Astley's No.99 Royal Tudor Full Latakia Mixture

A very good English. Latakia and Orientals fairly well balanced atop a base of nice Virginias. I could smoke this every day, all day, if I had to, but I don't have to. I found nothing that makes it stand out in the crowded field of English blends available. I also found nothing wrong with it. This is well worth trying. You may be able to find something special here for you.

Astley's - No.99 Royal Tudor.

I'll begin with the opening: it's of a great water amount so can be smoked straight out of the tin. And once it's lit I really enjoy this one! There appears to be a high proportion of Latakia judging by the look of the blend. This was what lead me to expect your standard Lat-Bomb but that's not the case.

This isn't anywhere near as Lat' strong as I was expecting. It doesn't come over as potently/harsh as it often can; it's slightly smoky and woodsy but not bitter or acrid. As well as this flavour I also get quite a clear taste from the Orientals. These, I feel, outweigh the Virginia a fair bit.

The burn from this is quite even but it does require the occasional re-light if it's not puffed regularly enough. Simple, it's not one to neglect!

I get a medium nicotine amount from No.99, just about perfect for everyone probably!

I feel that the Latakia is a little heavier at the beginning of a bowl, after about ten minutes it chills out a little and allows the other tobaccos to come through more; especially the Oriental/Turkish.

This, for me, is a spectacular blend. It's tasty, of a good strength and bite free.

Highly recommended.

Predominately black in color and kind of a choppy ribbon cut, with a very enticing latakia aroma in the tin. It loaded better when I rubbed it out a little and it tasted best on the drier side but not close to crispy (although crispy was much better than at tin moisture!).

I've had this in my cellar for a couple of years and was put off my the poor reviews here. Once again, the danger of relying on reviews rears its head, as I was concerned over nothing. This blend starts out as a typical heavy latakia blend for about the first dozen puffs or so. Then the Orientals chime in with a kind of sour tang and lightly spicy essence. Then come the Virginias. Nice Virginias! They add a pleasant buttery sweetness that, while well underneath, add the perfect counterpoint to the overall spicy and zesty blend - just enough to keep this one from going overboard into dustiness and murk. I don't know that I'd call this a Full mixture, at least if the latakia dosage is the determining factor. This is heavily flavorful and bold, but I'd put it more at Medium-Full. Certainly there are other blends out there if all you want to taste is latakia. This one is a nice marriage of latakia, oriental and Virginia, with each component doing its part, and the latakia front and center. This is a mixture! At the high end of 3 stars for me, but not quite 4. I will likely pick up a few more tins and smoke this occasionally going forward, even while it doesn't supplant the heavy hitters in my latakia rotation (mostly GL Pease blends). If you're interested in this sort of thing, don't let the reviews deter you. Give it a try! I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Strong flavor - very rich. A palate pleasing wad of stout tobacco that lets you know you've had a smoke. I like this a lot. Latakia heavy? Perhaps, but in a way that soothes rather than irritates. The Virginia pushes the Latakia and Oriental components right up into heaven!

Smokey, woody, mildly sweet Cyprian latakia with no harshness is the star here, ably assisted by the spice, dryness and wood from the Turkish and Orientals. The citrusy, grassy Virginia mainly acts as a cooling base for the other components. It's not a lat-bomb, though it's not too far from that territory. The latakia seems to lose just a little force at times. The nic-hit is just past mild. Won't bite. Burns clean and cool at a reasonable pace, though the flavor can be inconsistent at times. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. The after taste is decent. Not an all day smoke. One drawback is that it's a bit too similar to other English blends, and even though it's a two and a half star blend, I rate it at two stars mainly because it doesn't stand out enough for three.

-JimInks

Nice to see Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. keeping the names of these brands of alive; however, this one is not very close to the original at all, rather bland and somewhat insipid. It's not bad but not very good either, just okay.

