this blend because it was in a sample I received in a box pass. The blend is mostly tan leafs with a few mocha looking brown leafs mixed in. The slightly sweet and somewhat tangy blend is exactly what you would expect out of a VaPer blend. The creamy Virginia tobacco is decadent and smokes very cool with the help of the burly. The Perique is minimal but seems to add just enough tang and sourness to make thing interesting. This is a no fuss blend that really compliments reading or any other activity that requires attention. This VaPer will not bite you if you get carried away!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaybee (77)	2007-12-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very good offering for everyday smokers of Va/per. As other C&D blends it comes a little dry, but I find that it smokes just as well dry, as hydrated. It has an interesting taste as the perique weaves in and out of the smoking experience and becomes significantly more noticeable at the bottom of the bowl. This one doesn't knock your socks off, but it is an excellent and relatively inexpensive choice for the dedicated Va/per smoker

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-11-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

yes yes, I am in line with most reviews here, except I never tried Three Nuns and probably won't. This is somewhere in between Night Train and Old Joe Krantz for me, all three containing varying degrees of Virginias, Burleys, and Perique. This one, a little heavier on the Virginias than OJK but with less Perique than the Night Train, is really pretty excellent in my opinion. Easy to load, smoke, and without the more bitter flavors of the OJK which I love as well, with just a small amount of Perique for interest. Hey, it holds my attention. I think I might get some more, but there are so many other C&D blends I should probably try. I'm sure my favorite is still to come, and if not, I'll just come back to one of them that is as close as it gets for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2007-10-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very smooth, tangy, and satisfying blend. I didn't taste much in the way of perique, but the Va and burley were excellent. It burned well and it didn't seem to bite as long as it was smoked slowly. It's not something I think I'll buy again, but not because there's anything wrong with it. It struck me as being a nice blend, just not spectacular.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moe (46)	2007-07-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great tobacco in my view. It has enough nicotine to satisfy the nic addicts, and not overpowering to the lightweights. It doesnt burn the tongue, and can be smoked all day (i do). It has a little perique spice, and quality burley.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-05-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ahhhh...One of my favorites. This is one of my desert island blends. Morning with coffee, Lunch, After work...Anytime!!!! Virginia, Brown burley- They make a Wonderful nutty sweet base- Then the perique comes if for some spice. Not too much, But enough to offset the other two. From start to finish, Its the same. It may smooth out toward the bottom- But the taste is GREAT!!!, Nicotine is there, but not overpowering. If its too dry, I throw a humidor disk in a sealed container. The virginias blossom at the right humidity. If it seems a little bitter, add some moisture, and it goes away. Try it- you'll love it!!!!! According to Mr. Tarler- This is not a clone of three nuns. Being catholic, I'd rather not smoke a nun anyway..:)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2001-10-01		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant

Three Friars has been one of my occasional smokes for over a year now. It's a very blonde-looking blend, with alternate bright and dark ribbons and the occasional broken flake, and smells spicy sweet with a slight candied overtone. Perique clearly asserts its presence in the tin aroma. It packs and lights easily, and like most C&D blends, smokes consistently.

Upon first light, the immediate impression is one of bright spiciness; there is a peppery quality that tickles the nose and the tip of the tongue, and a slight lingering sweetness. This sweetness soon burns off, leaving a medium-bodied flavor of Virginia acutely punctuated with perique. Three Friars smokes consistently from this point, finishing cleanly and leaving a slightly coarse salt-and-pepper ash.

It is, in fact, this stalwart consistency that bothers me most. C&D blends tend towards this; there is little development after the first half of the bowl, and as a result Three Friars has something of an impoverished finish, though it isn't completely unsatisfying. Overall, Three Friars is a pleasant occasional smoke that might improve substantially with age.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	neuron_md (37)	2021-06-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a delicious tobacco, and I’ve always liked it, both fresh and aged . I smoked it back to back with a 2005 vintage (aged) Three Nuns once, and I found this more interesting, with layers upon layers of flavor. It’s nothing like the Nuns.

There is sweetness and grassiness from the Virginias, nuttiness from the Burleys and a dry spiciness from the Perique. Its flavor profile is like that of a Vaper, but with the depth of burley; a Vaper-Bur, if you will.

The Virginia is the main player here and the other two sing in the background.

It is a very satisfying smoke. Nicotine strength is very high for me.

I will try some of the fresh Nuns currently in production to compare and make a judgment again.

But the friars are highly recommended, and come with my blessing ! :-)

Pipe Used: Vauen, & various other non-filter pipes

Age When Smoked: 15 years

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2020-05-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bulk version that I had to rehydrate with some ribbon cut but mostly a fine cut tobacco. A very nice smell of musty tobacco and nuts and has some yellow but mostly golden and brown strands. It's nothing like Three Nuns.

