Tobaccos Astley's - No.44 Dark Virginia Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3025)	2013-01-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This broken flake dark Virginia has a lot of tangy dark fruit, some tart and tangy citrus, earth, wood, some grass, a fair amount of bread, mild floralness, and a pinch or two of spice. Has a very light citrus topping. Not very complex. Fresh out of a tin, it may bite or get a little harsh if you puff like a locomotive, so I recommend a moderate pace. Does have a rough edge much of the time. Like most Virginias, it improves with age and I find the aged version to be smoother with less chance of tongue bite. It's not really a "biter" tobacco, so don't dwell on it like I just did. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The moisture level of the tobacco is about where you would want it to be, and doesn’t need dry time. Burns clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent flavor. Leaves virtually no wetness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and the room note is a notch stronger. Can be an all day smoke. Four stars out of four.

UPDATE 6-4-2022: I have heard this blend has been changed in the last couple of years, and I wanted to find out for myself if that was true. It is. The cut is now stacked flakes that are not as dark as they were previously. The very consistent flavor aspects are a lot of tart and more tangy citrus, grass, sugar, bread/graham crackers, very mild floralness, darker fruit, earth, wood, and a bare hint of spice. Outside of the citrus being dominant now, this manufacture is more sugary and sweeter. The graham cracker taste was not present before. The red Virginia was mostly replaced by orange Virginia which accounts for changes in addition a lightly deeper sugary citrus topping. The strength is a step and a half below the medium mark. The nic-hit is a tad less than that. The taste level is a notch below the medium threshold. Won’t bite or get harsh, and barely has a rough edge. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate as the flakes are mildly moist and not thick. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke. This gets three stars by the skin of the stalks that the tobacco was stripped from. My ratings reflect this update, and not the original review, which I leave up for historical purposes.

-JimInks

31 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-03-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This one seems to have fallen off the radar here at tr.com - no reviews since late 2008. Odd, since this is such a wonderfully realized VA. I've noted that some people have tasted perique in this flake. I have not, but I can certainly see why some people would think so. This is a beautiful flake of dark(er) color, but not dark - nice, small flakes of a more wheat brown hue. The sweetness in the smoke seems to be slightly enhanced but nothing I can put my finger on. Citrus notes are indeed in evidence.

Since Rattray's MF seems to be the measuring stick around here, I'll say that this has significantly more flavor than MF, yet is congenial with an easy burn. Smokers of MF might find this a little robust, but it's actually of medium strength. This is a VA flake that must be sampled by anyone looking for the ultimate in the genre. This just might be it for you. I prefer Gawith's FVF personally but this is one that I plan to cellar a few tins for those times I want a tad more sweetness in my bowl. Excellent tobacco, and it makes me want to take a run through the rest of the Astley's line.

27 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rogermugs (14)	2013-03-01		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my second Astley's, I've tried 109 and now this.

Let me first say this will not bite your tongue even a bit (unless you're ... um.... short-bus different).

It is a very pleasant smoke, though I find I prefer 109.

I've read of virginias that they tend to start out rather meaningless and grow more pleasant as you smoke through the bowl. That was definitely my experience with 109, and one of the reasons I loved it.... however 44 doesn't seem to change much throughout. That's not to say it's bad. I'm a fan actually. But is quite a bit stronger, and I would say stronger at the expense of flavor personally, I find the 109 to be more flavorful. But if it's strength, especially Lady St. Nic you're looking for ... 44 is the way to go.

VERY strong. I haven't been this buzzed on a pipe tobacco in.... ever. (But I don't smoke a lot of strong blends)

Highly recommended. This is confirming for me thus far that Astley's blends are really THE way to go if you're looking tins... I'm a huge fan of both of these.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2003-01-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

