Astley's No.44 Dark Virginia Flake

This stuff is good! Like Tantric, I found Astley's #44 to be remarkably similiar to Rattray's Hal O the Wynd. But, the square cut flakes rubbed out beautifully for me while Tantric found the rub out to be a chore. Perhaps my tin had more age to it and the flakes were drier.

Unlike Astley's #109, which I found to be lacking in the flavor department, #44 is much richer and boasts a nicotine wallop worth seeking. Not as elegant as Hal O the Wynd, but still a gratifying smoke.

This is a dark Virginia, pressed with a bit of bright. No tangy smell or citrus flavor here. Just a straight forward tobacco taste. I am sure this blend will age beautifully. So, I will be making room for several tins in my cellar.

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!

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.

The third of my Virginia-samples from my last visit to my local tobacco specialist, has some of the unmistakable lavashak aromas, albeit a tad darker than its cousins.

It is neatly presented, of beautiful dark colours, and perfect moisture. It lights easily, and though it has some fruity sourness, mine is from its general dark fruitiness, than that of citrus. It is not as fruity as other Vas, though, making room for some earthy notes and a touch of spiciness. I find this particular tobacco to respond especially kindly to cube cutting, leaving for of a marzipan aftertaste, than that of its dry fruitiness when folded. Interesting. As Jim notes, it is not overly complex, but still a decent smoke.

First of all... I'm not a newbie. I joined TRs about ten years ago & have sampled about seventy different blends... just rejoined & changed my handle. For some reason, I began getting too many "run time" error messages & the time I spent on reviews was wasted. So far, so good. Now... this review is based on a tin that was packaged in 2012. I purchased two of them & gave one to a friend. The tin note was nothing more than a pure tobacco aroma. It was a very dark brown like Irish Flake in color & still extremely moist & had bled through the white, plastic coated paper on top of the squared flakes which were tightly packed in a mound within the center of the tin.

So, the first thing I did was break up all the flakes, fluffed them up & dried them out within the open tin for half a day. After that, it was still plenty moist. At this point, I removed enough for a couple of bowlfuls & resealed the tin. After rubbing it out & removing a few small stems, I continued the drying process by spreading out a bowlful amount on a sheet of plastic coated pasteboard for another hour or so & it was just about right. I could have dried it out over the stove but wanted to allow mother nature to facilitate the process. A short while later this minimal amount of tobacco finally reached the slight crispy state necessary for stoking a pipe bowl. At the charring light I tasted a very slight bitterness but it subsided as some of it burned off. As most of you already know, Virginia tobacco is best served up in a deeper bowl. I suspect General Macarthur knew of VA characteristics. Anyway, I used the DGT method in a clean GBD Virgin Billiard - size three bowl about 1 3/8" deep on a second trial run to be sure I'd get the truest, purest, natural flavor from #44.

About halfway through the bowl is when you can expect the best flavor from this & most other straight Virginias. Lacking a well trained palate, I can't note much about the fresh cut hay & grass, lemony citrus, or mild sweet reds, wood, graham crackers, fresh baked bread & butter, toast & jam, plum/prunes, figs, raisins, glazed donuts, grandma's biscuits, nuts & bolts, earth, wind & fire, etc., but I did manage to taste the flavor of tobacco... how strange! A straight up VA with a little sweetness that developed about mid bowl. This blend seemed to burn a little hot and bit a little. It required a number of relights as I had to let it sit & cool on several occasions. I wouldn't classify this as a great VA & it wasn't a total, blockbuster bell-ringer for me but it is a pretty good smoke & doesn't produce much condensation if dried to the proper moisture level.

The bowl was dry when the dottle was emptied. This, as stated earlier was my second trial run with #44 & it seemed a little smoother but actually, very little had changed. As it stands right now, the way I see it & what I've experienced, even with six years of age, Astley's No. 44 only merits three stars which ain't bad. I'll refrain from purchasing another tin however, until Astley can find a means of producing a little more sweetness & a little less bite from this mixture as I contend there are many more straight VAs that exceed the quality of No. 44... but that's just me & I respect those who've rated it highly as we all understand taste is subjective & a particular pipe might make a considerable amount of difference. Final evaluation... didn't like it well enough to purchase another. Thanks for your "interest?" in my review.