The tobacco starts with some tanginess and prune flavors then develops into a peppery nuttiness with hay and woody accents. It's a smooth smoke unless smoked fast, then it becomes a bit rough and the three tobaccos stop working together. It has a pleasant aftertaste and could become an all day smoke.

Three Friars is a good tobacco for Va/Per or Burley smokers who respectively what a change of pace, 3 stars.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2019-09-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Three Pleasant Friars

This Va/Bur/Per is quite similar to Haunted Bookshop in terms of components and flavor profile. However, C&D traded a bit of the burley in HB for more red Virginia. This change really enhances Three Friars. The Virginias are sweet and earthy with a slight grassy-crispness—all of which are much more evident throughout the smoke. The burley adds a bit of nuttiness and a wisp of sharpness. The fermented spiciness of the perique is noticeable at all times, but to a lesser degree than what is in HB. This might be the cause of having less of the condiment leaf or in how it interacts with the abundance of Virginia leaf.

Overall, I prefer Three Friars over Haunted Bookshop in that TF smokes a little sweeter and smoother, though neither blend quite hits the mark of perfection. That said, I still might pick up a pound for the cellar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WolfmanSam (37)	2018-09-04		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review is based on a one ounce sample purchased in May, 2018. Upon lighting, I sense grass, hay, wood, nuts and something almost plum-like. It’s predominantly spicy, and occasionally sweet. I smoked TF in various briars and cobs. It always burned hot. I tried spacing my puffs, then letting the pipe rest for a few minutes, but nothing helped. I then set it aside for three months. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice any difference. It’s slightly less than medium in body. The nicotine level is barely mild. I do not like to give up on tobaccos, but I tossed the remainder.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RedGreenDevon (4)	2015-08-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A thick, slightly irregular cut. Packs and smokes effortlessly.

Lights easily, smokes slow and cool, without re-lights.

A long, relaxed smoke, which is no-fuss.

I find Three Friars to be a very enjoyable smoke. A pleasantly nutty, earthy smoke. Sufficiently spicey to retain interest in a large pipe, but never becoming too strong or peppery. Not a perique bomb by any means. But perique lovers shouldn't be disappointed by this offering.

I have never smoked Three Nuns, in any of its iterations. All I know is, if you are looking for a blend of Virginia, Burley and Perique, you won't find many to better this.

The perique doesn't present itself as overly peppery, more of the figgy prune profile. The constituent tobaccos are well integrated, and remain consistent team players throughout the bowl. A thick chewy mouthfeel that never becomes cloying or overbearing.

Has quickly made it into my daily routine, usually of an evening if watching TV or reading.

A new favourite. Honest, reliable, damned tasty.

Pipe Used: Dedicated Knute & Nording Freehands to this

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	noquarter (23)	2015-07-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A staple of mine which I usually enjoy before bed time. I find it best in a wide bowled shallow briar. I also smoke this blend on my latakia dedicated pipes for a little subtle ghost that I enjoy. I find that a good charring light and an even burn is key to this blend. Failure to do so will give a bitter last third of the bowl.

Pipe Used: Various briars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2012-06-11		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

A pleasant, well-rounded smoke with mild-tasting virginias in the forefront. Even sipping slowly in a tall bowl, it does burn a little on the fast side. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is no.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This as good as a blend can get IMO. Perfect strength. Excellent burning properties. Wonderful taste from start to finish. Seems like it gets better over time. Cellar some away for 6 to 12 months and what you got is nothing short of magical. Can't say enough about C&D. The best tobacco people in the world.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	colt25314 (42)	2009-04-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is billed as being similar to the now long gone but not forgotten Bell's Three Nuns. The only similarity here is the "Three" in the name. I smoked the original Three Nuns for years and Three Friars is no Three Nuns. At first I was very disapointed. Once I got over the fact that there will never be another Three Nuns and gave Three Friars a fair shake, I found it to be a very good VA Burley blend. This is recomended as a clean refreshing smoke. It is NOT anything like Three Nuns. If you like the taste of this tobacco but want a lttle more flavor (natural not cased), try G.L. Pease Cumberland as I find them quite similar. Three Friars could be considered a Cumberland light.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-03-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Three Friars.22/03/07. I like Three Friars,it's nothing like Bell's,Original,Three Nun's.And definitely nothing like my other true love blend,Escudo Navy De Luxe. But,let's be very fair here with Three Friars.It light's up very easy,taste's good and smoke's extremely well.It doesn't bite and show's no sign of bitterness and leaves a reasonably dry grey ash."YES" I enjoyed it,even if it is different. In it's own right. "Highly recommended"