After the excellent experience with Astley?s 55, over the X-mas holidays I sampled other blends from this house. No 44 is an excellent, full strength Virginia, mid brown in colour, tightly pressed in a short flake cake. Tin aroma is excellent: spicy, woody and fresh. I found it difficult to break apart the individual flakes, but they were easy to pack and light. A very good and strong tobacco flavour ensues after lighting. Nothing to do with that type of abrasive strength you find in some tobaccos (like Gawith?s Cob Flake or its rope varieties). This is more in the line of Rattray?s Hail O? the Wynd or Dunhill?s Elizabethan Mixture (take away the Perique). It is a straight forward Virginia, not sweet but tangy, cool and satisfying, with an elegant and I would say very traditional matured Va. flavour. No nonsense tobacco, Astley?s 44 belongs with the classics. Highly recommended.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-05-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After demand exceeded supply for one of the very popular Virginia flakes, Astley’s No. 44 became a lot more difficult to come by and with good reason. Not being a big fan of the No. 109, this blend was a pleasant surprise. As others have pointed out the flakes are neat and for me need little to no dry time. I tend to do better with this somewhat rubbed out. There is a grassy note and some sweetness that I believe has been added in addition to the natural Virginia flavor. No. 44 has more high notes and the sweetness is not of the dark brown sugar or molasses variety found in darker flakes that I generally prefer. But it is so well done that it doesn’t matter to me. There is a small amount of spice in No. 44 as well. It burns cleanly with no bite and I am sure it will cellar quite well and have added a few tins with that in mind. Lovers of straight Virginias won’t be disappointed with this fine blend.

Pipe Used: Mostly smaller bowls, group 2 or 3

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2014-03-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

For a while, this blend seemed to be hard to acquire, but you never heard of anyone hoarding or cellaring this blend. I am a huge fan of Astley's 109, so I happily gave this one a shot. Upon opening the tin and removing the top paper circle, the intoxicating smell of fermented Virginia permeates the nose, and actually made my mouth water a bit. The flakes are so perfectly cut and stacked, it almost appears to be a plug of tobacco. Perfect moisture in the packaging. The little gems rub out quite nicely, and pack with just enough spring to ease tamping. Initial light may take a few tries, and this blend does require a few relight along the way. Nice prominent citrus along with fresh hay are noted. For being a straight Va, this blend does have a bit of depth. Nice clean an fresh on the palate. Definitely a great blend for those seeking a no frills Va.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-02-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

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.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2016-02-14		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Astley's - No.44 Dark Virginia Flake.

This, in my opinion, falls right on the cusp of being a broken flake. I expected a similar appearance to their 109 Medium Flake where it was basically one roll of flake in the tin but this has been separated into neat little piles that are about 2x3 cm across. At first glance they look to be still in flake form but on closer inspection I gather that they're actually beginning to break. So, if like me, you rub your flakes out this makes it a dream to prepare. The smell from the tin has a slight fruity/plummy touch to it but mainly it's quite a basic Virginia one. I find the moisture to be good in No.44; this may be down to the fact that the flakes haven't been tightly packed, they had some room to breathe.

I can't really detect, as it says in the description, any citrus notes. I do get quite a substantial fruit addition but that's of dark fruits like plums etc, it's not a sharp flavour of citrus fruits at all. The nicotine seems more mild than medium but I guess everyone's opinion differs with that!

At first I thought this was worth about three points, but then, when I had to re-fill with this and only this the moment my bowl was empty I decided it must be worth four!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: GBD Oom Paul

Age When Smoked: 7 months

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-09-13		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a truly wonderful Virginia flake. One of the best I've had. First half of the bowl gives me sweet dark fruit along with a citrus note that is more like orange than lemon. Second half adds bread notes that taste like honey buns. Just a great, great smoke. Has some strength to it which makes it even more appealing.

Medium in body, taste and nic. I think there is some added flavoring at about very mild. Burn is near perfect. This is a gem.

Pipe Used: MM Marcus, Country Gentleman, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-12-24		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Update 09/26/2009

Mea Culpa. I've opened a two year old tin this week. I have to upgrade my appreciation of this tobacco to 4 stars now. This tobbaco is sublime after the short aging! I cannot wait to try it again after 5 years of aging!

