I recently finished my first tin of Three Oaks. My regular smoke of choice is Frog Morton On The Bayou and Three Oaks was a real treat.

I agree with Mr. Fallon's assessment, it's a "bell ringer" and has earned a permanent place in rotation next to FMOTB.

The question now, is how much can I cellar without raising the ire of the Mrs?

Update: I'm bumping my rating of this tobacco to four stars. I've recently run the gamut of English and Balkan blends from mild to medium to strong...more Pease, Mac Baren, McClelland's and other tobacco brands and blends in these categories than I have the inclination, time, or opportunity to write a coherent review for, but suffice it to say that this blend stands out for me as an excellent light-to-medium English that has worked its way solidly into my rotation despite some pretty stiff competition. The Syrian latakia couples harmoniously with McClelland's trademark tangy-sweet virginias like peanut butter takes to chocolate, and the perfect compliment of fragrant orientals raises the bar yet higher. The Syrian latakia in this mixture, while only modestly present in the blend by ratio, is nonetheless remarkably and blatantly bright, pronounced, clean, smooth, and tasty in almost every hit...more refined than its Cyprian counterpart which can lend almost too much of a two-dimensional, excessive damp-burning mossy-campfire-log quality to some blends. Perhaps because it is not a lat-bomb, but the Syrian latakia is so tasty here, I sometimes find myself deliberately, selfishly banging away repetitively and too aggressively at Three Oaks Syrian in the bowl like a runaway coal steamer, yet it never gets harsh or ugly in any respect. A lobotomized chimpanzee couldn't raise a bad smoke out of this outstanding, flavorful mild-to-medium lat/virginia/oriental mixture. Best smoked slowly and savored for its noteworthy balance. Now do as I say, not as I do! Highest recommendation, just try to compose yourself whilst lit.

A word of caution to Syrian latakia fans who also enjoy orientals and are not hindered by a dearth of common sense...go get yourself some of this or you won't have any of it...

Update 3/17/2012 - Nearly three full years later, 3 Oaks Syrian remains high and strong in my rotation as a favorite. Medium-mild, sweet, rich and even fragrant. One of the few blends I stockpile, as I intend to have this available to me for a long time to come...

Update 4/4/2013 - If you love the Syrian lat in this fantastic blend, do yourself a favor and also try Samovar and Wilderness. These are all excellent medium-weight desert island blends for the Syrian lat lover, and they've all found a sizeable nook in my cellar.

It does have Latakia present more than a "touch" but, for the most part I find it a tasty oriental blend with Latakia acting as a true condiment supporting the orientals leading role.

I am a VA lover first but do enjoy an English/Balkan sometimes, but have smoked this every night since opening the tin.

I plan to always have it on-hand and since I am enjoying it so much will probably judge other similar blends agains 3 Oaks Syrian.

Thanks again Pipestud for the Royal Yacht review- that's tasty stuff!

I really like the smoothness of the rich and smokey Latakia and the sweetness of the Orientals. It wa a killer combination and one I thoroughly enjoyed while consuming the tin in a matter of days.

It was just a wee bit too moist for me right out of the tin but dried quickly when left in the open air for a few hours. I'm gonna get me more of this!

In my experience, a Syrian Latakia is generally lighter and sweeter than a Cypriot one, so it is unsurprising that this blend is on the milder side of the English spectrum. Never before, however, have I encountered a Syrian that lived up to the hype. I've tried Rose of Latakia, Syrian Super Balkan, and so on; cursed my luck that I took up pipes after the demise of Raven's Wing and Bohemian Scandal; and generally felt that I was missing out. No longer.

Three Oaks Syrian is a pitch-perfect combination of McClelland's big, heavy British Woods (English) with its light, succulent Bombay Court (Oriental). But even that characterization doesn't do it justice. The Syrian--and maybe a bit of casing-- gives it a sweet, slightly musty smokiness that other reviewers have tried to describe. I have encountered this flavor previously in British Woods and in Pease's Maltese Falcon; in this case, however, it is less forceful yet, if anything, more enjoyable. While the Latakia is dominant from the top of the bowl to the bottom, there is just enough, but not too much, Oriental swirling around in the background and producing big, soft clouds to make for a perfectly balanced smoke. Not a symphony but a concerto, let's say.

