Astley's No.1 Medium Latakia Mixture

Between this and Astley's #99, almost all of my need for English type blends is satisfied. Astley's #1 is unquestionably my favorite mild to medium English and the perfect latakia blend for a Virginia and Va/Perique smoker such as I.

Perhaps the most appealing characteristic is the way that the Latakia does not overly dominate the blend. The combination of that earthy, smokey character that Latakia imparts, mild sweetness from the predominant Virginias and nutty, mildy sweet flavor from the black cavendish (it isn't overly sweet though-- more like the washed black cavendish used by Greg Pease or Craig Tarler than the sweeter cavendishes used by other firms-- perhaps the proportion isn't just that great. Not sure, but don't let the black cavendish turn you off as it would me had I not tried the blend).

All round, a superbly balanced blend and a perfect English smoke for those that generally do not lean towards heavy proportions of latakia.

An interesting but restrained English with a fairly heavy reliance on British style (unflavoured) Cavendish. The Latakia is light but enough to smoke up the ripe-fruit Cavendish flavours. The base is an unassuming mixture of Virginias and Orientals but it’s hard for me to tease much apart from those components. Loose ribbon cut, easy to burn and handle. This blend won’t be everyone’s favourite but I think it will appeal to anyone who likes a lighter English or seeks a little twist on the every day standards. Recommended.

While it has Latakia and it is in the name not so much in the flavor of this blend. It is a really fine smoke but if your a Latakia lover like myself this simply falls considerably short in that category. This is a good smoke and has some flavor but if your looking for that big time smoky taste you will be a bit disappointed.

This is a good English blend with character. I didn't have any bad experience with this one. With that said, it's not perfect and it didn't blow me away. You could do a lot worse, but I'm still waiting to do a lot better.

This is a good English blend with character. I didn't have any bad experience with this one. With that said, it's not perfect and it didn't blow me away. You could do a lot worse, but I'm still waiting to do a lot better.

Interesting taste, turkish is there and I like it but I do not find the one thing highly interesting effect that I had found in the US tobaccos or Dunhill 965.

Astley's No. 1 is a tobacco you don't hear much about but is worth a try. It's basically a lighter English blend with a touch of what I assume to be cavendish. The result gives it a sweetish tone with a fine room note. A shag cut, it burns cooly down to a dry ash. Overall, a fine option for one looking for a fairly interesting, not overly complex, lighter English.

Tin note of smoky, sour and tart dark fruit. Tobacco is a mixed cut of black, brown, dark brown and tan. Moisture content is good. Some pipe smokers will want to dry it out a bit. Burns moderately slow with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and moderately consistent, with notes of smoky, floral, spices, toasted bread, sugar, musty herbal hay, earthy, wood, mild leather, mildly savory, mildly fermented sour, peaty vegetation, a mild citrus incense and dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Cavendish, Oriental/Turkish and Virginia supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.