The flakes are darker now, 60% dark brown, 30% medium and 10% golden. The tin aroma is grassy and sweet at the same time. The nicotine level is excellent, just enough to keep me interested and satisfied. The taste is very nice, grassy and sweet with something else I still cannot identify. But it requires a minimum of attention so you can enjoy the subtilities of it. Puffing too quickly will not really bite but turn this little beauty in a blend mixture.

It smokes dry all the way and helps build up a nice cake in any new pipe.

I have not tried the other offerings from Astley's (aka K & Hopp), but this offering is excellent. All it needed was some aging...So I would recommend to anybody buying no 44 to let it age a couple years first, in order to avoid an initial disapointment and thus underestimate the great potential of this square - cut flake.

A beauty, once more. Highly recommended!

Original review 12/24/2007

After reading the reviews, I must agree with First Sealord on his assessment of this tobacco- mind you, not because I fear ending up hanging from the main mast by the neck!

In my perception, a dark VA flake would be more like Solani's White & Black, Samual Gawith's Chocolate flake or Full VA flake. No 44 is no dark VA flake. Just like Hal' O the Wynd is none, either, as we are on the subject.

Nonetheless, I admit, the leaf has its virtues. The flake is extremely easy to rub out and the filling of the pipe is like a child's play. Lighting and smoking are elementary, revealing a slightly sweet VA taste without any complexity. It smokes even and leaves a dry bowl with gray ashes.

I've experienced better tobaccos, but a fair quantity was worse. If I was to read a novel, I would probably reach for this flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2018-02-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I agree with DK's review on this one. It's more a brown broken flake than a dark flake. The smell in the tin is sweet, spicy and tangy/citrus. What is great about it is that you find the same flavors when put to the match. Furthermore, you get a woody and slightly earthy flavor as well as the bowl advances.

Mellow and round, it never bites and burns nicely. The source for sweetness is hard to pinpoint, it could easily be an extremely mild sugar casing that is not over done and adds to the tobacco flavor profile. The nicotine level is full medium and I prefer to smoke it by midday or early evening.

Virginia lover

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2017-06-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Popped open a tin I just received from an online shop. It smelled like fermented fruit, citrus, a bit of hay and some earth. The molted flakes/cake appeared to have stained the paper it is wrapped in...awesome! I didn't really see any flakes that were easy to separate, instead it was a tightly packed group of flakes that made one cake. I was able to pull some of the medium to light brown flakes from the cake though.

Easy to load and at already perfect moisture right from the tin. It lights easily and stays lit with light, but firm, tamping. This tobacco behaves very well.

I got lots of thick creamy smoke that was very flavorful. Lots of fruit, dark fruit (plum) balanced perfectly by citrus notes that lean more towards orange than lemon/lime. A bit of hay, but just a touch, mixed with bread and slight earth flavors. Excellent smoke. The flavors and sweetness seem to be naturally occurring rather than from some topping. I could see this becoming a favorite and easily an all day smoke. It reminded me of another flake, almost to the 'T', except I couldn't quite put my finger on which one. It reminds me a lot of Germain's Medium Flake, but not as dark or strong. It also reminded me of Reiner's Long Golden Flake, but the flavor profile was a bit deeper and richer. Wonderful stuff!!!

Pipe Used: Poker (Dragon Briars)

Age When Smoked: New from store - 1-3 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Reiner - Blend 71: Long Golden Flake, J. F. Germain & Son - Germain's Medium Flake, Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Golden Sliced (Red Tin).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2017-03-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

One of the best of its class. Meaning dark virginia flake...i.e. stoved Virginias. Butera's dark flake is close to this in quality and taste. Wessex (same producer) is also close in their campaign brigade flake. its easy to see the comparisons to several different McClelland flakes, too....notably Blackwoods Flake. There is not a lot to separate them all, honestly. I rate all of them very high. Im fond of the Wessex....which like astley's 44, has a subtle casing...very very subtle. It needs a bit of dry time....but not much. The flavor is pungent but sweet...like Butera's. There is very minor spice notes. It also bears comparison to Gawith's FVF...which is a tad different in composition I suspect and a bit less stoved for sure. This is purist material...for Virginia lovers (of which I am one). Works in a variety of pipe shapes....but seems suited to chimneys....i have a castello..,.old old one that is built for this stuff. Highly reccomended.

