Astley's No.109 Medium Flake
(3.24)
An excellent all day smoke for the Virginia lover. Mild and mellow mixture.
Notes: Originally blended in England.
Details
| Brand | Astley's |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | Kohlhase & Kopp |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.24 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 05, 2013 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I am a big fan of well-aged Virginia's and VaPers. I wasn't bowled over with excitement by my first experience with #109. Having stowed away the second of two tins for several years, I decided to revisit it since it has garnered a lot of positive reviews. The aged, darkened flakes smelled of the usual raison, fig and hay scent that comes from an aged Virginia blend. #109 offed some sweetness, but not as much as I expected. Astley's #109 smoked with a nice balanced flavor, but it bit me. I seldom get tongue bite and so I soldered on with different pipes, different cadence and packing methods, but I just couldn't get past the bite. I guess it is just a body chemistry thing, but it is what keeps me from rating it higher. It is worth a try for Virginia lovers, but not one I will personally be buying again.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2022 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
Not very good. I’ve tried this at various times and always had the same opinion, which is that this blend is nothing special at all. I know that quite a few people enjoy it and fair play to them. Occasionally, there is the hint of a grassy undertone, but it disappears almost as soon as the smoker notices it and is replaced by nothing. I suppose it’s okay if you just want to stick something in your pipe to smoke and don’t really care what it is. If you are looking for something with more depth and nuance try something else.
Pipe Used:
Zulu, Bent Pot, Billiard, Corn Cob
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking pipes
Age When Smoked:
Five years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2015 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
This of brown sugar aroma is very strong and sweet. It was not a bad feeling, a lot of other good tobacco. If you love sweet, it is accept.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Aran
PurchasedFrom:
PipeStory Eunpyeong, Seoul, Korea.
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 29, 2009 | Mild | Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
This is a fine Va, Flake. You can tell quality leaf is used. Nice flakes, soft and fine in texture compared to some. Topping is present and quite noticeable. Less so if it is allowed to air out some. Recent tins do not display the same quality and flavor as the past. Still a good tobacco, just not an "Oh, boy!" or a "Wow".
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 18, 2004 | Mild | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
After much reflection on this blend and a full 50 g. tin I just don't get this blend. I don not dislike it, and I certainly love VA's, and am partial to them in fact. It reminded me of Marlin Flake in appearance, but the smoke that it renders doesn't please me as much. I did not find any bite in the smoke despite, I might mention, that it was VERY moist in the tin. And come to think of it the tin note is delicious. I would like to come across a tin of this that has aged for 5 or 10 years, I imagine that would be a real treat, but as for this weed as sold and in all it's splendor I will not keep in my rotation, and haven't the patience to cellar on my own. I cannot say that this is not a great weed, for it has recieved much acclaim by many a respected reviewer, but it is not for me. Update, Astleys No. 109 Well I have stumbled across another tin of this weed. As chance would have it I took this as an opportunity to uncover secrets that I had not previously found. I failed. I wonder if this blend is if the sorts that will open up and smooth out with age. Perhaps what I look for in a Virginia blend is different than other connoisseurs, but I feel that with such splendors as Marlin Flake, Full Virginia Flake, and Light Flake that this weed does not sound a resonance that holds its own.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 04, 2004 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
September 2004
No. 109 is a very mild Virginia blend, and I did like the touch of sweetness that I haven't seen in a lot of other Virginias. However, it simply did not pack enough punch for me. Give me some Perique with my Virginia flake, please! The "Mild and Mellow" descriptor on the tin is definitely accurate. I did like the sweet and sour tin aroma, and the flake cut was beautiful.
No. 109 is a very mild Virginia blend, and I did like the touch of sweetness that I haven't seen in a lot of other Virginias. However, it simply did not pack enough punch for me. Give me some Perique with my Virginia flake, please! The "Mild and Mellow" descriptor on the tin is definitely accurate. I did like the sweet and sour tin aroma, and the flake cut was beautiful.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 01, 2004 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I purchased this based upon the reviews and it's not bad but I had a hard time keeping it lit. It also stayed moist for the longest time without any help. The tin aroma has almost a fermented grape like essence and the flavor does have a Lea and Perrins note. Another thing you'll notice when smoking 109 is a beefy/meaty taste really nice.
I finally got it to work one time and it was great but these moments are far and few. Maybe my tin was too young, I have another one aging and will update this review when I pop that one open.
I finally got it to work one time and it was great but these moments are far and few. Maybe my tin was too young, I have another one aging and will update this review when I pop that one open.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 30, 2003 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Another good broken Virginia flake, ruined by too much casing. Opening the tin the tobacco looks like Marlin Flake,but smells like a candy factory. The tobacco isn't bad by no means,it's actually good,but not what I expected it to be. The casing I expect to be Licorice,and something else,not sure. My taste buds didn't like this one.I'll give it another chance and report back down the road.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 02, 2003 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I'm not sure if I got a bad tin or what, but I had problems with tongue bite. I let the tin dry out thoroughly before smoking it, and still it had some nip. I had to really watch my smoking technique to enjoy this, and I smoke VA flakes all the time! That said, this is a pleasant flake with some complexity to it. It did remind me of Marlin Flake in a muted sort of way. Personally I like a little more taste in my Virginia. Oh well, to each his own. For the price I doubt I'll buy another tin, although I just might if the "bad batch" theory seems to carry any merit. In the meantime I will stick with Marlin, or No. 27.
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