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-03-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Naturally sweet and nutty with just a hint of spice best describes Three Friars. An aesthetically pleasing mixture consisting of light golden, cocoa brown and black leaf. The Light Virginia is naturally sweet and creamy to my palate. The brown Virginia Burley has a subtle nuttiness providing body and the Perique compliments both adding a perfect richness of aroma and flavor. The cut affords easy loading and cool burning down to a dry clean ash. Nice nicotine content as well, but never overwhelming. A very consistent mixture that requires very little attention to satisfy. This is a great candidate for an all day smoke that never bores the palate.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-02-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is another fine "English Type" blend from C&D. The combination of the VA, Burley & Perique provides very pleasant,but not overpowering flavor. The VA is naturally sweet, the burley is nut like, and the perique provides enought spice to compliment the sweetness of the VA.

The ribbon cut provides easy loading and cool burning. Burns very cool and down to a fine ash. No tongue bit at all. The price is very economical, especially from Smoking Pipes.

Hight Recommended

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-01-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I agree with Pipestud on this one. I'll add that I find it similar to Briar Fox in the Virginia department. (Big Surprise) And, at half the price, 3 Friar's perique isn't the only thing that tickles.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-09-20		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have been told that this is supposed to be similar to the original Three Nuns. Well, if so I now know why everyone loved the original. This is wonderful stuff! As usual, C&D only uses the best quality leaf, so I was immediately impressed with this when I recieved a generous sample along with a recent order I placed with C&D. I have been smoking this out of a vintage Churchwarden, and I cannot say enough good things about this blend. In my opinion, it is rich and mild all at the same time. A wonderful flavor, no tonguebite, burns very cool all the way down the bowl. Not too strong in the Nicotine Department IMHO, either.Very pleasant room note...My partner says it smells like burning leaves in the room. Anyone wanting a smooth, relaxing smoke, this tobacco is the one. I will be ordering an 8 ounce tin with my next order. HIGHLY recommended!!! It is a shame I cannot give this a 5 star rating!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-08-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a lovely tobacco. The Virginias are naturally sweet, creamy, thick, and lucious. The Perrique is not overpowering, and in fact adds just enough of a spice to the sweetness to make it a complex and medium-bodied flavor. In the jar, there is a distinct Raisin Bran smell, which you cannot taste when smoking. The taste when smoking is sweet, honey, nicotine, with just the slightest hint of a flavor that I cannot describe, but that I compare to the flavor of Early Morning Pipe. The overall impression is luxury, smoothness, calm, sweetness, and relaxation. I would recommend this tobacco after dinner, before bed (I am about to go smoke a bowl of it then go to bed!), or anytime that you want to relax. But don't get me wrong: it is medium-bodied and not overly mild! There is enough body and flavor to enjoy and to seek out the various components of the complexity, but not an extremely powerful, English- or Perrique- like boldness that is good for other purposes. Overall, I think every pipe smoker should try this. It has just enough natural sweetness to appeal to aromatic smokers, yet enough body, complexity, seriousness, and quality to please burley smokers like me. Try it! You will not be disappointed! And Cornell & Diehl's prices are very, very good. It was less than ten dollars for an 8oz jar, which is alot of tobacco!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-01-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have heard it said more than once that Three Friars is a replacement for Three Nuns. I don't see how anyone can think this. While both blends contain Va and Perique, that's where the similarity ends. Friars has Burley, and is therefore a completely different blend. Three Friars is a good enough blend to stand on its own, it doesn't need some contrived connection to a legendary blend to make it work.

The mixture is very well balanced, the Va's delicate sweetness is nicely offset by the Burley, while being supported by the Perique.

If you like Perique, but don't like it when the Louisiana leasf steals the show, this could be for you.

Another fine effort from C&D.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2004-12-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a light ribbon type tobacco that is a bit on the moist side for proper smoking. I have not been overly impressed thus far so I may follow Paddy's advice and try some forced aging. I didn't find it especially strong either as some reviewers have noted. I will update this review after the experiment is completed.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-10-19		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I like this tobacco a lot. It is a lightly sweetened Virginia/burly with a nice touch of Perique. I do not get a distinctive burly taste from this tobacco. This is especially good on the front end as you initially taste the smoke, lightly sweet tobacco and tangy. Smooth with no bite. This tobacco burns nice and slow. The only negative is that for me it is a bit bitter in the aftertaste which is not a problem with a lot of tobaccos, but with this tobacco it does not seem to harmonize with the initial front end taste. This aspect of the smoke is a bit distracting, but not, I think, a serious impediment to enjoying it. A cup of coffee at hand complements the bitterness and refreshes the palate for another sip of smoke from this fine tobacco. Highly recommended. Paddy. __________________________________________________ 10/18/03 I have been a bit too harsh on this tobacco. With aging this tobacco becomes exquisitely tasty. Place it in a sealed jar in a sunny window and let the tobaccos marry. C&D Perique/Va. par excellance, except for, perhaps, Bayou Morning.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-07-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Don't look for a Three Nuns clone here. This is very tasty stuff, with satisfying strength without being overpowering. The flavor is solidly in the middle range, with a decent amount of bottom range activity. Not especially complex, but delightful in its straightfowardness.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-03-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

