McClelland 3 Oaks Syrian

A wonderful and fragrant in the can latakia blend. The Syrian has a decidely hickory-smoke taste for lovers of same, far superior to the Cyprian latakias I've had in other blends.

McClelland Three Oaks Syrian smells bad in the tin. This was confirmed by my friend Alexis, 8 years old, who has impeccable taste (she prefers filet mignon to McDonald's hamburgers, for example). The tobacco is very pretty but needed some drying out to light correctly. The wider ribbon cut leaves a lot of air in my pipe using my usual loading method, so after the false light I was left with half a bowl tamped down. The flavor was fine, not my ideal, but a high quality leaf and unique (to my limited experience). The taste changed about halfway through, maybe due to heat, maybe due to tamping and aerating and getting the correct draw? In any case the taste got even better and smoother halfway through. The tobacco imparts a dry bitter coating on the tongue, similar to the pucker effect of a persimmon. I've had a similar experience with only one other tobacco, Prince Albert. I'm rating this 3 stars for now.

Update: Three Oaks Syrian has a strong vinegar sourness on relights or heavy draws. This taste tainted my pipes for the next bowls of other tobaccos. For that reason, I am downgrading this tobacco to 2 of 4 stars.

Update 2: After a month's break, during which I mostly smoked Squadron Leader, Grousemoor and Golden Sliced, I looked through my 20 open tins and decided to try 3 Oaks Syrian again. No bad smell in the tin, delicious cool dry smoke all the way, no sourness. I think the humidity (I smoke outside) has an effect, as well as mouth ph level, what was eaten on a particular day, which pipe is used, the way the tobacco is packed--so many variables. Changing rating to 3 stars.

Update 3: Of the many tins I have open, Three Oaks Syrian is my favorite now. In the last several days I chose it every time over Squadron Leader, Penzance, Golden Flake, Solani Silver Flake, Early Morning Pipe, etc., etc. I smoked it in a bigger bowl than previously. Each smoke was perfect, and now my tin is empty. I guess it just needed time to lose the vinegar. Upgrading from 3 to 4 stars.

Nothing much to say , for English/Balkan lover's it's paradise.

Well, this is right now my favourite American Mixture.

Rich, smoky, tangy, complex, sophisticated and satisfying. An absolute delight.

Like it better than 3 Oaks Original. And perhaps it is because of the wise use of nice Syrian Latakia leaf (I use it in my own mixed Balkan)

Depending on the pipe, sometimes it is more Latakia oriented and sometimes more Oriental.

Only draw back is that it loses a little bit of taste and strength after some weeks opened. I am against the drying tendency cause dry tobaccos tend to smoke hotter, harsher and quicker. So I'll put in jar next time.

Highly recommended.

Rdx score: 90.3 (10 pipes smoked)

Simply stated, I love this blend. When I moved from cigars to pipes in 2001, my first enjoyable english blend was Ashton Celebrated Sovereign - and it had Syrian latakia. Upon further research , my holy grail tobacco became Pease Rennaisance, which was already becoming hard to find. I cellared as much as I could reasonably afford.

I've been on a Syrian latakia quest ever since. Many of the blends have been good, but the McClelland's offerings have had so little of the Syrian, that I've been dissapointed. Until I got to try 3 Oaks Syrian.

The best thing about this balanced blend was that is had enough of the fabled Syrian that I could really enjoy it. Since its release by McClelland, I've stocked up sufficiently.

This is a very well-balanced blend. It is classic English, with the use of great quality Syrian. When first smoked it, I realized that is was the very same Syrian used in Pease's Rennaissance. It was obvious. The orientals and virginias are classic English quantities. Just wonderful.

I will say that the blend has a slight harsh quality to it upon first light that mellows thoughout the bowl. I believe that is will subside with age. I've cellared enough to see if I am right.

That said, I get bored smoking the same blend all the time. I need a change of pace now and again. Upon the recent release of several new Syrian blends by McClellands, I sought that occassional compliment to 3OS. The test blends were Samovar, Ringlow Syrian Reserve, Celebrated Sovereign, and Wilderness. I liked them all, but have determined that my change-of-pace blend will be Samavor. I took them all to my pipe club meeting, and the majority preferred Wilderness.

Now I am comfortable that I can smoke the rest of my Rennaissance, while my 3OS ages. Then, I will still be content with great quality Syrian latakia blends, as I age as well.

Fantastic smoke. Rich creamy smokiness with a background of light sweetness that immediately led to me lean back, close my eyes and savour the moment. It is a rare moment that my type A personality can be convinced to kick back and relax. Each bowl of the first tin of this blend did just that. With each bowl for an hour I was removed from the stress and quit thinking about how to solve my next problem. Instead I relaxed and enjoyed the moment. I have already cellared several tins. If you like Latakia, then you need to try this one.

A fantastic blend. An incredibly high standard of quality tobacco that is not bitter, biting, harsh, or anything but flavorful and smooth, with tons of rich, mellow, dense smoke. Lights and burns easily, especially with a little drying time in advance. If you like Syrian Latakia, the dominant but not overwhelming star here, then this is a delicious blend artfully punctuated with the stuff, and a fine treat for you. Tasty, refined, satisfying, and enjoyable all-around. A perfect balance of Syrian lat, sugary virginias, and spicy orientals, all of which are constantly present. If you don't know if you will like a medium latakia blend, give this blend a whirl. Unlike the numerous harsh, bitter, biting, overpowering and not-well-blended mixes I've smoked extensively and now ended my troubled relationships with, this one won't bludgeon and blunt your taste buds or leave you regretting the encounter, Latakia lover or not. Well done! Three and a half stars.

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.

I had a 2009 tin that was opened for a month. I dried some out on a napkin for 3 hours. Still seemed a bit moist. Took 4 matches and still left some unburned tobacco at the bottom. Also noticed a bit of goo when cleaning the bowl afterward. Is this cased ? Was some PG used ?

Apart from that, this is the best of the latakia blends I've tried. You can actually taste the virginia's. The latakia is not as forceful as cyprian. Nicely balanced. The room note won't scare away the dog either.

I had to work at this one a bit to really appreciate it, but I am glad that I did so. My first impression after smoking this blend was that it was light on taste, in fact, my first smoke was almost like puffing cool air. Only the sight of the smoke leaving my mouth would have told me my pipe was lit. But dauntless I tried some different packing variations and pipe combos. Now I get it, its there now. Its smooth and silky and smokes very well. It is truly a fine offering. It is like a well aged and mellowed single malt. I would say that if you were buying this as a single malt, this would be a bottle that would cost you $80 or so to get such refinement. I am a big fan of this one, if you start a day with some Pease Chelsea Morning, you would do well to close it out at night with Three Oaks Syrian, that sums my thoughts up well.