Purchased From: 4noggins

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2014-04-17		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

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!

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: new tin

Similar Blends: FVF, Marlin Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-08-03		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

No.44 is a dark, plain Jane VA. Now I have to say that's saying a good deal since I'm not a straight VA fan. There are quite a few VAs out there that share this taste profile and its good, just very singular in its flavor and will not hold my attention for very long. If you like your VAs straight, then pick some of this up and give it a poke. No tongue bite, burned well enough, not too shabby.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	½ bowl (103)	2017-03-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

This Virginia is not the soft, bready variety; but rather, the zesty, piquant, and racy leaf that I would call "sharp". While it stops short of being "hot" or sassy, I recommend avoiding an aggressive charring light and then slow sipping to keep its grassy character in check. It is deliciously sweet, and some attentive smoking will reward you with nuanced flavor and complexity. I think it is among the better Virginia flakes on the market.

Pipe Used: briar

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs. in the tin

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2012-09-18		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

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.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (140)	2023-01-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (213)	2022-03-29		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

Astleys No 44 - This is a dark full Virginia Flake as advertised. A bready earthy fruity blend . Barely any grassy or citrus notes that I noticed . Enough sweetness and nicotine to satisfy but not too strong . One of the better straight Virginias out there . It may have a little sweet casing but I couldn’t tell you what. It has a flavor similar to molasses or licorice when you get about half way down the bowl but could just be the tobaccos . It is well done IMO . This is worth a few tins for the cellar . Very enjoyable. 4

Pipe Used: Smoked better is smaller bowls .

Age When Smoked: 1 yr

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	getyur@sstomars (26)	2021-09-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I first had this, 9 years or so, I fell head over heals in love. At first sight of the small flakes that was agrigated into a plug I knew I was in for a treat. The charring light was enough to get the perfectly moist baccy ablaze. I was treated to a sweet, bready, and creamy taste sprinkled w a spattering of hay. The bowl maintained flavor the way through. I called my tobacconist and tried to get more, then I was heart broken when he told me how difficult it is to find. I managed to get 3 tins in the last 8 years. 4 stars!!!

Untill yesterday.

It's blended by someone else now, and not very well, Upon opening the tin my heart sank. The small flakes were no more. We now have large dunhill style flakes. A bit darker than DH And not brownish like i remember. "Well here goes nothing" I muttered as I lit up. And I was right, nothing. Nothing I remember at least. No sweet bready molasses creamy smoke. Just hot hay w a bad after taste. "It must be this pipe" I nervously said to no one. I learned long ago that baccy taste diff w almost every pipe. So I loaded up the falcon which I enjoyed w no.44 before on more than a few occasions. Que sad trumpet " whaaa whaaa whaaa" theses guys and gals at K and K took gold and made dog poop out of it. And I got 4 tins to deal w. I'll trade 3 and let my open one think long and hard what it wants to do w it's life in solitary confinement. Maybe that will straighten it's ass out.

Pipe Used: Falcon, wally frank beagle, Peterson 307

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Yester year tobacconist

Similar Blends: Old blend was similar to best brown flake, but similar like a car is to a motorcycle..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2021-09-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Summary: a richly fermented, sweetened Virginia flake that is both mild and flavorful.

I remember lamenting that Dunhill "Dark Flake" had gone out of production, and while there are many Virginia flakes, some quite excellent, I missed the flavor of a rich Virginia flake. They make them dark by including darker Virginias and initiating fermentation by pressing the flake and then keeping it under pressure for some time before letting it age for even more time, during which point you get that smell almost on the edge of Perique levels which signals the fermentation process. To aid it, Kohlhase and Kopp do what they do for most of their European-style blends, which is to extensively flavor it with sugars and, in this case, a tiny bit of anise. The result speaks for itself: one of the smoothest blends one can choose, this blend lights easily, burns slowly, and provides big doses of rich, aged Virginia flavor in a blend that remains mild throughout the bowl. Unlike purely bright Virginia blends, "Dark Virginia Flake" emphasizes the red Virginia flavor of stewed plums and apricots, bringing out a depth that makes this blend pleasant for hours of smoking.

