John Aylesbury Luxury Flake/Classic Flake

In my opinion trying to be objective is a futile endeavor. As is having an ego in any arena that is all about personal taste. This one really doesn't do it for me.. and.. I think it is a quality product.. I find it mild and boring... not really much flavor of the leaf.. it smokes well and has a resemblance to many other flakes.. kind of in the realm of capstan, dunhill flake, orlik, etc.. it has a clear topping/casing but not obtrusive.. for some reason, although I want to like it, I just find it meh.. but I think it is worth a try cause it is certainly not bad and may be just the thing for someone.. one of the few tobaccos that has given me complements on its aroma.. I've got one in the cellar to age but overall not really one way or the other about it.. grassy, hay, citrus, honey.. but those are just notes.. my opinion (which is what I think reviews are about) is that it is nothing special.

As described, "straight Virginia", has just a really good, good taste. Smooth, with no bite, very creamy, finishes on the palate very well. Ignited with no problems and was able to keep it lit throughout the entire smoke. Should be enjoyed a very slow pace as if you smoke it too fast, it can be a bit bitter. The natural sweetness of the Virginia comes through really well, and it has a really satisfying room note. Definitely recommend this to anyone who likes Virginia, and who wants something with a nice mellow taste.

Appearance: a 50 gram tin contained a really classic flake, cut into plates of standard size (40x65 mm), consisting of two or three varieties of Virginia of different light shades. After a couple weeks, the flake darkened a bit, but was still quite light. The humidity is slightly excessive, I recommend drying the blend.

Flavor: from the tin, meadow floral variegated herbs, a fair amount of honey with a slight dash of lemon. The woody tones are very faint. In the mashed form they are noticeable, but they are well muffled by the honey-citrus ensemble. Perhaps, there should be less sauce in this dish.

Taste: Once again we are greeted by the honey-citrus ensemble, which plays winningly on the background of herbal notes of Virginia with a light bread flavor and even lighter earthiness. A small amount of tannin slightly knits the tongue, but does not dull the underlying notes. The sweetness of the blend is great, but a slight lemon acidity cannot be overlooked. However, the topping wears off by the second half of the pipe, leaving the classic notes of Virginia - sweet herbal note, bread and a little bit of wood. The tobacco is quite uncomplicated on the palate, with unchanged notes from the middle of the pipe. Like most pure Virginia blends, it doesn't like overheating and starts to get bitter, however, it doesn't bite when smoked quietly, it doesn't have sharp edges in the flavor, and bents make the flavor even smoother. The blend burns out into a light gray dusty ash, leaving a small amount of moisture in the pipe. The strength of the tobacco is low, well below average. Aftertaste is sweetish, extremely weak.

Smoke from tobacco has a sweet-woody odor, being almost indistinguishable in the room, and is easily weathered.

The bottom line. The third Virginia flake in a row in my reviews - and with a new flavor, this time in the Danish style, in all its glory, but unlike saucy Danish blends, only topping is involved here. This tobacco can serve as an excellent bridge between Danish flavors and natural blends. It's also likely to age superbly, although I honestly don't see it that way - as it turns out, the tobacco is good fresh as well.

This is an under-the-radar gem that has the best qualities of some other straight Virginia blends. As an evidence, it's one of the few blends that I smoked exclusively after opening the tin. I had to write this review in a rush before being tempted to finish the tin.

A few people compared it with Capstan and some Mac Baren blends. I absolutely agree that it's within that type of Virginias. If you enjoy Mac Baren's and Kohlhase & Kopp's Virginias you'll probably enjoy this too.

Out of the tin I get some hay, berries, dry fruit, lavender, and vanilla notes.

In the smoking notes I get those crackers / bread notes that you'd get with Newminster no. 400, as well as the sweet berry/lavender that I tend to associate with Mac Baren's casing. It is perfectly balanced between the bread, sugar, fruit notes, and just a hint of pepper with no flavor overtaking the others. On top of that, I don't get any change throughout the smoke.

The flakes are thin and rub out very easily. It packs and smokes very easy with minimal or no relight. Smoking pace is moderate. Comes in just a tiny bit too moist, but could be smoked straight after opening the tin. Definitely an all-day smoke. Smokes cool with no tongue bite whatsoever. Perfect blend, mechanically speaking.

I’d put its body as medium and strength as mild, although I get a stronger nicotine feeling when I smoke it out of a small bowl. However, this review is done on a medium-sized Canadian-shaped, which is what I mostly smoked this out of and in this pipe it is mild. Goes perfectly with a cup of coffee!

To sum it up, I absolutely love this blend and if I can find it more easily, I'll get several more tins to have around. Easily perfect score.

The aroma in its tin is very rich and smooth. Bright Virginias and others somewhat darker that provide a light, fresh and very smooth smoke. At first I was missing a little more flavor, but after the third pipe I started to like it the way it is, in such a way that I have seen myself going to this tobacco regularly, and quitting smoking it for a few days so that it does not run out (I think you all understand this). It has a slight note of chocolate. It burns slowly and well, and this, together with its characteristics of freshness and smoothness, makes it produce a very relaxed smoke. From my point of view, a fine and quality tobacco, which I go to when I feel like smoking something more relaxed than the usually more intense flavors in my rotation. On the other hand, I would like to see how this one ages...

When sipped very gently, this tobacco delivers exactly what every good uncomplicated straight Virginia should : Delicacy. The sweetness is present yet very subtle, and you may even feel some almost unnoticeable licorice-like aftertaste with aging. A keeper, for sure.

Edit : I've never had the chance to taste the infamous McClelland virginias, but I have the feeling that the Aylesbury ones are absolutely underrated, and if they were more widely distributed, they would be very high up there with the late McLellands.

It manages to standout from a large group of Virginia flakes. Sweet, warm, complex citrus like a lemon cookie, then it gets sweeter, and more complex with an almost toffee, caramel body. Very pleasing. I hate giving it 4 stars because it will get harder to find.

My tin was labeled Classic Flake. The tin note is strongly of honey a mild citrus note and sweet hay. The flakes break apart easily and are in need of only a few minutes of drying time to get it how I like it. In the pipe I get sweet hay, a little citrus and earth. I also get a slight medicinal note that reminds me of iodine that comes in on occasions. No one else seems to get this I have noted it in a hand full of other blends and perhaps it is my cigar background that peeks through here and more my imagination than anything else. The honey note is more than just a little noticeable for me it is there along with something else that I just cannot quite put my finger on. Overall, a pleasant mild smoke that is nice first thing in the morning or on a summer afternoon. I did not get any cigarette like notes but it did bite just a little. That said while it is a fine smoke in its own right I don't see myself buying it again, there are too many other mild VA's out there that hold my interest better but I certainly would not turn down a bowl if offered either. This is really a 2.5 star blend for me but do to the bite, the availability of it, and the price I am rounding down to 2 stars.

Based on a relatively fresh tin.

The presentation is nice. The flakes are neatly arranged and there is a somewhat sweet, oaty smell.

The taste is bready, oaty, and a touch earthy. There is likely a sweet topping of some kind. Maybe honey. There were almost no bright peaks to this flake, which isn't a bad thing depending on preferences. Sometimes I got a tea note in the taste.

The strength is mellow and mild. Taste is refined and mellow. Nicotine is mild.

I would recommend this to the lover of Virginia flakes. The oaty and bready profile is similar to that of Capstan Blue, but Capstan is a fuller-tasting flake with more flavor nuance. I probably would not buy it again, although it is an enjoyable flake. Just not enough going on for me.