Any thoughts on the reintroduction of Capstan and Three nuns

[Dix Creek]

Have been thinking of ordering a few tins just wondering if anyone has tried any of them since Orlik took over. Appreciate any imput:?: 

 

[monbla256]

A couple of brothers have reviewed all three here recently. Ya might want to try the crazy search feature here to find their thoughts.

 

[Dix Creek]

obliged there tex

 

[Northern Neil]

I have a couple of the Capstan Blue tins in my cellar, just waiting to finish up some of my open tins before cracking into a new one.
The rumblings I have heard is that the Capstan's are really enjoyable and the Three Nuns is a toss up between people looking for the classis and people trying it for the first time.

 

[somedumbjerk]

never had the classic Three nuns, i like the remake enough. tastes like it needs some age to it, but it's very enjoyable. i also like the cocktail hour. it's description sounds like a goopy nasty aro, but it's quite good. similar in taste.

 

[JimInks]

Capstan Blue is like a less sweet, slightly earthier Dunhill Flake. Capstan Yellow is much like Dunhill Flake, except it's sweeter with a little less citrus taste.  Both burn well, rub out well. I prefer the former to the latter. The new Three Nuns is very good, even if it's not as good as the VaPer version. The Kentucky has some spice to it. I'm in the middle of reviewing these and 8 other MacBaren blends and in the next month or so, I'll post them. But these are my immediate thoughts. Hope that helps.

 

[skaukatt]

I smoked a tin of the new Capstan blue and absolutely loved it. I highly, highly recommend it. I picked up a few for the cellar. I have not tried the yellow tin which is a lighter flavored version of the blue tin. Some of my club brethren have tried the yellow tin and liked it.

I have never tried the original Three Nuns but I do like the new version. From what I have read and have been told, the lack of perique makes the new version not really a remake but a new and different blend altogether. I did purchase some Peter Heinrich Curly which is supposed to be as close to the original recipe as you can get and I really like that as well. The lack of perique makes the new Three Nuns a completely different animal - at least from my perspective of comparing it with the PH Curly.

Perhaps I will get to try the original Three Nuns some day.

I recommend trying them at least!

Lou

 

[JimInks]

I smoked a tin of the new Capstan blue and absolutely loved it.  I highly, highly recommend it.  I picked up a few for the cellar.  I have not tried the yellow tin which is a lighter flavored version of the blue tin.  Some of my club brethren have tried the yellow tin and liked it.

I have never tried the original Three Nuns but I do like the new version.  From what I have read and have been told, the lack of perique makes the new version not really a remake but a new and different blend altogether.  I did purchase some Peter Heinrich Curly which is supposed to be as close to the original recipe as you can get and I really like that as well.  The lack of perique makes the new Three Nuns a completely different animal - at least from my perspective of comparing it with the PH Curly.

Perhaps I will get to try the original Three Nuns some day.

I recommend trying them at least!

Lou

PH Curly is not like the VaPer Three Nuns. It doesn't have the spice and raisin flavor that the VaPer Nuns did, nor does it match the sweet and sour taste. PH Curly is good, but a little lighter in strength and much more Va. forward, and the perique is barely noticeable to me. The lack of Brazilian lights is evident, too. I'm aging two tins of the Curly to see what happens in about 5 years. The last time I smoked it (early this year), I was adding perique, but it still didn't match the VaPer Three Nuns.

The new Three Nuns has quite a bit of the old Vaper taste in regard to the Va. and Brazilian light components. But though the Kentucky has a nice spice note, it's just not as good a smoke as the VaPer. The sweet and sour contrast is muted in the new blend, and of course, no perique makes quite a difference. That said, I do like the new version quite a bit. In fact, I'm smoking it as I type this, and I smoked the VaPer version a couple of hours ago. I've bought a number of tins of the MacBaren mixture to smoke and also to age. I expect great results from aging it.

 

[cigrmaster]

Capstan Blue is like a less sweet, slightly earthier Dunhill Flake. Capstan Yellow is much like Dunhill Flake, except its sweeter with a little less citrus taste.  Both burn well, rub out well. I prefer the former to the latter. The new Three Nuns is very good, even if it's not as good as the VaPer version. The Kentucky has some spice to it. I'm in the middle of reviewing these and 8 other MacBaren blends and in the next month or so, I'll post them. But these are my immediate thoughts. Hope that helps.

jim, funny how tastes are so different. I find the capstan Blue to be much sweeter than DF and the Gold to have more citrus flavors than DF but very similar to DF. I have smoked 2 full tins of the Blue so far and really enjoy it. I have smoked one tin of the Gold but will not be ordering more. I find the Blue to be more like F&T Cut Virginia Plug.

A buddy of mine brought over the new Three Nuns the other night and I did not care for it at all. I did not compare it to the original, but to the other Vaburs I smoke, like Solani Silver Flake, ODF, Stonehaven. In my opinion the TN was harsh and cigarette like tasting. The quality of the Virginia's did not seem to be that great and the Kentucky seemed young. Maybe some age will round it out but honestly it did not seem to be very high quality leaf, no where near the quality of the three I mentioned.