Similar Blends: Peterson - Dark Flake, Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2020-03-18		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very nice tobacco. Easy to rub, easy to light, produces lots of flavorful smoke. The tin has a fruit brandy aroma, obviously it is topped with some flavoringwhich gives the tobacco a citucy edge, but it is very congruent with the tobacco taste and it's not overwhelming. Nicotine is quite satisfactory and overall it is a smooth smoke. Easy to handle, easy to smoke, flavorful and soft. Solid four stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Falliver (42)	2019-10-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: Various Lillehammer pipes

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Sol Cigar Oslo

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2018-12-20		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: GBD Virgin Billiard

Age When Smoked: Six Years Old

Purchased From: Pipestud's Consignment Shop

Similar Blends: Best I can recollect, this is the only "Dark" VA I've ever tried other than Dunhill's Royal Yacht & there is no comparison..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2018-11-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: Vintage size 2, 6" Meerschaum billiard.

Age When Smoked: Six Years Old

Purchased From: Pipestud's Consignment Shop

Similar Blends: Can't say right off hand. Other than Ye Olde Signe, this is the first "straight" VA I've smoked in years..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2016-05-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

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: ). 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.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2014-01-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have been disappointed because what I discovered was not a dark VA flake, but a rather medium coloured flake. The taste reminds me, somehow, of offerings such as Old Gowrie or brown Clunee from Rattray.

Recommended as a VA Flake, but not recommended if you are looking for a Dark VA.

Pipe Used: Stanwell, Danish Sovereign

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Rattray's Old Gowrie and Brown Clunee.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	O'Confrère (40)	2013-02-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

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!

Pipe Used: Several. All reserved for Virginias w/out topping.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-08		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

This was the first Astley's tobacco I have ever sampled as well as the first Virginia of its kind. What can I say? I was quite satisfied. The tin states dark and strong, and that is exactly what I got out of it.

It is actually a lot more complex than that. Being no stranger to many VA/per flakes, this was the first "dark" one I had ever tried. Upon opening the tin, I found the moisture content to be a bit heavy. I let the tin sit on the rack for about a month, and then one day I realized I had a tobacco I had never tried.

I opened the tin once again, and wow what a difference. The aroma was not at all citrus that I got, but almost like a chocolate. Not an artificial candy bar type chocolate, but raw dark chocolate. Quite exquisite to tell you the truth.

The flakes are easy enough to manage, though not the easiest maybe for a novice to this style of pipe weed. Once I broke the flakes into the consistency I desired, I set out to a park bench to give this a good try. I loaded up an apple shaped Bjarne Viking, and cleared my mind as to give this an honest shake.

I had a little bit of trouble getting this blend going, but I do not think that was the fault of the tobacco per-say, but the fault of my loading technique. Once lit, this behaved very well.

Upon the first few puffs I was quite enthralled with this blend. Never had I tasted such a robust and full bodied Virginia without the addition of Perique. The bitter sweet flavour of raw chocolate seemed to carry over to the smoke and make an appearance every few minutes or so.

Not once did this bite, but I was also very careful with this blend dedicating about an hour and a half to this bowl. Moderate tamping and an occasional re-light were required, but neither took away from the enjoyment of this blend.

I smoked this leaf all the way down to a fine ash in my bowl, where at the end I was experiencing a little "chimney mouth" but no bite. I think the next time I smoke this it will be in a smaller bowl pipe, and I will not try to get the last speck of tobacco to burn to a white ember.

The strength was defiantly there, and I was able to leave my park bench feeling satisfied.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a hardy VA or a VA/Per smoker who might be looking to branch out just a bit.

This tobacco goes very well with a good cup of freshly brewed strong black coffee or espresso. I think this could easily pass for an after dinner smoke for a straight VA smoker as well. Maybe pair it with a cognac or an oatmeal stout, and you would be in paradise.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2005-09-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

======================= UPDATE Sep. 2005 ========= Quote; myself later in this review: "This is the best VA-flake I have ever tried! It is better than Marlin!" This is a statement that I must withdraw. I stil like #44, but after my new venture into the Samuel Gawith line of Lakeland flakes, #44 can no longer compete. ==================================================

This is the best VA-flake I have ever tried! It is better than Marlin!