This review is based on a tin that was produced & packaged in 2012. I purchased two of them & gave one to a friend. The tobacco was dark brown with a very minimal amount of light strands. There was still plenty of moisture in the mixture which had bled through the white, plastic coated paper on top of the squared flakes which were tightly packed in a mound within the center of the tin. So, the first thing I did was break up all the flakes, fluffed them up & dried them out within the open tin for half a day. After that, it was still plenty moist. At this point, I removed enough for a couple of bowlfuls & resealed the tin.

After rubbing it out & removing a few small stems, I continued the drying process by spreading the tobacco out on a sheet of plastic coated pasteboard for another hour or so & it was just about right. I could have dried it out over the stove or in the microwave but wanted to allow mother nature to facilitate the drying process. A short while later this minimal amount of tobacco finally reached the slight crispy state necessary for stoking a pipe bowl. At the charring light I barely tasted any bitterness & this tobacco became sweeter as some of it burned off. As most of you already know, Virginia tobacco is best served up in a deeper bowl because the flavor & sweetness progresses somewhat after being puffed a while. I suspect General Macarthur knew of VA characteristics. Anyway, I used the DGT method in a clean meerschaum - size two bowl about 1 1/2" deep on this trial run to be sure I'd get the truest, purest, natural flavor from #44.

About halfway through the bowl is when you can expect the best flavor from this & most other straight Virginias. Lacking a well trained palate, I can't note much about the fresh cut hay, grass, lemony citrus, or mild, sweet reds, wood, graham crackers, toast, fresh baked bread & butter, grandma's biscuits, nuts & bolts, "earth, wind & fire," etc., but I did manage to taste the flavor of tobacco... a straight up VA with a little sweetness. Like many VA blends, it will bite a little if puffed on too hard & fast. It stays lit fairly well & has a medium burn rate. I wouldn't classify it as a great VA & it wasn't a total blockbuster bell-ringer for me but it is a pretty good smoke & doesn't produce much moisture... I had to swab the stem a couple of times to remove a little. The bowl was dry when the dottle was emptied. This blend may become better after some more airing. As it stands right now, the way I see it & what I've experienced, even with six years of age, Astley's No. 44 only merits three stars which ain't bad. I'll refrain from purchasing another tin until Astley can find a means of producing a little more sweetness from this mixture.

---

This is a very good tobacco but I feel it needs to be smoked in flake form, or at least rubbed out extremely lightly, in order for it to smoke slowly enough for my tastes. Fully rubbed out, it burns too quickly and can be a bit on the harsh side. Thankfully the flakes are well suited to a fold-and-stuff, so this is not a major problem. I take a two or three flakes (depending on bowl size), form them into a plug and stuff them into the pipe with a small air pocket at the base of the bowl. (For those unaware of this packing method, here's a good tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aMkJvE-Glw). With that method, I get a very enjoyable smoke.

As others have said, I don't think this is a particularly dark or rich VA. It's not a bright-VA experience either, but I'd say that it is a solid medium on the VA richness scale.

Darkly mottled broken flake, the tin reviewed is from 2008.

Tin aroma: Appetizing, lightly fruity, hay and earthiness.

As all K&K mixtures, it burns very well.

At the match: bright elements, tangy (lemon grass?).

Settles quickly to a creamy nuttiness (Kentucky burley?) with some depth, yet still allowing a fruitiness in the nose/sidestream.

Mid-bowl develops more depth and a rich earthiness. A fine blend of quality tobaccoes... The slower the burn the richer the spectrum of flavors and the fuller the body.

Producing copius amounts of smoke, this is a mouthful, truly a rich dark virginia flake. Recommended!