McClelland 3 Oaks Syrian

If you are looking for a one dimensional Latakia bomb, look elsewhere. If you are seeking a sophisticated complex tobacco, this one is for you. This blend isn't about strength; it's the Pinot Noir of tobacco.

The tin aroma has a little bit more of a musty character than your typical English. The ribbon cut is a little wider than most brands ( similar to Peretti English blends). Upon lighting, the palette is caressed by a symphony of flavors. The Syrian Latakia let's its presence be known but never overpowers the delicate oriental and Virginia tobaccos. There is a unique bready type flavor that makes my mouth water. The strength increases very slightly from beginning to end. The flavors change with each bowl and never leave me bored.

This is hands down my favorite tobacco so far. A must try.

Perhaps this is another instance of having very different tastebuds than every other piper because my experience of this blend differs quite strongly from the previous reviewers. Indeed it almost seems to me like we're reviewing different blends.

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.

This is very good Balkan blend. The tin note is slightly different than the standard smell of McKetchup. Very pleasant, has some reddish colour, the first thought you get when you open it is to smoke it right away, immediately. And you do, moisture is ok from the tin, and it burns to the white ash smoothly. Syrian Latakia is mellow, everything is mellow, faint, pale, but still there is enough body to be decent smoke, let's say for the mornings or everyday smoke. Syrian Latakia usually has noble aroma that doesn't kick you but just stays there reminding you of it's beautiful presence. There are orientals also, not as aggressive as in other blends, all in all, it's a good smoke, nice, noble, mellow, .... I liked it a lot. Not my go to blend, but I will order some of it in the future. I've smoked other Syrian blends, this one is the mellowest. Highly Recommended.

Upon opening my tin and having my first bowl, I was immediately disappointed."This tobacco is mild and flavorless",I thought to myself. Over the next couple of days I smoked a few bowls with the same results. Having tired of this bland blend, I shelved it for about a month. When I tried this blend again I was blown away. This was not the tobacco I had smoked before. This tobacco was rich, smokey, leathery, with hints of chocolate it was exquisite. I smoked the rest of the tin over the next few weeks and was pleased with every bowl. This has now become one of my favorite tobaccos and I plan to always have a few tins of this around.

Soli Deo gloria!

To my mind, there are only two genuinely great Syrian latakia blends on the market today, both from McClellands. One is Wilderness, a delightful oriental-forward blend. The second is this one, Three Oaks Syrian, a mixture that really showcases the subtle incense-like notes of the latakia. Although it's stronger than most of McClelland's offerings, it is mild enough to use as an all-day smoke (although I only smoke it on special occasions). Personally, I prefer Cyprian latakia to Syrian, but I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to experience the few remaining crumbs of this tobacco varietal.

P.S. -- There is no such thing as McClelland's "ketchup casing," as some other reviewers have alleged. This is clearly an unflavored blend. The "ketchup casing" alluded to at length by some smokers is merely the aroma/taste of fermenting virginias. It's not an added flavor, it's not a humectant, it's not an aromatic casing. McClelland sources and process its own leaf from American growers, which leads to a far different product than is sold by other houses. I have personally aged unflavored red virginias from C&D and H&H and ended up with "ketchupy" leaf, especially when aging red vas.

UPDATE 7/10/2017

I am not touching the rating on this one, but will add to the fact that I have now tasted the Cyprian 3 Oaks and I would say, for my tastes, I prefer the Cyprian version, but just slightly. They are both really fantastic lat blends.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 9-23-2014

From my first bowl of this, I boldly declared it my favorite Balkan blend. A steep claim as I have had the luxury of tasting the new Balkan Sobranie, Penzance, Smoker's Haven Krumble Kake, HU Fayyum Kake and Blue Mountain amongst many others.

It is a very creamy smoke that burns cool with a fantastic fragrance that seeps through the side stream. I was beginning to think that I preferred the Cypriot variety of the Latakia Leaf as other blends using Syrian had yet to ring my bells. This one has me reevaluating that thought.

I nearly finished the tin, but gave the rest to a friend that was enjoying it yesterday as I plan to buy several more. I also look forward to testing this against the Cyprian Three Oaks to get a better idea of my Latakia preference.

But for now, Four stars to my favorite Balkan.

This blend falls into the catagory of "DFS" for me. That is damn fine smoke. As most of you know Syrian Latakia is no longer available to blenders so whatever they have stocked is all we can enjoy. To me Cyprian Latakia just can't hold the flavor or taste that Syrian can. So I usually know if the tin says Syrian but the blend taste says Cypress. Let me tell you this is The glorious Syrian Latakia in all its wonderful flavors. This stuff right from the tin lights up so smooth and burns so cool and slow. I smoked this in one of my favorite pipes, a Large bowl Boswell that took well over a hour to finish. It was a very enjoyable hour I can tell you. This stuff has that wonderful sweet wood smoke flavor with just a hint of baked bread. I am not a fan of orientals at all (they make my nose tingle when I exhale) so I was hoping they stayed in the background. I certainly don't find them sweet bit more closely the taste of pepper. They did hide for most of the smoke. Finished with a bowl of beautiful white ash. Room note as you would expect was wood smoke but not overwhelming. If you like me love Syrian Latakia grab some of this before it is gone. Oh....there is some nicotine hit but it is very mild and absolutely no bite whatsoever.

First off, I am NOT a pro, more like a newbie! Having said that, my tastes are not developed and this is purely thoughts and opinion!

Wanting to try a Syrian before they were gone, I did a little reading and decided on 3 Oaks (Syrian), boy am I glad I tried it!

When I first opened the tin, I loved the first tin note! Maybe I am in the odd group, but as a newbie, I really like the "traditional" or non aros (Nightcap, London Mixture, VaPers)...but I do like a couple aros too (I like Boswell's Christmas Cookie and Sweet Tea).

First smoke/first thought was this is the best bowl I have smoked! So much so, I smoked a second bowl a few hours later. The next day, being a little skeptical, I smoked another bowl...guess what, still a great smoke in my mind. After another couple bowls, I ordered 10 more tins.

I like, what I think, is the classic or traditional blend. It is smooth smoke, with a slight smokey flavor. In my mind, I REALLY LIKE this blend!

Again, I am not well versed in reviewing a blend, but as a newbie, hope to explain in my layman terms how good this really is!

All I can say is please don't try this, I want to be able to purchase more 3 Oaks Syrian before it's gone! Lol

I'm not easily drawn in by mild tobacco, but this is some very good stuff. The silky smoothness is remarkable. The Latakia does indeed feel less brassy than usual, but I can't say for sure if that's due to it being Syrian, its proportion, or McClelland's processing. Whatever the case, this blend stands out.

This is a delicate blend that needs to be smoked particularly gently to receive the array of light flavours it offers.