This classic contains everything I expect from quality VA: Depth, natural sweetness, complexity, stoved notes, nicotine etc. I cannot help myself feeling as one of the pipesmokers in the earlier days when tobacco had that all natural "tobacco" thing to it. I feel like an English gentleman when smoking this manna from heaven.

Even though Kohlhase & Kopp has taken over the production, adding propyleneglycol insted of water and therefore changing the texture and looks of the leaf, they have managed to preserve the original taste of good English Virginia.

Heavy with plumes of sweet non-blistering smoke, #44 tickles my nostrils and send me to another plane where I do not wish to leave.

The best thing that has happened to pipe smoking. #44 goes hand in hand with St. Bruno in my regular rotation.

Outstanding!

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2003-06-04		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another good tobacco from Astleys via the German blender, Kohlhase & Kopp. The cakes of golden and brown VA are ~ 1.5"x2", pliable with an ideal moisture content and therefore, ideally suited to my normal packing technique with no rubout. This also results in easy lights and an effortless smoke. The tin aroma and taste are just from high quality VAs which is also my preference. The room aroma is strong and woodsy but not so harsh as to bother my family. A rich, cool, very tasty, natural, straight VA that should be tried by those that might enjoy these flakes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-01-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This, IMO, has to be one of, if not the best, VA tobaccos I've smoked. The short flakes are colors of golds & browns. The tin aroma is delicious, I just wish I could put other words to it. I've smelled that smell before, I just can't seem to place it. The aroma almost makes your mouth water. Rubs out well, packs equally well, lights well, almost a one-light deal. Moisture level was spot-on, at least for me. Mildly tangy as well as spicey and citrusy, it is, as the description says, full of flavor and very easy on the tongue. That tin aroma peeks in during the smoke w/bits of light sweetness here and there. Slight woodsy notes, nice and rich. Tasty, very tasty. Cool and creamy w/a flavor that's consistent to the bottom of the bowl where you find a small amount of fluffy gray ash when you're finished. Never harsh and only minor gurgling. Used one cleaner about 1/2way down the bowl, that's all. I have a coupla favorite Castellos, a bent G65 Sea Rock and a straight 3k #25 Sea Rock I've been smoking this in and they will not see anything but this tobak from here on. This to me is VA tobak at its finest. All three Astley's I've tried (#109, #55, #44) are most enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to trying #2 as well, but for now I'm really liking #44, and dare I say, this could easily be my favorite so far. Others have spoken of their island favorite, that one tobak they would hafta have. As of right now, this would be mine. As w/other Astley's this is a wee bit pricey, but, not moreso than some other high-end tobaccos. IMHO it's well worth it, and I will be getting more soon. Delectable. Highest accolades. Most assuredly works for me!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (453)	2023-02-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of mildly sweet, sourdough and hay. Tobacco is orangish brown and dark brown marbled flake. Moisture content is ok, Flake rubs out with a little effort. Some may want to dry it a bit. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of mildly sweet, woody, spices, bread, leather, rich earth, smooth, floral, dry hay, savory, citrus bitters/zest, autumn leaves/vegetation, a stewed mildly tangy fruit background note, and a moderately peppery retro. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: Peterson Bard Rusticated 221 Fishtail