3 Friars is a neat looking tobacco, lots of light colored leaf mixed with cocoa brown and black. The tobacco fills the pipe easily, small bowls may have a harder time with the wide ribbons but it will work. Easy to light, and easy to keep lite. It tingles your tongue at first, and you think oh boy hold on. But all of sudden you get a sweet and pleasent taste and the pepper stands back and almost goes away. Then mid bowl it comes back and mingles with the sweetness which I really liked. You get plenty of smoke to watch curl away and give you that satisfying feeling. Smokes right down to the bottom of the bowl, and leaves a nice dry ash. I have decided to add this one to my regular smoke list and will see how it ages with time. Its going to be a good every day smoke. No Buzz either, just enough of nic to soften your day without putting you away.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cherry picker 1779 (53)	2023-01-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

Three friars has a tin aroma of earth and mustiness and smells very natural and very typical for C&D. So basically not a very pleasant tin aroma. But the smoke is pretty good. The cut has broken flake pieces large cigar leaf looking pieces and bright and dark tobaccos. It’s got a little of everything here. Smoking it now , I get about medium all around smoke in body , taste and strength. It’s not very sweet, however it has a brightness about it. Seems very well balanced. I will compare this to other Cornell and diehl offerings as the classic c&d flavors of their burley, bright Virginia and perique are present. Also I’d say that it’s lighter than haunted book shop and doesn’t even come close to old joe krantz or the burley flakes in strength and flavor. It’s a very mild mixture compared to them. This one doesn’t have too much perique but it is definitely detectable. The burley subdues the Virginia quite a bit and it’s very pleasant and alternates between nutty burley and bright almost sweet Virginia. It’s very immature tobacco and almost has an acridness untill you let it sit for 6 months plus in a jar, but fresh it can be smoked very slowly and u can pick up the nuances. I would consider this a good place to start in the natural Cornell and diehl burley/ Virginia line. It lets you in the door to what they offer and will prepare you for bigger wild adventures like old joe krantz and the burley flake series. Nicotine is medium. It’s really not a light tobacco, but for a C&D it’s a lighter offering. I like it and for me it’s 3 stars however I’ll give it two stars because it’s recommended only if you know you like Cornell and diehl type tobacco - it’s unique and sort of an acquired taste kinda thing.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MrSips (1)	2022-11-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

After spending some time with Three Friars I have to say that I've really been enjoying it. I get the sweetness and some of the citrus of the Virginia's, the dark plum and spice if the perique and it's rounded out nicely by the earthy, nutty, woodyness of the burleys. It's got all the lovely notes I look for and has been a nice smoke . It's got plenty of nicotine, but it's still mellow enough to smoke multiple times throughout the day.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking pipes.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2022-05-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This blend strikes me as more of a VABur than a VAPer at times. The ounce I just burned through was fresh bulk. In looking at this blend, it seems to be mostly red Virginia and brown burley by volume. I would guess 5% Perique and 15% bright leaf by visual inspection. The pouch aroma has a sweet, fruity barnyard funk. There are some nice spicy notes of black pepper, cedar, and savory spice. Some delicious toasty notes appear mid bowl.

The Perique is less sweet/fruity and much more spice/umami. TF is on the lower end of medium to strong with regards to nicotine. The room note is similar to your average American cigarette. Quite unfortunately this was another C&D blend wherein the VA leaf had a rough mouthfeel that lead to some tongue fatigue. I should be careful to mention that this blend did not bite. TF is by no means a bad blend, but it is not for me.

Pipe Used: Numerous briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh bulk

Purchased From: SP

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-11-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I would echo the sentiment of MysticRune...'Naturally sweet and nutty with...[an indistinguishable] hint of spice best describes Three Friars.'

In my 4oz offering, I too have an aesthetically pleasing mixture consisting of light golden and cocoa brown...but, no ‘black leaf' that he mentions.

