Oriental / English Tobacco » Rattray's 3 Noggins Tobacco Reviews

3 Noggins, maybe. Full? No.

This is the first time my trusted tobacconist has let me down. He described this as a "Full English," which is why I bought a tin.

Unfortunately, this is more a Full Cavendish than anything else. The tin aroma is delightful; the leaf is mostly a mix of yellows and browns, with a good amount of Black Cavendish in there. I can not make out any Latakia in the tin aroma, though the taste when smoked suggests they may have dropped a leaf or two somewhere near the blend at some time during the manufacturing process.

Out of the tin, the leaf is somewhat moist for a ribbon cut; it needs some drying-out before I can smoke it. Once lit, the taste is sweet as could be expected, and the room note is quite good, really. However, there is simply no strength in there, and I have had quite a few blends that were as mild but had a much fuller taste.

I could probably have used this blend about 20 years ago when I began smoking; these days, it's simply too little, too late, and not "full" by any definition I know of.