Astley's No.99 Royal Tudor Full Latakia Mixture

A superb and traditional english blend.It's rich in flavor,but not at all over the top.I would compare it to a more refined and gentler "Nightcap".It's one of the nicest blends that I've tried in years and it's become my "go to blend" lately. I'm planning on buying a half dozen tins to add to my cellar.If you enjoy english blends,I suggest you do the same... ******Hightest Recommendation****** prep

This was my first foray into the Astley blends. Quite by accident. My wife was in Boston shopping and due to her guilt regarding her purchases, stopped by my tobacconist, L.J. Peretti's to pick me up a "little" something, (bless her heart, and "Thanks" Steve, lol).

Well, I was delighted. I found the proportions to be near perfect and it is an exceptionally smooth, satisfying smoke. Cool burning, no wet dottle at the end, just a really nice sit back and enjoy it kind of smoke. It burned to a fine grey ash.

Although I usually do not enjoy blends with this much Latakia, there is something about the overall construction of this blend that makes it O.K. Actually more than O.K.

I can't wait for my wife's next shopping spree.

This is probably my favorite medium to full English. As someone who is partial straight Virginias and Virginia/Perique blends, I tend to find blend overly heavy in Latakia rather distasteful-- I can appreciate them as good blends, but they just don't really excite me. Particularly heavy use of Latakia seems to just wash out other flavors too much for my liking. That pungent smokey flavor that I often enjoy in small quantities mutes other flavors in large quantities. I'm definitely of the school that believes Latakia to be a condiment or spice tobacco rather than a group in its own right.



Astley's No. 99 is about as heavy in latakia as I care to go. However, in light of my proclivities, that hardly puts it into a category that is at the upper limits of most smokers of English blends. If I had to guess on proportions, it would have to be: 25% Latakia, 15% Oriental/Turkish leaf and about 60% light and orange Virginias.



I'm sitting here smoking from probably my 10th tin of the blend in the last six months and I'm trying to determine what it is that keeps drawing me back. The first sniff from the tin suggest the obvious Latakia, but the other aromas of the Virginias are not muted (maybe it's just me, but I can rarely pick out orientals in tin aroma, not that they have a particularly distinctive aroma on their own...). They have a subtle sweetness as well as an interesting nuttiness, which is almost suprising. The nuttiness (which is more pronounced in Astley's #1 where there is less Latakia) seems almost out of place given the nature of the blend, but not in a bad way. The nutty aroma fits with the rest of the tin aromas and seems to tie the blend together during the smoking (see below). The tobacco in the tin is attractive, but no different from any other English blend where the alternating light browns and blacks play off each other in visual cacophany (am I the only one out there that finds tobacco blends intrinsically visually beautiful?)



The most immediate note upon first light is the Latakia. I find that the Latakia works most harmoniously with the Virginias and Orientals when smoked particularly slowly. If I smoke it too quickly, I seem to lose the balance that makes this blend superior to many Englishes in my mind. The hints of nuttiness (sort of an amorphous nuttiness, I can't peg it with a specific nut for a closer description) carries over to the smoking nicely. I'm not particularly sure where the nutty flavor comes from, but there may be some Carolina ribbon that in combination with the Virginias gives this slight note. There aren't any burleys here, which is what I usually associate with nutty tomes. Besides, it is a different, perhaps more subtle nuttiness than that that is associated with good burley blends. There is some sweetness from the Virginias, but the sweetness is just enough to complement the Latakia rather than conflict with it. The flavors seem to change little throughout the bowl, though perhaps the latakia becomes less pronounced in relation to the other flavors as the bottom nears.



All in all, it is a particularly good example of its genre. The tobacco is of very good quality, as I tend to find with blends currently produced by C&K. I've often thought of it as a version of the medium to heavy Dunhills, but one I actually like. I've never been a fan of Dunhill tobaccos and I don't know why. Something about them irritates me a little. The Astley's english blends seem to offer me similar emphasis on well-proportioned blending without whatever it is that bothers me about the Dunhills. (I really can't easily articulate it; I've only ever noticed it with Dunhill tobacco. Perhaps it is a body chemistry thing-- who knows.)



I don't give 'highly recommended' to many blends and this isn't one of them, perhaps because I tend to prefer Virginia blends. However, to my tastes, this is among the best, if not the best, medium to full English that I've ever tried.

Tin note of sour wine, mildly sweet and smoky. Tobacco is a ready rub with ribbon cut that black and dark brown with a little tan mixed in. Moisture content is great. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and somewhat consistent, with notes of floral, spices, tart and sour fermented tangy fruit, smoky, leather, wood, spicy, musty earth, mildly acidic, dry herbal vegetation, orange peel/zest, incense, a citrusy background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Virginia and Oriental/Turkish supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Since SR's text editor doesn't handle cut-and-paste very well, here is a link to a full review published elsewhere in the online tobacco world: (the "not recommended" rating is explained in detail.) http://forums.knoxcigar.net/viewtopic.php?t=6020

I cannot say anything about this tobacco that has not already been said, except to agree that it is fantastic, perhaps the best English I have tried. Go buy some now!

This English blend is wonderful. The smokiness of the Latakia is quite detectable to the nose unlit, but while smoking, not overpowering at all. The overall impression is English. There is really no detectable tongue bite. This particular blend, pitched as a "Full Latakie Blend" but not really, could have been overpowering, but it is delightfully smooth and complex.

This is a superb blend! Although,I must say it is not a full English.This is J.F.Germain's King Charles taken up a couple of notches.The dominant flavor is virginia with the turkish providing a nice background.The Latakia is present but never overwhelming.It provides a sweet, dry,and rich smoke. A very good all day blend. This is what Dunhill aspires to be. Definitely worth a try. 3 of 4 stars.

Opening the tin, I found that huge chunks of partially-rubbed-out Virginia flakes dominated the mixture. I was a very pretty mixture, but I worried that this didn?t bode well for a Latakia lover like myself. Upon lightup, it only took one puff to realize I?d have to be careful with this one to avoid tongue bite. The tin aroma is nice. Not the musty/leathery smell one expects when opening a Latakia mixture, but rather a nice, natural, Virginia sweetness.

The claim on the labels is that this is a ?full Latakia mixture.? To quote the hyperbole of attorney Lionel Hutz on the Simpsons: ?This is the most blatant case of false advertising since the film, ?The Never-Ending Story.?? Don?t be misled, this is a mixture primarily for those who like quality Virginias with a splash of Latakia. If that describes your tastes, then this seems like a natural choice. All the components, especially the rubbed-out flakes, are beautiful and high-quality leaf. I would definitely recommend this if EMP or Piccadilly is a regular in your rotation, and would probably rank it above those two in that genre.