Astley's No.2 Virginia Mixture

Right off the bat, I'd like to admit that the Astley's range of tobacco has become one of my favorites. They have a line of tobaccos that, IMNSHO, is only matched by the "House of Pease" in consistency throughout it's entire line. Astley's # 2 is their Virginia/ Perique representative in the market place. Tin appearance: 50g gold colored tin a la Dunhill or Mac Baren, emerald green label with gold and white block lettering. Tobacco appearance, and fragrance: Fully rubbed ribbon, dappled dark blonde and light reddish brown tobacco, uniform cut. Scent has natural Va characteristics with unusual elements of mandarin. The Perique contributes a bit of fig, but not much. Unlike most of the other Astley offerings, this does have some acetic acid aspects, but comes off as a soft balsamic, not as catsup. Moisture content: Right out of the tin, a little moist. I let it dry for about a half an hour . Packs very well, it likes it a bit on the loose side. Stevie Ray Vaughn's "The Sky is Crying" on the noble Nakamichi....... let's rock! Flame touches weed releasing a very well balanced, smooth and interesting smoke. The upper olfactory registers tart elements of a lemon va (maybe about 10% of the overall note) spliced with mild pepper from the Perique. Anchoring the top notes, a solid, slightly nutty, slightly woody, and sweet center and bottom that I like in Red Va's. On a scale of 1-10, I'd say the strength would come in between 4-5. Mid bowl: Burns very well. Due to the cut and pack, the mid bowl came pretty quickly. The tartness of the lemon leaf has disappeared, leaving a subdued citrus dancing (no longer mandarin, more lime) on the top third, and the pepper slightly more dominant. In addition, there is a bit of a salty aspect that I find (and like) in the Schurch range. End bowl: Unlike some of the other Astleys, there is more fight in this one, at the end. The burn is still excellent, the fragrance and taste showing some earth to it. If you are the type of person who will just about attach a roach clip to the end of a cigar that you are really enjoying, or really get into a zone at the end of a bowl, you'll love it. Summary: Solid offering in the Va/ Perique category, with medium strength and great burning characteristics. Would recommend this one late in the day, before that gang buster bowl at evenings end. Highly recommended, 8 out of 10 Bearclaws.

Bear

Well, to be honest, I used to smoke this very regularly...I have only recently rediscovered a past love and been reminded of why I liked it so much. This used to be my everyday smoke until Haddo's Delight by Greg Pease won that top spot in my rotation. I've had an open tin for quite some time and recently started smoking it more frequently again. It is an ideal morning smoke, a little something to warm up the tastebuds before I start smoking heavier Va/Perique blends such as Haddo's and Escudo.

The Perique most definitely does not overwhelm the Virginias; complementing rather than predominating, the Perique holds the blend together rather than imparting considerable flavor (though it is very much detectable). The lighter Virginias offer a distinctly citrusy note-- really more tart than sweet. This combines nicely with the slight sweetness imparted by the darker Virginias. The blend ostensibly contains "red and gold Virginias", but really the golden Virginias seem lighter than that, moving in the lemon Virginia or Carolina belt ribbon classes (of course, I'm disagreeing with the label based on subjective taste: your mileage may vary).

All in all, a superb morning smoke or a fantastic biteless all day smoke for the lover of lighter Va/Perique blends.

Astleys: "No.2 Mixture - Blend of Virginias" is an interesting blend of virginia and perique tobaccos .

Red and golden virginias finally cut in ribbon form with addition of perique. The scent when I opened the tin was the gentle aroma of raisins, figs and straw, typical natural aromas in blends in which virginia has the main role.

The ideal humidity level makes easy to light and to maintain lit the tobacco for a long smoke in the pipe .

By lighting the tobacco, the sovereignty of virginia tobacco takes the lead, light and nice aromatic. The flavors and aromas little by little are beginning to emerge. I felt "light-hearted" tasting notes of citrus, lemon, straw, and a sense of wood, always also feeling a slight sweetness, a result of the good quality virginia tobaccos in the blend. The perique appears also as the second "player", to make a successful and tasty contrast in virginia with its characteristic peppery taste.

It is light to medium in nicotine strength and it is soft and gentle to the tongue, oral and nasal cavity. It is a tobacco that can be smoked comfortable throughout the day, from the first morning coffee until after supper dinner. It leaves the bowl of the pipe without any wet or liquids and it does not dirt very much the pipe filter. The fragrance that leaves in close areas is pleasing.

I smoked the specific tobacco in many kinds of pipes filtered and unfiltered, made ​​of briar, corn cob, olive wood, pear wood and lined meerschaum. A pleasant smoking in all pipes and by smoking it in corn cobs it made it even more delicious and delightful!

I consider it a very good choice as an introduction to the Va / Per blends.

In conclusion, a remarkable and great Va / Per smoke, who does not tire and does not trouble the pipe smoker, but instead can be a companion to a relaxing and delicious pipe smoking enjoyment.

Highly Recommended!

I really like this one. The first thing I notice on lighting is a touch of anise in the casing. Stays throughout the smoke. The Virginias lead with nice sweet and tangy notes of citrus, grass and darker fruits. The Perique has nearly a medium presence providing more dark fruit and just enough spice to give a good tingle on the retrohale. There is a nice sweet and sour thing going on between the two components. Gets just a little spicier with a touch of earth in the second half providing some evolution. A very pleasant smoke.

Medium in body and taste. Flavoring is extremely mild. Burn is near perfect.

Astley's - No.2 Virginia Mixture.

It makes a change, a VaPer where the Perique doesn't kick your teeth in!

When I cracked this open, I wasn't aware it were a VaPer. Call me an idiot, but from reading the label, No.2 Blend of Virginia's, I thought it would be a blend of Virginia's! But, like I said, the Perique doesn't give me a thrashing of spice: what we have here is a smoke that's predominately Virginia sweetness with a subtle character brought by the Perique. This slight piquancy doesn't have much depth, it's not plummy, or really sharp, it's just a slight amelioration. The higher proportion of the flavour belongs to the Virginia: now, this is fruity, lively, and ultimately of a very high quality. Due to the ribbons being quite coarse, it burns fairly slow and gives off a cool smoke. Another thing that differs for a VaPer is the nicotine. Normally, this type of blend can carry a large punch of N, but this struggles to get much above medium.

This is a great VaPer: a little unusual, but spectacular nevertheless.

Highly recommended.

This is simply one of my favorite blends. The Virginias and Perique come together and produce a wonderful and destinctive flavor that must be experienced to be believed. The taste is natural, sweet, a little peppery, and totally balanced and never dull. Right down to the bottom of the bowl it is superb. Everything from the ribbon cut, the magnificent tin aroma, the moisture level, to the uniform burn and room note leave nothing more to be desired except for having another bowl without delay. Highest Recommendation to all those who enjoy the taste of tobacco.

Tin note of ketchup, dark fruit and spices. Tobacco is a ready rub of tan, light brown and brown with a little dark brown mixed in. Moisture content is ok. Some pipe smokers will want to dry it a bit. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is mild to medium and very consistent, with notes of ripe dark plum, tangy raisin, sugar, musty vegetation, bread, spices, floral, wood, tart citrus, savory, grass/hay, rich earth, acidic, a zesty tangy orange peel background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Perique supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

This is very tasty. It has that tang I love in VA's, and there's a distinct bergamot flavor that I like that kind of dies down to a sort of a tangerine-esque taste towards the end of the bowl. I could easily smoke this all day, (but I don't smoke a pipe all day, and probably wouldn't smoke one all day). There's little to no nicotine hit, and this is just all-in-all a nice, clean, tangy smoke. It *WILL* bite you if you don't show it respect. I'm guessing you'll enjoy this most the first 3/4 of the bowl. It got a little wet on me towards the end, but that was no big deal.

Good stuff!

DJM

This is the third Astleys blend I have tried. I have to say it is the one I like the best. Although each of their tobaccos has been excellent. This one is a Va/Perique blend and is superb. Very enjoyable, burns cleanly, has a nice spicy note to it and the flavor is very good. Compared to other Va/Perique blends, Escudo and Haddo's Delight for instance this one ranks up there with Haddo's. If you are looking for something really good and this could easily be an all day smoke, pick this one up and give it a whirl. I am now coming back to this review after having finished my tin and I like it even more now . This makes a wonderful smoke early in the AM, as well as all day long. 4 stars.