Rattray - 3 Noggins pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
VaPer Lock	09/09/2009	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I think this blend would be better received if it was not labeled as a full English. I expected something along the lines of Artisan's and was disappointed in that respect, but all in all this is an acceptable medium blend of balanced flavors that smokes well. Unlike others I found no bite in this. I enjoy coming back to it from time to time as a change of pace from Virginias or mixing it about half and half with DaVinci for a very flavorful, cool evening smoke with a brown ale or four. A bit pricey, but not bad to have on hand.
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Psyktek	11/06/2008	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I keep coming back to this blend, and I keep coming up short on describing it. There's a very minor vanilla note from time to time, but nothing stands out in the tobacco dept. Not an English, not an Oriental, sort of the Carter Hall of the imported tobacco world Will finish this tin, but another is not on the horizon.
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BriarChef	09/10/2008	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
What the hell is a Noggin? I think the 3 "Noggins" in question are Larry, Moe and Curly. Journal Notes, February 10, 1980: Full, no. Medium at best. The noggins must be Virginia, Turkish and Latakia. Blend kicks up Oriental throughout. Some toast, some pastry. A little smoke/campfire. Nothing to get excited about. Back to BS 759. Journal Notes, May 1984: Tin dated 2/10/80. Dry, not brittle. Burns well. No bite. No Latakia. Mostly Turkish with some Virginia foundation. Ho Hum. Into mason jar. Journal Notes, April 2000: Jar dated 5/84. Where in the hell did this come from? Nice Virginia Turkish, but nothing special. Last bowl. Still nice, but boring. Like the short cut of the tobacco. Lights easily, burns well. Journal Notes, January 2000: New tin dated 3/98. Not bad, not good. Oriental upfront, nice Virginias...sweet and balanced. Back in the jar you go. August 2008: Age has been kind to the 3 Knot-Heads, but still not a go-to smoke. Nice as a nostalgia smoke. Better stuff out there at a better price.
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mrmcmc	09/10/2008	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant
Well, another Rattray's tobacco bites the dust. Don't know what those folks in Germany are doing with the great Rattray's blends, but to me they are no longer smokeable, and the competition simply outclasses them these days, in all their offerings. Opened two aged 100 gram tins, and mostly found this stuff tasteless, with too much nicotine for a tobacco with little else in the way of redeeming qualities. Some funny chocolate flavor keeps wafting through, but not much else. Can't pick out the virginias, or much else for that matter. And it leaves an awful taste on the palate, and it ain't the pipe. I am officially done with Rattray's blends now. Tired of paying the big bucks simply to toss it in the garbage when it proves unlikeable. What was once a great house is simply an anemic shadow of its former self. Adios and good riddance. The great American houses have become the new standard bearers in the world of smoking tobacco, although Samuel Gawith is still making an impeccable product. There, my two cents worth, or one star's worth, or something. Night'all
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Budman	08/07/2008	Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
The first mistake I made with this blend was to attempt to smoke it right after opening the tin. After about twenty relights and my tongue ready to fall out I gave up. A few months later I found the tin in one of my drawers with a bunch of other forgotten tobaccos. Much drier now I filled up and gave it another try. 3 noggins is a well balanced blend with good strength. If you push it to the hot side put down the pipe and let it cool. Someone mentioned Latakia but all I see and taste is Black Cavendish,Oriental and Virginia. I would recommend this to any VA smoker looking for something with more kick. I like the nicotine punch this has also.
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JazzSmoke	03/04/2007	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
When I first opened the tin I noticed the exact same aroma as Highland Targe. A faint vanilla smell. There is very little difference in the two but this blend is a bit fuller bodied than HT. Like Highland Targe there is very little latakia, and that component in this blend isn't noticebale. I seperated out some of the black tobaccos and smelled and tasted the black leaf and it's sweet cavendish. Again, the original had Syrian latakia and Kopp seems to have replaced the latakia components in these blends with sweetened black cavendish. On it's own merit this is a nice tobacco. The virginia is sweet and soft at the beginning and later becomes tangy. The oriental tobaccos are present and add some nice spice about 1/4 of the way into the bowl. It really is a pleasant blend and the quality of the tobacco is very high. I liked this blend and will smoke it occasionally. However, I believe that if they are going to call this "3 Noggins" and use vintage tin art then it should be closer to the original blend and have some of the fragrant properties of latakia present.