Easily the best light English I have ever tasted. I can only imagine what it will be like in a few years.

For me this blend is very full and very smoky, with the Syrian Latakia coming front and center for a bravura performance. The orientals and virginias are in the shadows, ever present only if you pay attention to them, occassionally joining the star for a brief appearance, providing some distinctive harmony, then receding back to the shadows. And I don't taste anything sweet, in the usual sense (is ouzo sweet?), except for a single little nuance lurking way back there you have to look for.

I would also say this blend is deliberately not balanced in the usual sense, because it's not intended to be: the proportions serve to highlight the star rather than share the stage with her, thus it is balanced just as it ought to be: you don't upstage the coloratura during her big number. It seems to me the blenders found the very line where any more Syrian Latakia and the flavor would have hurtled over the cliff into a single-note sharp, tarry murkiness, any less and it would have dissipated into its surroundings. Given the degree to which the semi-transparent ouzo-lemony-creosote-laden smoky flavor dominates it's quite remarkable how complex and nuanced the blend remains.

If it's valid to compare tobacco with wine or scotch as a nuanced art for the tastebuds -- and I believe it is, since they all are concerned with the artful and subtle combinations of unique flavors arising from vegetative matter infused with the essence of their origins -- then this blend is exemplary of tobacco as a "single malt". Each single-malt scotch has a unique signature, and I can't think of any tobacco blend this analogy applies to better than this one. Instead of peat or iodine as the bed of nuance, we have here a silky smooth creosotic plane of flavor rippling with nuance. I don't know anything else that comes close to the flavor of this one.

I must confess I do not understand the comparison of this with Artisan's Blend at all -- Artisan's Blend is not anywhere near as smoky or creosotic, and the orientals are much more prominent there, as is the presence of the perique. It's surprising to me that a previous reviewer considers this an oriental forward blend for oriental lovers; the only tangy-spiciness of oriental I discern is some background colour through the semi-transparent waves of latakia. (And I'm an oriental lover. Oriental Mixture No. 14 -- now there's an oriental forward blend!)

Otherwise, the moisture out of the tin is perfect. Another reviewer suggested packing it tighter than usual and I agree. It's a very cool, dry, remarkably smooth smoke with a unique cotton mouthfeel you can sink your teeth into. It's not an all-day smoke, much like Cragganmore or Laphraoig would not be all-day drinks. This is a special, delectable smoke to be savored.

About the only thing I agree with the previous reviewers on is that this is one of McClelland's finest offerings -- and that's saying a lot! I am very impressed by this blend. Very impressed. It's perhaps the best "single-malt" tobacco blend I've yet tried.

No, no "perhaps" about it. It is the best "single-malt" tobacco I've smoked.

Highest recommendation.

If, on the other hand, you prefer an Oriental-forward, spicy, mellow blend with mild Latakia lurking in the background providing some warmth and very mild smokiness, then you'll really like it. The Orientals stay very noticeable throughout the smoke, the overall flavor stays relatively consistent, and the aftertaste, like a good wine, provides for a long spicy finish on the tongue that lasts for quite some time.

The moisture from the tin is perfect. After a couple false lights it stayed lit with no maintenance. I found that I had to pack this a bit tighter than many blends in order to keep it burning and to keep the flavor concentrated enough to enjoy. Orientals tend to really "spice up" my sinuses and the back of my throat, similar to the feeling I get from Perique, and this effect is more pronounced in the Syrian than in the Original. This blend burns cool and never even gets close to heating the briar to an uncomfortable level.

Because I am a fan of big, smoky LAT blends, I prefer Three Oaks Original to the Syrian version, but both are excellent. This earns three stars for me only because it seems less well-balanced right now than the Original. I am fairly confident that with age it will mellow out and earn its fourth star, but only time will tell. I'm going to jar it for a few months, hoping that the Orientals will settle down a bit and the Syrian Latakia will become more noticeable.

If you are a fan of oriental-forward blends you must try Three Oaks Syrian.