Astley's No.2 Virginia Mixture

Upon opening the tin I smelled dried apples and figs, it packed easy and lit well. The peppery flavor of the Perique hit me on the first few bowls but then subsided and I haven't noticed it in several bowls hence. I am a great admirer of Virginia and Perique blends and count Dorisco Mixture as one of my all time favorite blends.

The best way to describe #2's flavor is to cut Haddo's Delight 50/50 with Old Gowrie. Astley's #2 is a good solid VaPer blend, I have finished the tin and would smoke more, but I wouldn't buy more. This blend is just too middle of the road to keep in my cabinet, I have already found too many great tobaccos to settle for O.K.

Astley's No 2. is one of the more robust vapers I've tried. The tin aroma is redolent of its blender, KohlhaseKopp, in its organic sweetness. Dried apples comes to mind with this particular blend. As for the smoke itself, the tang of the red Va's and the peppery tingle of perique are the predominant aspects. The perique runs the first few acts of the show, with the red va's and finally the lighter leaf increasing in presence toward the last half of the bowl. Not as subtle an interplay as some other vapers but still a most enjoyable smoke. My only real gripe is that it has a less than ideal moisture content, another Kohlhase trademark. It's a little too moist, which combined with its stringy ribbon cut makes for a relatively high-maintenance smoke. I tend to tear apart the tobacco into finer shreds and let it dry for an hour or so before I smoke it. However, with proper care, No. 2 is one of the better vapers out there. Recommended.

I found Astley?s #2 to be a pleasant, citrusy, fruity and lighter VA/PER blend that packs well and has good burning qualities. The perique will come to the fore from time to time but not in overabundance. Others have recommended this as an all day smoke. I don?t consider it as such. This tobacco will demand your attention. If given short shrift, ignore it and you puff too fast or smoke it too often on a daily basis, ?the nip? will sneak up on you in small steps. But perhaps my tongue is more sensitive than the tongues of the previous reviewers. An excellent tobacco nonetheless as are the other Astley blends that I have tried.

I rate this tobacco 7.5 out of 10.

Another in my tobacco trials of blends from pipe makers I respect, this one is a fully rubbed out but unusually uniform mixture of high quality, golden to reddish brown VAs + perique. I was packing a bowl after lunch and the fruity tin aroma was immmediately noticed and complimented by those sitting near me. Since I normally smoke true VA flakes, I intially had some difficulty with the high initial moisture content and/or my packing technique that caused numerous relights. With some drying and experience with a looser pack, the smoke improved. I found the taste on the tart side as opposed to the sweetness I normally prefer. Perhaps my taste buds have been scorched one too many times or the balance of this blend is so perfect, but I didn't appreciate the "subtle" contribution of the Perique as in a Solani 633 where it was much more dominant. Overall, an enjoyable smoke @ the right moment but a bit lite for my personal taste as an all day smoke.

Keep in mind that the 1st time I smoked this I had been smoking Escudo and Royal Navy Flake almost habitualy for several weeks.

Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a sour apple kind of fragrance.... ala MacBaren Va#1.

Upon 1st light, I caught the same sour apple.. citrus tang. Not acceptable at all!

As I reached past the 1st light or so the sour citrus tang disappeared and the smoke became more sweet Virginia. Upon reaching midpoint or just before, the perique came thru but very very lightly. Not what I was use to.

The Escudo that I had been smoking had really commanded in the perique department in such a way that anything less was somewhat drowned out.

This is a nice tobacco. Calm, lightly sweet and well balanced between the Va and the Perique. An every day; all day smoke. Burns good and clean.

Try this in the morning before the heavier stronger blends or stay away from the stronger blends for awhile before trying Astleys No.2

....If not, the Perique your looking for will be hard to find.

Ordered this by an mistake and was close to dump it when I opened the tin and got this fruit like perfumed smell in my nose. I decided anyway to give it a try and I must say I was VERY positive suprised about this tobacco. The taste is mild and contains a lot of interesting flavors and absolutly nothing perfumed here. I look forward to get to know this tobacco more in depth.

I am a huge VaPer fan, I had 3-4 kinds of VaPers at home and wanted something else, I couldn't find anything that would satisfy me at the momment and I gave a try to this blend. When I opened the tin and smelled the vinegar I was thinking that I had got something better then I had thought, as it reminded me of Butera Royal Golden Cake(witch had a stronger smell of vinegar). I still like BRGC more, but this is a blend that I can buy in my country so for sure I'll buy it more. A little stingy on the tongue but good tobacco. I couldn't detect any flavor which is also good for me. Perique content is very very low. Overall : a recommended tobacco for Virginia fans.

I have to say, I was supprised how much I enjoyed this tobacco. A fresh tin, a little moist - gave it a good hour to dry out some. Lit way easy, stayed lit as long as I cared to pay attention to it. The first 1/4 of the bowl is good. The last 3/4 bowl is where the action is. Holds on to the last puff. A excellent mild VAPER. Would be a good starting point for those wanting to try a VAPER - does not over power - a good smoke.

Upon opening this I smelled what appeared to be vinegar. Lots of vinegar. I was very much turned off at the start from this odd aroma, certainly not finding in it the complexities that other members have mentioned...

But I packed up a bowl anyways. Expecting a sour, hellish blend, I was relieved that the aroma didn't carry over to the flavor. Starts off almost fruity and then later into the bowl settles into a solid, high-quality Virginia flavor reminiscent - but different from - Scottish Cake, which is blended by the same company. It's a very good tobacco, I'm not giving it four stars primarily because of that original smell, and also because I like Scottish Cake a bit more.