Astley's No.2 Virginia Mixture

Nice mixture of very light to moderately dark VA's - tastes like a fair amount of lemon and orange with perhaps a pinch or red, and just a touch of perique for spice. The perique saves this one from having too heavy of a leaning towards high notes for me. This is a pleasant smoking, very delicately top-noted natural VaPer with the emphasis on the Va. Ribbon cut for easy loading and cool smoking with a minimum of relights.

This misses a 4th star due to its mildness (I typically like a bit of oomph to my blends) and it's somewhat mild tendency toward tongue sizzle. I didn't find it too bitey but it was definitely headed in that direction and I had to slow down my puffing cadence to less-than-normal levels for me. Slow puffers who like a light, mild, natural VaPer should definitely check this one out. I'm not sure what to make of the reviewers that found this too heavily flavored, as I found this to be true to the spirit of the VaPer recipe... but I would recommend you try it to see where it lands for you. I'm going to pick up a few more tins for summer smoking, as it strikes me as a nice one for warmer weather.

Astley's, No.2: A Slightly Sweet VaPer with a Hint of a Baking-Spice

The tin note smells of fermented fruit. The Virginia varietals are a mixture of darker and bright leafs. They are quite sweet and a little grassy, with not much body. The perique is not really spicy but leans towards the plummy side of the spectrum. There is a hint of a baking spice, but I cannot figure out which one. All together, the smoke is quite pleasant. It reminds me of a slightly drabber version of Esoterica Dunbar.

At first light, it is clear that the mixture of Virginias are at the forefront of the blend. The Virginias are mostly bright with some brown ribbons. They are sweet, grassy, and slightly tangy. I do not agree with the tin description that the perique is powerful. There are some dark brown perique ribbons in the blend, but they do not dominate the smoke. The perique offers some crisp cucumber sour/tangy flavors but little spice. There is little chance of bite, though the moisture a little damp straight out of the tin. Overall, Astley's No.2 is a decent Virginia forward va/per, though nothing really helps this blend stand out amongst similar blends.

Astley’s no. 2 mixture reminds me a little of a toned down and less sweet version of Esoterica Dunbar. However, I find Dunbar to be more complex and superior in every way.

I absolutely love the way astley's does virginias... in my opinion they often get overlooked and overshadowed by companies like Dunhill.. #2 throws in a light but pleasant addition of perique... just right.. smokes cool.. a true medium smoke... the Virginia's are warm and earthy.. this is an all day smoke. If you like rattray's wonderful holy trinity, and you enjoy McConnell's offerings give this one a try... definitely similar yet has enough going on to stand on its own. Gonna age some. As an added note- what a great morning smoke... beautiful light lifting smoke... very gentle perique maybe a slight but well placed topping.. a gentle yet invigorating smoke.

Update! Boy oh boy is there a casing/topping on this.. some say clove.. may be true.. my overall perception and maybe it's how the flavoring tastes with the tobacco... almost honeydew melon meets candied lime (or sweet green apple?) flavoring.. very odd.. but subtle enough.. some say it's a closeted aromatic.. I just think it works..

I have often seen the word "subtle" used to describe tobaccos that seem thin, etheral, wispy, and generally just not there. In this case, "subtle" is a good beginning adjective for this fine Virginia-Perique from Astley's. "Enigmatic" might be an even better word, as I find this tobacco wonderfully mutable and varied the more I smoke it.

At the top of the bowl, the spiciness of the Perique is the main attraction, but as the bowl progresses, the tastes deepen and alternate between a mellow sweetness and a richer, meatier taste. I smoked four tins of this tobacco before writing this review and I can honestly say the taste has never bored me and I always look forward to the next bowl. Nor do I think I've done service to the complexity of this particular blend.

For a Virginia-Perique, the blend is relatively bite-free, although it will nip you if you mistreat it. I find it works well for a working smoke but really shines when you have the opportunity to pay more attention to it.

If you like heavier, more nicotine-laden smokes, this won't work for you. Otherwise, I'd say you should give this blend a try. It has become a "go-to" daytime smoke for me, knocking several worthy tobaccos lower in my rotation.

Thanks to Bear Graves for turning me on to this fine blend.

9/21/05--Downgrading my previous rating a notch b/c after smoking a lot of this blend, I find that I enjoy McClelland 2015 just as much, if not more. No. 2 is a fine achievement, but aged 2015 is better, to my tastes, than aged No. 2, and much cheaper.

A very good tobacco. IMO, almost identical to Esoterica?s Dorchester. Fruity to an almost pungent extent, and captivatingly piquant, its Virginia leaf is perhaps of a less sugary variety, and the Perique a tad stronger. Other than that I don?t see any major difference. It belongs in the same category with Solani?s 633 and Peterson?s Irish Oak.

Though I find it to be of supreme quality, my love affair with this type of Va/Perique blends is still on the making, so I much prefer Astleys? straight Virginia range (N°44 in particular).

The tin note is grassy with the smell of sweet condiment. It tastes condimental as well but the sweetness of Virginis is present. It is also spicy down the bowl. I would prefer a neutral Virginia but this one is not bad at all.

Once the tin opens a very sweet topping wich i cannot identify comes out.a deeper smell reveals some citruses accompanied from some plum notes.the blend texture is nice packs well,though some serius drying is needed because it's very moist.lights easy with a few relights needed through the process.while burning the virginias are the main player offering cituses.grass,dark friuts and lots of lemon notes.perique is added in small amount though it makes the difference.plum ,spices and some fig notes are working well with the virginias.the topping wich is nice is there from the beginning till the end doesn't fit the other compoments all the time because it makes the flavour sweeter than needed and some times makes the flavours one dimentional.burns fast and medium hot to perfect ash with a few moisture being created at the fliter.the nicotine level is medium and the room note pleasant.if smoked peacefully no tongue bite appaers.generally this is a pleasant alla day smoke but not something unique.though i am a va/per lover i was not as pleased as i expected from this blend.

I’m a big fan of Astley’s No. 44 and not a fan of No. 109. Astley’s No.2 falls squarely in the middle for me. No. 2 is light, in flavor, slightly sour in a good way and sweet. The perique is lightly added and should be enjoyable for those that prefer the lighter side of Vapers. The tanginess from the red Virginias is apparent, but not overwhelming. Unlike No. 109, I detected no bite from No. 2 that others have mentioned, but my tins are well aged so that could be a possible reason. There is a topping on this blend that I would describe as a little more than extremely mild. It’s very straightforward and isn’t a tobacco that offers much in the way of the complexity. Mild to medium in strength, No. 2 is pleasantly light and I have wondered how differently it would have presented itself had it been pressed?