Astley's No.55 Elizabethan

Like many ribbon cut Virginias,this should be smoked rather slowly or it may nip at your tongue. It burns very well and evenly, so smoking it slowly won't require many relights. The Virginias are grassy with a hint of dark fruit, a bit of citrus, and just little earth and tanginess. The citrus is rather subdued due in part to the light buttery taste of the tobacco. The nic hit is mild. The flavor is mostly consistent all the way through. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. The after taste is pleasant, but short lived. Is an all day, uncomplicated smoke.

-JimInks

I think Astley's #55 will be a much better tasting tobacco with 3-5 years of age to it. I recently purchased the full range of Astley's tobacco for my local pipe club's tobacco bar. This one really had me interested as I am quite the Virginia fan. I am also a fan of nicotine and full flavor. #55 is weak in both of those areas, but I highly recommend this tobacco to my briar brothers and sisters who tend to enjoy lighter fare.

This tobacco has a wonderful taste (somewhat sweet in a figgy, fermented sort of way,) but due to the mildness, I can see where one might puff too aggressively in order to get at the flavor, which might cause the smoker to lisp for a few days.

After having tried Astley's Dark Virginia Flake, I was eager to try a milder version. As it turns out, the darker version was far superior. Not too surprising for my tastes.

As others have mentioned, this is definitely not a "slightly rubbed out flake". This is a fine ribbon cut, almost a shag. Shags are temperamental when it comes to loading and they burn fast, and such was the case with this one. I had to slow down my puffing cadence to the point where I was not comfortable, and even then this one singed my tongue on a regular basis. Now, I'm not one to blame either tobacco or smoker for this phenomenon, as I believe it's simply a case of the chemical balances of smoker and tobacco being out of synch. But it severely limited my enjoyment of this blend. Further, I've never seen so many stems in a tin of tobacco, beyond St Bruno Ready Rubbed. It's cute in an OTC, but I find it annoying in a very expensive boutique blend.

Taste-wise, this is a very mild blend of golden virginias, but the flavor is subdued. I checked my notes on other blends because this reminded me of one - I think it's Esoterica Dorchester without the perique (flavor-wise). Interesting. However, this one dumbed down the flavor to the point where I asked myself why I continued when there are so many other excellent blends out there. I'm guessing this one has changed in taste since its changed blenders. Not a bad tobacco, but I was very disappointed in it after the excellence that is their Dark Virginia Flake.

Astley's - No.55 Elizabethan.

The review I've just posted was on a blend that would suit beginners well: James Barber Maryland. This would also suit beginners and those who want a mild but natural taste.

The tobacco's quite light brown in colour, and the moisture's very good. The nose from the tin isn't any surprise: a perfectly simple Virginia smell. The mix contains medium sized ribbons, without the inclusion of any broken flakes or chunky bits.

The flavour from the smoke is extremely simple: grassy, hay-like, Virginia. It's nice because although it has all the common Virginia attributes, it's milder than usual for a Va: there's no sharpness nor zestiness, as can sometimes be the case. I note how a few fellow reviewers find this a bit nippy, but to be honest it causes me no harm there! Once it's lit, it burns steadily, providing it's maintained with a tamp or two.

The nicotine's quite mild for a Virginia, more so than normal, and the room-note's very pleasant.

Although it won't be added to my rotation it's good quality so I'll still recommend it:

Three stars.

Yes, this is a lighter tobacco that will bite you if you hurry it, but if you'll let it dictate the pace, it will reward you with long, slow sips of delicious smoke that offer a surprising spectrum of flavors.

This tin is from 2008. It has aged well. In the tin: a hint of tree fruit (casing not top flavor) with grain and fresh Virginia grassiness. In the mouth: a fine play between sweet and savory elements.

In the nose (this is where it happens!): soft, delicious, captivating. Draw the smoke in again through the nose, or let it out through the nose. What a pleasure!

If you'll take some time with this one, smoke slowly, and follow its gentle lead, it will reward you with a wonderful and compelling smoke. This is one for times when you don't want to do anything but smoke your pipe and muse. It develops more depth as the bowl progresses, and although it is not particularly moist right out of the tin, a bit of drying produces a cooler and more flavorful smoke.

Although this is not by any means a nicotine threat, it may not be for the novice as it does require some skill to allow it to open up and show what it can do. On the other hand, if you are new to the pipe, this may be the very one to help you acquire that skill and learn how to get the very best out of a 'simple' Virginia.

But, having said that, even though this is delicious tobacco, it may require too much attention for many a pipesmoker. For this one it's a question of mood, time and place.

Taken on its own terms: highly recommended. Not taken on those terms: somewhat recommended. The average: three stars.

A touch of honey, a fair amount of hay, a mild spice. Pretty average as far as flavor goes. Burns quick and burns hot. It's not for me, but a slow, patient smoker might get some pleasure here.

Mild to medium in body and taste. No added flavoring. Burns like tinder.

I could taste this on the charring light, nice, very nice. A smooth easy going smoke, creamy and a decent flavour. I bought three tins of this and 109, based on the reviews, and I haven't been dissapointed K&K have done a good job of this one and number 55 will be added to the collection, if not permenant rotation.

The tin states "Slightly Rubbed out Flake", if this is slightly rubbed out, I dread to think of what there interpritation of "Rubbed Out" might be, the tobacco in the tin had the consistency of cigarette tobacco, (I can think of no greater insult) however, the smoke was superb, mild, light but with enough taste to keep one interested. This can be smoked from the first pipe through to late afternoon, or for that matter, whenever a change is required.

A fine quality tobacco, four stars

Zipadeedodahhh! This is a perky little smoke.. burns hot and fast! Slightly rubbed out flake!!! Really?? That's the shaggiest shag I've seen.. if I was judging on burning qualities alone this would be a one star smoke.. luckily.. there is flavor.. nice hay.. creamy.. a little sweet.. and frisky! Sometimes that's exactly what the doctor ordered. Update.. dry it out! improves the burn.. also brings out some flavor.. deeper eartiness

a delightful tobacco! i had not smoked it for many years, and feared the worst, but #55 seems to have survived being blended by kohlhase & kopp (whereas #2 is now an aromatic tobacco). the same enticing tin aroma and clean virginia taste as 20 years ago.

as others have noticed, there may be a little bit of perique added to it, but it may just be the yellow virginia's fruity and citrusy notes that come through. i notice a very slight dryness to the taste, too, and upon closer inspection, there seems to be a little yellow-green oriental leaf in it.

all in all, a must for the lover of (almost) pure (albeit mild) virginia. kohlhase & kopp are certainly very competent at recreating the flavour profiles of most of the once-glorious english brands (and i certainly don't feel that the "citrusy" astley's are similar to the "malty" rattray's). where k&k miss the mark is in the more powerful and darker blends, none of which are as strong or well aged as they were 20 years ago. and of course, some of the blends (like astley's #2 or old gowrie) are now aromatics...

This Virginia has a pleasant aroma in the tin. It is easy to fill in the pipe and lights without a problem. The taste is similar to the NO.2, but without perique. It is a slightly sweet taste, a little bit tart, but a satisfying flavor that is not overly sweet like so many Virginias. I will place this tobacco fairly high up on my list of preferred Virginias. It makes for a nice change of pace for the smoker (me) who prefers latakia blends. Astley does it again.