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fourshephards	02/13/2007	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Strong
I love 3 Noggins. I am not a big fan of latakia mixtures when the latakia overwhelms everything else in a blend. This mixture smokes as smooth as a latakia mixture I have ever tried. It burns dry and leaves the walls of the bowl clean. There is little or no dottle left behind. I tried this because I was not happy with the way Red Rapparree is currently being blended - looking for something not as stringent on the palate and 3 Noggins fills the bill nicely for me. Smooth and almost creamy on the palate. Jay
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Kegworth	02/10/2007	Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
As of late, I've been enjoying Solani 633, Laural Heights and an old tin of Four Square that just ran out. I also occasionally enjoy the varities in the McClelland line of tobaccos. Recently I found in my cabinet a tin of 3 Noggins Full- only a 3rd full and very dry. It had been a while since I had a bowl of this blend. I chose a large bowl--a Radice that smokes nice and very cool, and I was pleasantly surprised with the Noggins. I noticed that the reviews were all over the map, but I wanted to put my two cents in here and say the flavor was good and as I smoked it slowly 3NF supplied a satisfying experience.
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Halbert	10/26/2006	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
This is not the same blend I smoked back in the late nineties. I opened a can I had from 1999 and compared it to a new one, just to make sure, and - trying to set aside aging (!) - it's just not the same tobacco. The newer stuff is more bland and has more bite toward the bottom of the bowl. It's an interesting blend, but as others (more erudite in smoking terminology) have pointed out, it comes across as somewhat bland (if not full) English and has a bit of tongue bite. I remember it being a smoother, fuller, and sweeter, but not particularly exciting blend. However, it still works well in small bowls. I tend to smoke very large bowls, and 3 Noggins just doesn't continue to please more than half way down. That's when it starts biting. And boring. In a large bowl, packed half way, it's worth the time. But, it will never again be a staple.
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Daner	10/23/2006	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is an interesting tobacco to say the least. When I first tried 3 Noggins I wasn?t very impressed. I was paying my father a visit and he kept raving about it so I tried a bowl. Well it wasn?t love at first puff. Back then (some three years ago) I was smoking mainly latakia laden blends, so it tasted somewhat flat to me. A little over a year ago I grabed a tin out of my fathers stash. Once home I placed it in the back of my humidor and promptly forgot about it. Over the last two years I have been a VA smoker so my taste in tobacco has shifted considerably, which brings me to my new impression of 3 Noggins. The other night I was looking for a change of pace smoke when I ran across my tin, now over a year old. Well I have to admit I smoked three bowls that night! In my opinion this is a medium-full blend with VA?s, Orientals and black unsweetened Cavendish, I agree with Jakob that there is little to no latakia present (probably none). When smoked slowly this is a very nice tobacco with a very addictive malt/beer flavor and when I say beer I don't mean Budweiser, I mean real beer like an oatmeal stout. The orientals make themselves known periodically throughout the smoke but the VA?s and Cavendish dominate. I recommend smoking indoors in a large bowled pipe and if you over-puff, the smoke will become harsh and the flavor will go flat. I think this is a good spring/summer blend and could even be an all day smoke as I have done so on occasion. I often pair tobacco?s smoking two pipes side by side. This blend does well with straight VA?s or VA/Per?s but doesn?t do well with latakia blends. So if you?re an adamant latakia smoker I don?t recommend this particular blend, but for you VA lovers or even an aromatic smoker looking to try an English/Scottish blend this is worth your time and money. It should be noted that this was a K&K tin aged one year.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Jakob Kiilerich	09/05/2005	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant
I have only tried the K&K version, and I suspect that their version is FAR from the original. There is only a smidgen of Latakia in this mixture, if any at all. The black specks are probably unsweetened Cavendish. My first impression was that this is an unusually bland mixture, but smoked with care, as evere Rattrays' should be smoked, this bright VA blend might make a good morning smoke for some. It is very light, fragile and not spicy at all. This is IMHO exactly how a bright VA should be like. The Latakia and the (almost non-present) amount of orientals make 3 Noggins a little more interesting than many pure bright VA's in the same category. Smoked in the evening, it is just plain boring... Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark
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Lochinvar	09/01/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
The FULL on the label refers to nicotine level, although the taste is certainly full (some people think Full means "lots of Latakia") This is a rich full blend that is as opulent to the palate as it is to the olfactory system. None of the ingredients seem to dominate rather they come together in a grand example of the English variety of blends. Whenever I smoke this the taste puts me in mind of a pint of dry stout. In any event a good entry from Rattray.
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DUPE.1512	06/04/2005	Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
3 Noggins is a strong moist tobacco that burns hot and harsh. The Virginias in this are not like the ones used in Old Gowrie, Marlin Flake or Hal O' the Wynd. I found nothing positive here and for the price, this was a total disappointement.
