Rattray 3 Noggins

For me Rattray's blends are very much hit or miss with not a lot of grey area in-between. I really like the flakes as well as Red Rapparee and Black Mallory, but there is that group of blends in the middle like Accountants, Brown Clunee and No. 7 Reserve that I find to be just too bland. 3 Noggins falls into that group for me too. It's not a bad blend, but just not very interesting. It's a light English blend although some may call it a light Scottish blend, but either way there are just better options in both departments. On the plus side, on a whim, I bought a tin from the 1990's (was there a different blender between Rattray and K&K??) and time in the tin really improved this blend quite a bit. 3 Noggins had really sweetened up for me and tin note was wonderful, and the flavor was great. The question is…is it worth shelling out some bucks to wait 15 years for improvement? I think not.

Questions questions, questions. What is meat by "noggins"? Why three of them? What does the notation "full" on the label and "full English mixture" on the bottom of the can imply? Noggins is a slang term for head and also a small cup. Is one of these or something else meant? What does three signify? And why is this mild to medium blend characterized as full?

Rattray's 3 noggins is a mixture of Virginia, oriental, latakia, and unflavored cavendish. Open the tin and you get an aroma of Virginia and oriental. The latakia does not show up in the initial sniff. The cut is ribbon, and the moisture level just slightly high, but a tad better than most tinned tobaccos.

Lighting presents no problem, and the ribbon cut offers no challenge in keeping the light going. The Virginias are probably red, there is sweetness there. The orientals provide a spicy undertone. Yes, the latakia is there when you smoke it, but it is at a level well under medium. The unflavored cavendish (and this is what many would characterize as a Scottish mixture because of its inclusion) beefs up and rounds out the body.

The room note does not offer so strong an odor of dirty gym socks as do blends with a heftier latakia component. People will not brag on the room note, but this is not an offering which will engender many protests from non smokers.

In the Rattray lineup this is a stronger tobacco than offerings such as Seven Reserve and Professional Mixture (which have just a whiff of oriental and latakia), but notably less full than Red Rapparee. Actually it may have as much latakia as RR, but the oriental/latakia backbone of Red Rapparee is much more Balkan oriented.

Full English mixture? Three Noggins does not have the heft to qualify if that implies a dominant oriental/latakia mix. Or does that suggest a robust nicotine presence? There is nicotine there, but I would rate it a little shy of medium. So does the full English notation refer to the preparation? MacBarens H.H. Old Dark Fired characterizes itself as English because of the steam processing by which the tobacco is darkened. But 3 Noggins is light in color aside from the strands of latakia.

By and large, latakia lovers will find this OK so long as the yen of the moment is not for a full flavor. Those who normally puff English tobaccos (especially if they like oriental in it) will find this an acceptable smoke. Burley lovers may rate the flavor of 3 Noggins as a bit too bland, but I doubt they will have difficulty finishing off a tin of it. Aromatic smokers will mark this off the list.

Personally I rather enjoy smoking 3 Noggins. The mild to medium flavor is not overly complex, but when you pay attention to the smoking you will note some interesting nuances. I give only two stars "somewhat recommended" not because of anything that is wrong with 3 Noggins, but because for a fairly pricey offering it does not have the oomph to rate an unrestrained recommendation.

This tobacco does not have a high bowl ghosting factor. I smoke it in a variety of pipes and have not experienced any ghosting problems.

Rattray - 3 Noggins.

One of my reviews from some years ago I deleted as it didn't read well. New tin, repost!

A fairly coarse mixture, ribbons and some broken flake. The lesser of the ingredients is the black Cavendish, there's only about 15% in the tin. Moisture's good when fresh.

Easily lit and burns well. From the Latakia I get a mild smokiness, but it isn't a heady flavour; no 'Lat-Bomb' here. The Orientals work slightly bizarrely, at first they don't seem too bad, but develop more of a sourness as the bowl burns. The Virginia/black Cavendish give a gentle sweetness, and slightly subdue the Oriental piquancy. It has a cool temperature and doesn't bite. In build the smoke isn't that heavy, so it doesn't cloud the room with smog; alright in winter when you can't have open windows!

Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: pleasant.

The first quarter's far better than the latter part. The Orientals taint the enjoyment. Two stars:

Somewhat recommended.

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.

This blend reminded me of a scottish mixture that I tried once. Did it take 3 noggins to come up with it, no I don't think so, maybe half of one... Not really a very original blend IMO. I found it to be very bland and boring, not what you'd expect from Rattray, but I guess you can't do everything right. Not that it's a terrible blend, just nothing very special. I smoked a small sample of it and that was all I needed to know that I didn't need any more. Kind of an old world blend I think, but it just lacks something that I can't put my finger on. The interesting thing is that I can pick up on all the different leaves in this blend, but for some reason the proportions just didn't come together for me to make a very cohesive blend. Not my favorite, but I would say it's worth a try if you can get an ounce or so.

As I am lighting one more bowl, I’m getting the same mixed experience.

There’s something of Red Rapparee in the oriental and Latakia although this blend is slightly stronger.

I don’t get much sweetness as the Black Cavendish does not play its typical sweetening role here. Perhaps it’s a question of quantity..

The tobacco lights perfectly and comes a tiny bit moist from the tin, ready to go in a few mins. Beautiful smooth retro-hale smoke and yet something is still missing.

I keep on wishing it was 965...hence, If you find 965 to be too sweet and you are in love with Rattray’s English, this one could be worth trying.

In conclusion: Enjoyable but would not buy more because 1) too many superior English / Scottish Blends in the spectrum. 2) a few pennies more expensive than most 3) it’s different but not special!

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

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.

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!