If you're seeking the flavours, complexity, and memorable blends of yesteryear give Compton's a try. There you'll harken back to the older styles of Rattray's, Dunhill, Sobranie and more. Compton's are not trying to replicate particular blends or brands, simply excellent tobacco execution. Expensive yes, but worth it as a treat or something special. Kind of like favourite recordings, one does not want to listen to them too much, becoming overly familiar.

Enjoy.

Call me an insecure and superficial sucker for impressions, marketing or history, but I wanted to try something that was in some way connected to the glory days of English pipe smoking and Jermyn Street, in the heart of St James's, one of London's most historic and fashionable districts. The name "Astley's No.99 Royal Tudor Full Latakia Mixture" just oozes exclusivity and elitist tradition. It seems this tobacco may have be an excellent choice 2005 or earlier but then went downhill from there - unless the reviews from 2005 or earlier on this page aren't to be trusted which is unlikely. Perhaps there is hope for this tobacco with some aging, but as it is out of the tin you are going to smoke tobacco that tastes like smoke. Not smoked lamb, smoked salmon or smoked unicorn but tastes like smoked smoke. The fragrance of this tobacco unsmoked in the tin is outstanding. The tobacco has since moved to a glass jar, but the tin is still saturated with the wonderful fragrance of this tobacco blend. The room-note smoked is nothing like the rich unsmoked fragrance and was closer to the flavor which is (drumroll) smoke. As for the latakia or virginia, I couldn't make out any distinctions and some of that may be due to my inexperience of parsing tobacco leaf types, but even as I sipped the pipe and tried to keep smoke to a minimum, had an urge to quit right there and immediately brush my teeth. Spoiled with so many brands and blends keep looking elsewhere.

Vendor: Pipes and Cigars.com; Time between purchase and opening: 3 months; Storage: glass jar; Pipe: Dr. Plumb bent brandy with Vauen 9mm filter; Environment: Tropical

This tobacco is a staple for me. I find it has the characteristics of other full english blends with the added bonus, if you like it, of a rather pure virginia base, void of perique. Kind of like Germain's "Special Latakia Flake" only rubbed out, dried out, and much richer in Latakia.

The tin aroma is really nice and the cut is easy to pack and light. When I first tried it I expected something like "Black Mallory", but found it a little tangier, stronger, and better balanced.

Give yourself a treat and try it in a meerschaum. The flavor is much more complex and intriguing when smoked in the coral. Taken with a dram of Laphroaig or a cup of Souchong it is hard to beat on a cold wet night! Briar or meerschaum, good stuff - highly recommended.

Well, maybe I don't know what a "Full English" mixture is. Maybe. But then again, maybe this is just harsh and boring. Latakia is overwhelmed by a burning Virginia base and an ashy taste similar to a bad bowl of Dunhill's Elizabethan (with none of the sweetness).

This smells and looks exactly like Rattray's Accountant's Mixture (also a Full English, apparently) but it is not as smooth, and where the Accountants has a harmonius sweet Va and Latakia mix, with basically nothing else going on, this Astley's has undertones of banana and of cloves, which at the top half of the bowl are delightful, and at the bottom, just disappear into a hard-edged smoke.

Anyway, what nuance this blend may once have possessed, K+K have produced a singularly unpleasant tobacco, genre aside. For a more interesting smoke, try Presbyterian or ACP Caledonian 466, both of which are NOT "FULL" Englishes, and both of which are far superior.

I bought this one last week when I attended the pipe club after about a month off. This tin upon opening looks like it has been in the old warehouse awhile as the paper doily was slightly stained and the tobacco was stuck to it on the inside. This has a nice mild fragrance and smokes smooth, mellow, with billows of nice white smoke. The only drawback I have with this one is the tin says “Full Latakia Mixture” and for me and others that have reviewed this, it is not a heavy Latakia blend. Not heavy by far. Maybe back in the day this was considered a full blend, can’t really say. Mentally, I bought this expecting a Lat Bomb and got a mild everyday English blend in my opinion. If I smoked a pipe all day then this is a good pick but not really for me. Will finish the tin with no problems but no reason to buy more.