The processing involved in order to make Perique creates a black tobacco...and...I have no black leaf in my mixture...none. So it makes some sense, that I, like DoctorThoss, ‘...didn't taste much in the way of [P]erique.' Nonetheless...I, like the Dr., found Three Friars to be naturally sweet and creamy to my palate as well.

Highly recommended.

A companion infusion: as with other Virginia/Burley blends...a couple of pints of Newcastle Brown Ale.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-10-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Not being a fan of C & D, I went into this by the legend of Three Nuns and the great price. This is really a bargain at twice the price and should be tried. All flavors are mild, nothing stands out or dominates, the last 3/3 of the bowl become very ashy and ciggarette like so I usually stop on the 2/3rds. But initial flavors are quality and perfect for an all day smoke that wont BBQ your mouth.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-11-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

If you like straight-up tobacco with in-your-face perique, like me, then this is a great tobacco for you. The blend reminds me of GL Pease's Tribute somewhat; a no nonsense perique sensation. Flavors like fresh bread, pepper, mild cashews, hints of citrus. Good stuff, especially in a cob whilst working in the sun. I don't find it tastes the same as Bayou Morning which has a bit of a sharper and earthier flavor. However, similar tobaccos include Stratford, Tribute, Cumberland, Yorktown, and AJ's Vaper.

aj

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-04-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Three Friars does seem to bear a similarity to Bayou Morning, but the addition of burley adds complexity without flavor confusion. It still has a flavor primarily of Virginia, less sweet, not as fruity. It also smokes a bit damp, but that may improve if dried a bit; my sample was quite moist for a C&D tobacco.

The problem I have with these C&D blends and the slight variations among them, is that none seem to stand out as 4-star hits. They compete among themselves. With that in mind, I would enthusiastically give Three Friars three stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-01-22		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Nice stuff!! I give it 4 stars First third was ok, had a little warm up. I noticed not much sweetness or tongue bite. The taste was a little sweet but nothing spectacular. Second third: Taste came in very well, one pipe cleaner was necessary, no re-lights and not much nicotine hit. Really nice flavor, a little sweet, the room note was VERY good, nutty almost. A little hint of spicy/tangy feeling in the roof of the mouth. Last third: Very spicy. This stuff was complex (noob speaking here) to me! I think this just might be the holy grail for me. No accounting for experience and taste but I really liked the finish. No second pipe cleaner necessary, a couple of relights and it really worked well down there at the bottom. The taste started to get "menthol-like" and I liked it. The room notes got more complex and it was very very nice.

Found very little grease at the bottom, nothing like most blends, less than some english I've had recently. No gurgle at all, a dry, warm smoke. Smoke generation throughout was very good.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-09-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

09/17/2004: A pleasant smoke with a solid nicotine hit. The flavors are subtle and best enjoyed slowly. The tobacco arrived a little on the dry side and needs a little aging, typical of C&D products. I don't find much similarity to Three Nuns, but nevertheless a quality blend.

The burley plays well with the sweeter Virginias and the perique effect is minimal, only providing a certain richness to the Virginias. The sweetness builds later in the bowl, but is never cloying.

04/29/2010: A buddy sent me a jar of Three Friars that is over 11 years old. The flavors jump out of the bowl and hit you over the head. Any subtlety I mentioned in 2004 is all gone. Uber-sweet, but the burley keeps it grounded and the perique gives it a strong, dried fruit flavor that is rich and delicious. What an experience. I don't remember doing anything good enough to deserve this. It's too good to keep to myself, so if a couple of you fellas want to come over one Saturday morning and have a couple of bowls and some coffee I'd be up for it. Atlanta, Georgia scfowler1958@yahoo.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-07-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Update 16/07/04 This has become one of my favorite blends. There is a consistency, comfort and warmth here that I haven't found in any other smoke. When I feel like something "homey" yet with some kick and personality, Three Friars is it.

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Having never tried Three Nuns, I can rate this tobacco without comparision.

So far I've discovered tastes reminiscient of toasted filberts, a vague sweetness, earthy grassiness, and of course the peppery nip of perique.

The smoke is generally smooth with a bit of heat/harshness only if you are very careless or allow excessive moisture to build in the stem.

The fullness and body provided by the Burley, the sweetness of the VA and very subtle topping (which I only think is sometimes there), balanced by Perique has made this blend creep towards the top end of my favorites. I've smoked quite a bit of Three Friars recently in various bowls - encountering a substantial variation in flavor and nuance. I never thought I'd get into burley heavy blends, but C+D does this well enough to warrant the niche they've carved out. I agree that this compliments Bayou Morning exceptionally well (with Three Friars being my evening/afternoon blend). These two blends could probably make up my Perique mainstay.

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