Rattray 3 Noggins

It's been just over a year since I reviewed my last sampling of Rattrays offerings and, having been distinctly unimpressed by it, I have been reticent about venturing back into their fold. However, after getting a couple of extra shifts at work and a bit of a bumper pay packet, I thought I would dip my toe back into the pond as it were and treated myself to a 100g tin of this stuff, mainly picking it out due to the latakia in it. I am only half way through the tin but, having had it for over six weeks, I have decided to get my experiences in now while they're still fresh.

Upon opening the tin, I picked a fruity, sultana like aroma akin to a dry port, nice but no latakia. After putting it into a pipe I've now dedicated to lats, the flavour was much the same with only a little lat coming through like a thin veneer of pepper. Not quite what I expected but a pleasant smoke nonetheless. However, after a third of the tin, the latakia started to come through a bit stronger and has maintained this presence so far. It's not dominant but is closer to an equal partner with the virginia and the cavendish. The oriental is yet to rear it's head but it might make an appearance later in the show.

On the whole then, a very good smoke so far. I found with my last tin of Rattray's, I was just smoking it to finish off the packet, having got bored of it. That sometimes happens with me, even with good tobaccos, where i just want to polish the tin off and get on with another tobacco. This, however, I am happy to continue smoking with no rush. It might take me another six weeks to polish it off but I'm perfectly happy happy with that.

I haven't smoked many Rattray tobaccos but the ones I've smoked I really enjoy. I'm a huge fan of Bagpipers dream so to dive into Rattrays non aromatics I had to grab a tin of 3 Noggins to start it off.

When you open the tin it's surprisingly fruity and sweet. Not what I was expecting in an English blend but I love it. I immediately get a ton of fig and nuttiness with some strawberry preserves and subtle apple. Moisture wise, it's perfect for me. I like my tobaccos a little more moist than most people so thats nice for me but most may want to let it dry for 5 to 10 minutes.

Lighting it up is easy and effortless. Starts right up and gets rolling. It puts off a fair amount of smoke with very little to almost no tongue bite. It's really tasty in my opinion! In the smoke I get a lot of fig again and walnut with a slight spice. It's sweet though with subtle strawberry and it keeps my mouth watering. Very pleasant for my taste. If you enjoy natural sweetness in tobaccos then this one you'll like. The room note is nice also. I really enjoy it and will occasionally hold my bowl at my chin and wave it to smell the smoke off the bowl. It's really nice.

I would totally give this a try if you haven't! It's definitely lacking some latakia but not in a bad way at all. It actually makes this blend stand out among English blends for me. I definitely recommend to any smoker.

This is the blend that fills the gap between 7 Reserve (too light for some, and Red Raparee (too heavy for an all day smoke). It is listed as a Full tobacco, but that seems to be a historical reference to nicotine content. I did not find it particularly strong in nicotine. The blend is nicely vareigated in color, mostly short to medium ribbon cut, with a well balanced English/Oriental aroma. It lights well (after airing out), and remains lit well. The initial flavor is well balanced between the Va base and the condiments. The Turkish provides a moderately spicy taste, and the Latakia is neither too faint, nor too bold. Kudos to K & C for staying so close to the spirit of the original Scottish blend. If you ae looking for something just a bit lighter than Red Raparee, this may be the perfect choice.

I love 3 Noggins. I am not a big fan of latakia mixtures when the latakia overwhelms everything else in a blend. This mixture smokes as smooth as a latakia mixture I have ever tried. It burns dry and leaves the walls of the bowl clean. There is little or no dottle left behind.

I tried this because I was not happy with the way Red Rapparree is currently being blended - looking for something not as stringent on the palate and 3 Noggins fills the bill nicely for me. Smooth and almost creamy on the palate.

Jay

Lately, I've been moving away from English blends because Latakia was leaving me with alkaloid mouth, sometimes powerful enough that I would stop smoking before finishing a bowl. This morning, I opened a tin of Rattray's 3 Noggins that i bought in 2006. For me, the level of Latakia was perfect. Enough for that wonderful smoky flavor; not enough to produce that ashy, sour punch in the mouth. The Orientals were lovely. The Virginias sweet and smooth. Unfortunately, this is my last old tin. I'm looking forward to popping one of my one or two year old tins of this famous old blend. My "highly recommended" rating is for the 2006 batch, only.

Well, my original review is now suspect as I have been smoking this blend for a year. I still think it a very wonderful blend for those who like fuller Oriental blends. My change of mind (?) is that whatever Latakia noted originally is absent (transfer from equipment used for Latakia blends? Some unique Turkish leaf? Fire-cured Cavendish?).

3N is analogous to McConnell's Original Oriental Mixture. Both are well done offerings from K&K, and actually of the same genre. I do not seek either when Latakia is desired, and I smoke 3N, OO, Orcilla, Embarcadero, McC's Grand Orientals, etc. quite often. They have begun to outstrip my attention given to Latakia blends.

Rating remains the same.