 

[JimInks]

Capstan Blue is like a less sweet, slightly earthier Dunhill Flake. Capstan Yellow is much like Dunhill Flake, except its sweeter with a little less citrus taste.  Both burn well, rub out well. I prefer the former to the latter. The new Three Nuns is very good, even if it's not as good as the VaPer version. The Kentucky has some spice to it. I'm in the middle of reviewing these and 8 other MacBaren blends and in the next month or so, I'll post them. But these are my immediate thoughts. Hope that helps.

jim, funny how tastes are so different. I find the capstan Blue to be much sweeter than DF and the Gold to have more citrus flavors than DF but very similar to DF. I have smoked 2 full tins of the Blue so far and really enjoy it. I have smoked one  tin of the Gold but will not be ordering more.   I find the Blue to be more like F&T Cut Virginia Plug.

A buddy of mine brought over the new Three Nuns the other night and I did not care for it at all. I did not compare it to the original, but to the other Vaburs I smoke, like Solani Silver Flake, ODF, Stonehaven. In my opinion the TN was harsh and cigarette like tasting. The quality of the Virginia's did not seem to be that great and the Kentucky seemed young. Maybe some age will round it out but honestly it did not seem to be very high quality leaf, no where near the quality of the three I mentioned.

It is funny how tastes very from person to person, although if you don't change your mind and agree with me, I'm going to publicly release those photos of you at the zoo!   Kidding aside, I much prefer the Blue to the Gold, and will order more of that and not the Gold. It's been some time since I smoked F&T CVP, but I think you're right about the comparison to the Blue.

I also agree that the new Three Nuns needs a bit of aging, and I prefer the blends you mentioned to it, too. But I didn't notice much harshness or a cigarette taste. I think all the components are young and maybe that's what you're reacting to. Even still, I do like the new version, partially because the Kentucky had a nice spice flavor. It's not in my top ten, but I think a few years of age will greatly improve it. The Orlik VaKen version of Three Nuns was better in some ways, though the Kentucky was not spicey.

 

[cigrmaster]

jim, you should crack a tin of CVP, it is one of my favorite morning smokes. I have loved it since I got into flakes over a decade ago.

I wonder what the sales numbers are on the Blue and Gold, my guess would be a pretty big difference with the Blue outselling the Gold by a wide margin.

 

[JimInks]

jim,  you should crack a tin of CVP, it is one of my favorite morning smokes. I have loved it since I got into flakes over a decade ago.

I wonder what the sales numbers are on the Blue and Gold, my guess would be a pretty big difference with the Blue outselling the Gold by a wide margin.

The only reason I haven't opened a tin of CVP is that I'm reviewing all these blends for Sutliff, and have over 50 open tins and baggies now, with more coming.

I've been told by two vendors that the Blue is outselling the Gold by a good margin, so you're right.

 

[jefe1037]

oh good Lord. I have been eyeing all of these. I'm up a creek, aren't I? the F&T blends have been trekking me from the bottom shelf of my regular spot for a few weeks now. wrist of all I didn't pull the trigger on the Capstan because it is on the same shelf as a 250g bag of hamborger veermeister and I want that too. tough life. huh?

 

[Capt. Mike]

I had the old 3 Nuns and it was great, have thought about the new blend but after all the hipe i am not real confident it will be the same. My dad brought me back a tin from Germany in the 70's and I did buy more, rubbed out well and was a dream. Everyone says it has fallen to a lesser blend and I am not sure it will live up to the old blend. If anyone out there has had the old stuff and then the new how is it differrent.

 

[JimInks]

I had the old 3 Nuns and it was great, have thought about the new blend but after all the hipe i am not real confident it will be the same. My dad brought me back a tin from Germany in the 70's and I did buy more, rubbed out well and was a dream. Everyone says it has fallen to a lesser blend and I am not sure it will live up to the old blend. If anyone out there has had the old stuff and then the new how is it differrent.

Nearly night and day. The new version has no perique. A spicey Dark Fired Kentucky is substituted. The Virginias are darker now, and the coins are bigger. In the old days, the perique was centered in the coin. Now, the Kentucky is spread out thorough the coin. The hay and sour notes in the old are not much present in the new. The raisin taste for the perique is replaced by a woodsy Kentucky - the same Kentucky MacBaren uses in many of its other blends. I do like this Kentucky.

Having said that, on its own merits the new Three Nuns is pretty good, and will improve if you age it. The old was great and magical and legendary, and I smoked it for over twenty years. You might want to try the new version, and you may well like it. But don't expect it to be what it used to be. You can't replace magic and legend very easily.

 

[sisyphus]

I think the new Capstan Original is the best thing I've ever had from MacBaren. It's a really good, non-dark, not cased with any fruit or honey flavors Va flake. Like F&T Vintage, but better. I'd certainly like at least a couple pounds for my cellar, very nice warm weather smoke.

 

[Crookshanks]

.... But don't expect it to be what it used to be. You can't replace magic and legend very easily.

...especially when you leave out the signature ingredient.

 

[Anonymous]

:lol!: 

:face: