Astley's No.44 Dark Virginia Flake

Popped open a tin I just received from an online shop. It smelled like fermented fruit, citrus, a bit of hay and some earth. The molted flakes/cake appeared to have stained the paper it is wrapped in...awesome! I didn't really see any flakes that were easy to separate, instead it was a tightly packed group of flakes that made one cake. I was able to pull some of the medium to light brown flakes from the cake though.

Easy to load and at already perfect moisture right from the tin. It lights easily and stays lit with light, but firm, tamping. This tobacco behaves very well.

I got lots of thick creamy smoke that was very flavorful. Lots of fruit, dark fruit (plum) balanced perfectly by citrus notes that lean more towards orange than lemon/lime. A bit of hay, but just a touch, mixed with bread and slight earth flavors. Excellent smoke. The flavors and sweetness seem to be naturally occurring rather than from some topping. I could see this becoming a favorite and easily an all day smoke. It reminded me of another flake, almost to the 'T', except I couldn't quite put my finger on which one. It reminds me a lot of Germain's Medium Flake, but not as dark or strong. It also reminded me of Reiner's Long Golden Flake, but the flavor profile was a bit deeper and richer. Wonderful stuff!!!

One of the best of its class. Meaning dark virginia flake...i.e. stoved Virginias. Butera's dark flake is close to this in quality and taste. Wessex (same producer) is also close in their campaign brigade flake. its easy to see the comparisons to several different McClelland flakes, too....notably Blackwoods Flake. There is not a lot to separate them all, honestly. I rate all of them very high. Im fond of the Wessex....which like astley's 44, has a subtle casing...very very subtle. It needs a bit of dry time....but not much. The flavor is pungent but sweet...like Butera's. There is very minor spice notes. It also bears comparison to Gawith's FVF...which is a tad different in composition I suspect and a bit less stoved for sure. This is purist material...for Virginia lovers (of which I am one). Works in a variety of pipe shapes....but seems suited to chimneys....i have a castello..,.old old one that is built for this stuff. Highly reccomended.

Oh wow, this is nice, a fermented, sweet, strong, Virginia, can you say, "Full Virginia Flake". Well that's what this reminds me of, I would have a hard time telling them apart. Although , this also does have some similarities to Marlin Flake and #44 has that taste like, "there might be some Perique hidden in here". My only criticism is this is too flavorful !, maybe cloying from its richness, I find myself wishing the pipeful was over, hard to explain, but I get the same feelings when I smoke GLP Quite Nights, McC's Dark Star, ( totally different types of blends) I love them, but not in a large bowl, too much of a good thing !. Half way through the pipe I have to say, "enough". NOT an all day smoke for me but a great rich smoke once in a while.

I agree with reviewer "rogermugs" that this is powerful "N" . As a 40 year reformed "Pall Mall" cigarette smoker, I know about "N". I really would like to know from all the reviews rating this as "Medium" strength ,what tobacco would be considered a "Strong". I could use some of that at times!

No.44 is a dark, plain Jane VA. Now I have to say that's saying a good deal since I'm not a straight VA fan. There are quite a few VAs out there that share this taste profile and its good, just very singular in its flavor and will not hold my attention for very long. If you like your VAs straight, then pick some of this up and give it a poke. No tongue bite, burned well enough, not too shabby.

This Virginia is not the soft, bready variety; but rather, the zesty, piquant, and racy leaf that I would call "sharp". While it stops short of being "hot" or sassy, I recommend avoiding an aggressive charring light and then slow sipping to keep its grassy character in check. It is deliciously sweet, and some attentive smoking will reward you with nuanced flavor and complexity. I think it is among the better Virginia flakes on the market.

This is one of my favorite Va's, and my favorite straight Va from K&K.

The best way to describe this one to someone by comparing it to another tobacco is to say it's in the same zip code as Marlin Flake. Unlike MF this one is a straight Va, so you get no spicy/smoky notes. The sweetness here is also better to my palate, more natural and doesn't quite draw attention to itself but at the same time occurs more readily. It definitely has that oat-y honey to it. This one also has a first rate tobacco satisfaction quotient. The nicotine is adequate, but there is just something here that scratches the tobacco itch. Top notch tobacco with plenty of Va sugar, this one is one of my very favorite tobaccos.

The only Va's I would prefer over this one and it's cousin Marlin Flake are BBF and FVF. Really excellent tobacco.

There has been some talk on the forums about this not being as good as it once was. I have sampled tins from 2014 and 2018, both tins had about three years on them when opened, and didn’t notice much of a difference. But I don’t claim to be a true aficionado of dark Virginia Flakes, as my primary focus is mostly Balkans and hearty Burley blends. I do have another unopened tin of Astley 44 from 2014 that I will open next year when it hits its tenth birthday, and if the Heavens open before me I’ll be sure to update this review!

With both tins at about three years of age I found the smoking experience rewarding, and for dark Virginias that are three years or younger, I have enjoyed Astley’s more than Dunhill Flake (which seems to take a little longer to show its full potential). I also prefer the flavor profile to Wessex Campaign Dark Flake. With both tins of Astley 44 I got a tin/jar note of dried fruits (raisin and dates) that also showed up on the retrohale. Fold and stuff in a tall bowl emphasizes the dried fruit; finely rubbed out in a normal bowl seems to bring out more coriander spice on the retrohale, probably from a slightly quicker burn rate. The basic taste reminds me of Roman Meal bread (flashback to the 70s!)

Leaves a pleasant aftertaste, no small point for me since I dislike blends that leave a taste in my mouth like I’ve smoked a cigarette or cigar. Overall: mellow and bready but the piquant nuances of anise and coriander are especially satisfying with long, slow retrohale. As I said, dark Virginia Flakes are not a mainstay of my rotation, and honestly I use most of them for various blending projects. I’m waiting for my single tin of Astley 109 to hit five years of age, meanwhile, among Virginias, my four-star favorites are well-aged (5+ years) Reiner Gold and Solani Silver. I guess the Bronze Medal would go to Amphora Virginia, which makes a pleasant summer smoke. Just my two cents worth.

Astleys No 44 - This is a dark full Virginia Flake as advertised. A bready earthy fruity blend . Barely any grassy or citrus notes that I noticed . Enough sweetness and nicotine to satisfy but not too strong . One of the better straight Virginias out there . It may have a little sweet casing but I couldn’t tell you what. It has a flavor similar to molasses or licorice when you get about half way down the bowl but could just be the tobaccos . It is well done IMO . This is worth a few tins for the cellar . Very enjoyable. 4

When I first had this, 9 years or so, I fell head over heals in love. At first sight of the small flakes that was agrigated into a plug I knew I was in for a treat. The charring light was enough to get the perfectly moist baccy ablaze. I was treated to a sweet, bready, and creamy taste sprinkled w a spattering of hay. The bowl maintained flavor the way through. I called my tobacconist and tried to get more, then I was heart broken when he told me how difficult it is to find. I managed to get 3 tins in the last 8 years. 4 stars!!!

Untill yesterday.

It's blended by someone else now, and not very well, Upon opening the tin my heart sank. The small flakes were no more. We now have large dunhill style flakes. A bit darker than DH And not brownish like i remember. "Well here goes nothing" I muttered as I lit up. And I was right, nothing. Nothing I remember at least. No sweet bready molasses creamy smoke. Just hot hay w a bad after taste. "It must be this pipe" I nervously said to no one. I learned long ago that baccy taste diff w almost every pipe. So I loaded up the falcon which I enjoyed w no.44 before on more than a few occasions. Que sad trumpet " whaaa whaaa whaaa" theses guys and gals at K and K took gold and made dog poop out of it. And I got 4 tins to deal w. I'll trade 3 and let my open one think long and hard what it wants to do w it's life in solitary confinement. Maybe that will straighten it's ass out.