If you're seeking the flavours, complexity, and memorable blends of yesteryear give Compton's a try. There you'll harken back to the older styles of Rattray's, Dunhill, Sobranie and more. Compton's are not trying to replicate particular blends or brands, simply excellent tobacco execution. Expensive yes, but worth it as a treat or something special. Kind of like favourite recordings, one does not want to listen to them too much, becoming overly familiar.

Enjoy.

No.99 is very similar to 1830: Tin aroma is terrific and the first 1/4 or 1/3 of the bowl is very good. But after that both turn a bit harsh, and fail to develop interest and complexity. No. 99 is also packed too dry, and burns too fast, like Solani's 779. With all three, getting to the bottom of the bowl comes with frustration. Too quickly for No. 99 and 779, and all three leaving me unsatisfied, wanting more and feeling disappointed...

This smells and looks exactly like Rattray's Accountant's Mixture (also a Full English, apparently) but it is not as smooth, and where the Accountants has a harmonius sweet Va and Latakia mix, with basically nothing else going on, this Astley's has undertones of banana and of cloves, which at the top half of the bowl are delightful, and at the bottom, just disappear into a hard-edged smoke.

Anyway, what nuance this blend may once have possessed, K+K have produced a singularly unpleasant tobacco, genre aside. For a more interesting smoke, try Presbyterian or ACP Caledonian 466, both of which are NOT "FULL" Englishes, and both of which are far superior.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this blend 4.0 out of 10.

Second review (the Kolhase&Kopp sold nowadays): dull, dull, dull. Nothing like the original one, the usual K&K blend with a different tin. See my reviews of Comoy's English mixture or Banker's or Robert Lewis 123.

Two stars for the nice quality leaf and for the memory of what it used to be.

As I said, I didn't set out to make Astley's my favorite English blend, I just sort of reached for it more and more until I had to admit that if I could only have one tobacco of it's type, it would be the Astley's. That's about the highest compliment I could pay a tobacco blend. Very highly recommended!

The claim on the labels is that this is a ?full Latakia mixture.? To quote the hyperbole of attorney Lionel Hutz on the Simpsons: ?This is the most blatant case of false advertising since the film, ?The Never-Ending Story.?? Don?t be misled, this is a mixture primarily for those who like quality Virginias with a splash of Latakia. If that describes your tastes, then this seems like a natural choice. All the components, especially the rubbed-out flakes, are beautiful and high-quality leaf. I would definitely recommend this if EMP or Piccadilly is a regular in your rotation, and would probably rank it above those two in that genre.

Well, I was delighted. I found the proportions to be near perfect and it is an exceptionally smooth, satisfying smoke. Cool burning, no wet dottle at the end, just a really nice sit back and enjoy it kind of smoke. It burned to a fine grey ash.

Although I usually do not enjoy blends with this much Latakia, there is something about the overall construction of this blend that makes it O.K. Actually more than O.K.

I can't wait for my wife's next shopping spree.

The tin aroma is really nice and the cut is easy to pack and light. When I first tried it I expected something like "Black Mallory", but found it a little tangier, stronger, and better balanced.

Give yourself a treat and try it in a meerschaum. The flavor is much more complex and intriguing when smoked in the coral. Taken with a dram of Laphroaig or a cup of Souchong it is hard to beat on a cold wet night! Briar or meerschaum, good stuff - highly recommended.

Astley's No. 99 is about as heavy in latakia as I care to go. However, in light of my proclivities, that hardly puts it into a category that is at the upper limits of most smokers of English blends. If I had to guess on proportions, it would have to be: 25% Latakia, 15% Oriental/Turkish leaf and about 60% light and orange Virginias.

I'm sitting here smoking from probably my 10th tin of the blend in the last six months and I'm trying to determine what it is that keeps drawing me back. The first sniff from the tin suggest the obvious Latakia, but the other aromas of the Virginias are not muted (maybe it's just me, but I can rarely pick out orientals in tin aroma, not that they have a particularly distinctive aroma on their own...). They have a subtle sweetness as well as an interesting nuttiness, which is almost suprising. The nuttiness (which is more pronounced in Astley's #1 where there is less Latakia) seems almost out of place given the nature of the blend, but not in a bad way. The nutty aroma fits with the rest of the tin aromas and seems to tie the blend together during the smoking (see below). The tobacco in the tin is attractive, but no different from any other English blend where the alternating light browns and blacks play off each other in visual cacophany (am I the only one out there that finds tobacco blends intrinsically visually beautiful?)

The most immediate note upon first light is the Latakia. I find that the Latakia works most harmoniously with the Virginias and Orientals when smoked particularly slowly. If I smoke it too quickly, I seem to lose the balance that makes this blend superior to many Englishes in my mind. The hints of nuttiness (sort of an amorphous nuttiness, I can't peg it with a specific nut for a closer description) carries over to the smoking nicely. I'm not particularly sure where the nutty flavor comes from, but there may be some Carolina ribbon that in combination with the Virginias gives this slight note. There aren't any burleys here, which is what I usually associate with nutty tomes. Besides, it is a different, perhaps more subtle nuttiness than that that is associated with good burley blends. There is some sweetness from the Virginias, but the sweetness is just enough to complement the Latakia rather than conflict with it. The flavors seem to change little throughout the bowl, though perhaps the latakia becomes less pronounced in relation to the other flavors as the bottom nears.

All in all, it is a particularly good example of its genre. The tobacco is of very good quality, as I tend to find with blends currently produced by C&K. I've often thought of it as a version of the medium to heavy Dunhills, but one I actually like. I've never been a fan of Dunhill tobaccos and I don't know why. Something about them irritates me a little. The Astley's english blends seem to offer me similar emphasis on well-proportioned blending without whatever it is that bothers me about the Dunhills. (I really can't easily articulate it; I've only ever noticed it with Dunhill tobacco. Perhaps it is a body chemistry thing-- who knows.)

I don't give 'highly recommended' to many blends and this isn't one of them, perhaps because I tend to prefer Virginia blends. However, to my tastes, this is among the best, if not the best, medium to full English that I've ever tried.

Latakia heavy? Perhaps, but in a way that soothes rather than irritates. I'm not sure what the bonus leaf is in this blend, but it is of fine quality. Perhaps it is some sort of Turkish leaf that produces a natural flavor enhancer for the Latakia.

I do not smoke this regularly because I do not enjoy Latakia on a regular basis. But, this stuff might just make a Latakia lover out of me yet.

Very highly appreciated!