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Tantric	03/23/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Strong
I tried this one because it said it was developed for a smoker who wanted something similar to 7 reserve but with a little more of punch. I more or less like 7 Reserve, but it tends to be too astringent on the palate, so I decided to have a go at this one. In a way one would think this is a tobacco in between the flavorsome apotheosis of Red Raparee and the more mundane and humble 7 Reserve. I don't think so. Unlike 7 Reserve, 3 Noggins is a strong, rather harsh tobacco, and it is also quite flat. Unlike Red Raparee, and oddly enough, given its strength, it's a tobacco that tends to burn hot---this maybe due to the also surprising fact it is quite moist---and has no flavor interplay. It comprises a considerable amount of Latakia (of a very dry and almost raw variety), some Orientals and Virginias. But the Virginias used in this blend are a far cry from the varieties used by Rattray's in Old Gowrie, Marlin Flake or Hal O' the Wynd. I don't know if they are overly processed, or if their country of origin is different, or it may be the grade used, but they seem to lack depth and versatility. All though I am declared admirer of many Rattray's straight Virginias, I find most Rattray's Orientals (except for Red Raparee and the severe strength of Black Mallory) rather dull and tiresome. Such is the case with 3 Noggins.
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Beer	09/03/2004	Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong
Declared as "full" on the tin, this EM certainly has a "thick" presence on the palate, but the taste is VERY far from fulll... Sure, in Rattray's lineup there are several blander/milder mixtures (with less orientals and latakia), but this brand has a weird policy: its products are on average more "all-day" oriented than stouter blends from brands like GLPease and Dunhill. 3 Noggins is similar to Red Rapparee but lighter and less tasty: latakia is not abundant, as the dominant smell in the tin is rather from the orientals and from the sweet virginias. In spite of the relatively high moisture, it burns decently and bites your tongue only if you rush it in a vain search for more flavor. The taste is delicate, nutty and slightly spicy. Too bad that it gets tiresome very soon: get Red Rapparee instead.
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CaptnDan	08/11/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
3 Noggins is a fuller bodied version of 7 Reserve, which is a light version of Red Rapparee. Whew! What it boils down to is this: This is the middle one. As with 7 Reserve, 3 Noggins is comprised of good quality leaf. I smoked it very well dried, and experienced no tongue bite at all. Initially, the Oriental is out front with its spicy flavor. By mid bowl, it has settled in to a fuller more well-rounded flavor with Oriental leading the way, with ample support from the sweetness Virginia and the smokiness of the Latakia. This balance stays with you to the end without any real change. The finish is subtle. While I like this one better for its fullness, I like the more prominent Virginia flavor in 7 Reserve. I guess there?s just no pleasing some people!
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Master Merlin	08/05/2004	Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant
Ok, Here we go. I found this particular blend to be rather Jekyl and Hyde, meaning somtimes it was refined, elegant, debonair even, yet other times I found it to be difficult, tempermental, and a bit violent. Has a nice room note, the wife seemed to like it. However, I found this Extremely difficult to get going, with almost instant tounge bite. However, once it got really cooking...LOOK OUT, it actually cooled down. It needed a cronic puffing bordering on manic to get the proper amount of fire going, but once going was hard to put out untill near the end of the bowl. I also find it a rather wet smoke, achieving a gurgling almost from the first match out of about a dozen. There appears to be some sort of preservative mixed in with this blend as well, as it keeps rather moist even after sitting in the pouch for some time. all in all Very wet for an English blend. I for one was surprised, this being my first foray into rattrays. For tast, it's right down the middle of the road, so I sort of like it. But I find It too troublesome to be a regular smoke for me. Others with more time and patience may find it great for an all day. I for one also prefer more latakia. all in all....3 out of 5
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Mephisto	01/25/2004	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
well this is a full Engish and a well made blend but I just dont particularly like it. Full and a bit raspy there are better selections out there in this category. Good but not in my taste.
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Noorrmm	01/28/2002	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is the blend that fills the gap between 7 Reserve (too light for some, and Red Raparee (too heavy for an all day smoke). It is listed as a Full tobacco, but that seems to be a historical reference to nicotine content. I did not find it particularly strong in nicotine. The blend is nicely vareigated in color, mostly short to medium ribbon cut, with a well balanced English/Oriental aroma. It lights well (after airing out), and remains lit well. The initial flavor is well balanced between the Va base and the condiments. The Turkish provides a moderately spicy taste, and the Latakia is neither too faint, nor too bold. Kudos to K & C for staying so close to the spirit of the original Scottish blend. If you ae looking for something just a bit lighter than Red Raparee, this may be the perfect choice.
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Albion 1956	01/22/2002	Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
A full tobacco, in that it has all the pieces to make a full English blend. This tobacco was my first foray into Rattray's English line some time back, I beleive it was the name that enticed me? A cornucopia of flavors envelopes the nose when opening, something akin to walking into a candy store. I'm not familiar with the German purity laws, but this tobacco did stay moist after being exposed to air for some time. Viewing the ingredients, one sees Virginia's of varying sorts, and Orientals, let's not forget Latakia, probably Cyprian. This blend is simular to others in it's makeup and appearance, but the comparisons stop there.This as said is a full tobacco, mostly in flavor, with the support of the omnipresent nicotine. The charring light affixes itself to the tobacco and it produces a sweet, yet tangy smell. the tobacco smokes well and burns to a dull grey ash leaving little dottle. This could be envisioned as a introduction to a full English for the veteren or novice. Enjoy!