McClelland 3 Oaks Syrian

Had trouble identifying this as a true Balkan, perhaps light on the actual Syrian or more of a equalizing of flavors, but that did not deter from this being a 4 star quality blend that was as smooth as it was strong. This tin had near 5 years on it when opened, don't even remember when I bought it but it was dated 2011.. and dusty. What I love about Balkans is the richness of the lats and orientals, but here the Virginia's (doesn't McC get ahold of some great Virginias?!) they assume an up front role. I read where seasoned smokers found the blend moist, but this tin was perfect, burned very well, somewhat cool even. So I'd recommend this to Virginia - first Lat lovers, anyone venturing into new territory, and of course Balkan lovers.

I absolutely loved this one. It is so sweet and mellow and rounded yet complex enough. It has different layers of taste, earthy-nutty-oily texture. Burns so smooth and even without any effort. Not too strong but still satisfies a Latakia fan like me.

I can smoke this one anytime, it may be my regular choice.

Definitely different in flavor than the Cyprian version (I reviewed that one as well). It carries a similar tin note, but a little smokier in a side-by-side comparison. The cut and appearance are very similar, although this version is a bit more moist than the Cyprian. I also detected the dreaded musty scent of Smyrna in this one (for those who don't know, I simply have no taste for it). However, this does not carry through to the smoke thankfully. I get a woodier flavor from this one. It's bold at first, and then mellows down. The smokiness is a little more along the lines of pine than oak, and the Virginias seem to play well with this trait. I taste pine nuts, earthy peat, brown sugar, malt, and a little sage toward the end of the bowl. It's one of my favorites. Not bad in the nicotine department, but it's not a "knock-out" by any means.

Inasmuch as there are many fine reviews already posted, I will be brief. The combination of superb Latakia and Orientals in Three Oaks makes for a mellow, satisfying smoke of the highest order. Truly great toacco. I like it in rotation with Blackhouse, White Knight and Tudor Castle.

To put it in just a few words: A pleasing complex, soft, smooth blend that is oriental and syrian latakia forward. The virginias take back stage, but are present. A nicely balanced, but soft and mellow english/balkan blend.

I forgot to add... creamy. It's a wonderful smokey, slightly sweet, creamy, flavorful blend. Love this stuff!!

More detail: In the tin it smells earthy, musky, slightly sweet, and of course smokey! Loads and lights easily. I have found this blend doesn't bite even when puffing hard, but to get the intricacies of the smoke, one should only heartily sip (though deep sips). It is delicious with lots of creamy smoke, but the flavor isn't extremely strong, but still a very good tobacco. I think I can tell the difference now between Syrian and Cyprian Latakia. Syrian is more floral, citrus, and still smokey. Where as Cyrprian is more woodsy and smokey. This smoke has the campfire flavor/smell that is always present with latakia, but has nice floral/incense notes that are perfectly balanced with the orientals. It is a contemplative smoke for sure....though not as bold or in your face as say Gaslight or S.o.T.E.

The room note from this blend is quite nice and almost incense like. This is another winner from McClelland! I have to admit I'm excited to see how this will smoke with some age on it....it's the reason I picked up more than one tin.

Three oaks Syrian was a very mild yet enjoyable smoke. The tobacco was easy to pack and keep lit. I smoked this fresh from the tin and it did not disappoint. A good solid English blend. Very mild so that was good for me.

I'll keep this brief in case you're in a hurry. For those of you who, like me, are relatively new to pipe smoking but ready to move beyond aromatics or straight virginias (where I was stuck for awhile), this is a great place to start in my opinion. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars but I'm in a good mood.

It's a light smoke (as these blends go) without too much of the earthy taste normally associated with latakia. Perhaps my taste buds are simply attuning themselves to the more exotic flavours of latakia and orientals, but I find that I could smoke this blend all day long (I just smoked two bowls in a row). It's mellow (even when inhaled through my nose) and creamy, smooth, relaxing, and the latakia is very easy to get along with. If anything, I find myself wishing for a bit more punch from it. I'm going from memory but I think G.L. Pease 'Abingdon' is similar but offers a little more oomph. I don't have much trouble keeping 3 Oaks lit and I don't find I get any tongue bite from it at all (and I smoke like a freakin' locomotive).

I am not a big fan of McClelland's tins, though. It's certainly not a deal breaker for me but I find the opening is too small to easily fill my bowl without spillage and the tin is too tall to put in your coat pocket and carry around without noticing it there. On the other hand, it's possible that this style of tin may slow the drying-out of your tobacco, since there is less tobacco surface area exposed to the air than in wider diameter tins and you can "burp" the flexible plastic lid (squeeze out extra air). I wonder if someone has ever compared rectangular metal tins to circular metal tins to the sort of containers used by McClelland and G.L. Pease for keeping tobacco fresh? This would be very helpful to folks like me who are far too lazy to do that whole mason jar thing and always have a few tins open at once. Get on that someone. 🙂

That part about me being brief? This is me being brief. Happy smoking!

A short ribbon mixture of mahogany and dark tobacco. The tin note is of wood and leather, a firm Latakia presence, dried fruits, and what I think might be a brandy topping. There is also a distinct gloss to this tobacco, indicating perhaps PG has been used. Not a concern for me, but PG seems to be an issue for some people.

This is a Latakia forward English. For my own use I think of it as a 'not quite' Lat bomb. 'Not quite' because the percentage of Lat falls just short of being a bomb, and because this tobacco is far too multi dimensional for such a restrictive label. But like Lat bombs, this tobacco delivers enormous amounts of creamy, billowing, soft smoke with the most opulent mouth feel.

Alongside this is a sweetness from the Va, enhanced perhaps by a Brandy topping, and some spice from the Orientals. The sidestream aroma to this tobacco is wonderful.

Burns beautifully down to fine white ash.

The four year old tin I purchased was a nice change of pace from the usual McClelland ketchup aroma, this was more similar to my favorite Dunhill blends of Durbar or London Mixture but without the nicotine hit . Highly recommended.