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: watchcitycigar.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (217)	2022-09-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For a change up, I will start this review by saying my 4 star rating depends on dedicating a suitable VA pipe, as this is necessary in order to get the best from Astley’s #44 Dark VA Flake. I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure this out, since A44 shares this trait with its lighter stable mate, #109 VA Flake, which I have also smoked, enjoyed, and reviewed here at TR. It took me quite a while to find some A44 (like, years…). When I finally got hold of some, I noted well-formed, almost sticky, dark flakes that exuded a damped aroma of earthy brown bread over dark fruit leather, with prunes, molasses, and a drop of anise. It seems to be sweetened with treacle. I smoked a few bowls, then set it aside for a month or so. After that, it was easy to spindle, loosely stuff, light and smoke down, but it was a little turgid, flat, still nothing special. I tried it in several VA pipes before I decided to smoke it in the same pipe for a while. Like I said, above, that did the trick. Once it owns a pipe it starts out great and gets better and better, to the end of a bowl. The best of rested A44 is like the tin note, only more fragrant, woody brown bread, dark fruit leather, prunes, apricots, and citrus. Like A109, A44 is notably astringent, which I quite enjoy. It’s simple, but very fragrant and very classy, IMO. Strength is medium, with decent nicotine. Tastes are past medium the way I smoke it. There’s plenty of smoke to start with, and the smoke gets downright profuse toward and until the end. Room note is better than tolerable, even as the smoker enjoys delicate, aromatic side streams. Like A109, A44’s aftertaste is a delicious, sweeter, long, drawn out best of the smoke.

Apparently, unlike A109, A44 does not diminish as it rests in a jar, after opening; quite the contrary. Again, IMO, its best is worth 4 stars. Good luck finding some to smoke!

Pipe Used: dedicated VA pipe

Age When Smoked: rested 1 month +

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (192)	2022-06-10		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Smoking now.

Jar note is deep tangy fermented fruit, lemon, dark wet hay. It’s very nice. I can tell this one is going to be a banger. Required some dry time. Rubbed out and packed fine. Lights really easily too.

The taste is very tart, citrus, lemon, vinegar. Maybe the tartest Virginia I’ve smoked. Malty fermented bread, hay, above average sweetness. No grassy freshness, as to be expected from a dark Virginia. This is a real winner in my books. I was pleased that at the half way point of my Dunhill group 5 the taste was consistent. Past that point it looses a little tartness and takes on more of the hay, wood, earth, and vegetative qualities but it’s still very pleasing with some tartness still being detectable. The retrohale is more bread, malt, and sweetness. No nose tingle either. Very easy on my tongue and mouth for a Virginia. Clean after taste, very little tingle or harshness. I smoked this one a bit fast as it was so good but it performed well. Does benefit from dry time. Nic hit was noticeable being past medium to strong.

Very happy I have multiple ounces of this jarred up. If you like dark sweet citrus tangy flakes get some of this. This may be my favorite pipe tobacco.

Pipe Used: Dunhill briar group 5

Age When Smoked: 2020

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2021-01-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

3rdguy

Just finished a full tin with 5 years of age on it. Dark square flakes. Nice rich, earthy flavor with some nic to round it out. Will never bite and I smoke a bit too fast at times. Burns down to a white ash every time. Probably my favorite Dark Virginia out there. Smooth retrohale. Consistent throughout the smoke in flavor. Normally sells out quickly so you may want to grab several tins if you see it, you surely would have no trouble trading or selling the others if you end up not caring for it.

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: 5 year old tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Connoisseur (47)	2019-09-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

It was the relative scarcity of this tobacco along with the favorable reviews that sparked my interest in this tobacco. I finally managed to secure a couple of tins last year so I was naturally expecting something special. Not sure if the previous reviews were for the current K&K version of this tobacco, but I must say I was underwhelmed to say the least.

Upon lighting up, I found the base virginias to be quite bready/yeasty (which I like), however there was no real sweetness to be found and a distinctly bitter aftertaste persisted throughout the bowl, which was off-putting. I could not identify any flavorings or toppings, other than this awful bitterness. After several months in a jar, the situation has not improved. Strength and taste are about medium with nicotine in the mild-medium range.

Otherwise, I cannot fault the quality of the base tobaccos or the presentation. It's just the bitterness that put me off this particular tobacco, so I will not be buying any more.

Age When Smoked: about 1 year

Purchased From: 4Noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wildcrow (4)	2018-04-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a blind review I did, which turned out to be Astley's No. 44. I figured I'd post my notes, but please remember I had no idea what blend I was smoking.

Astleys No. 44 Presentation- Flakes of medium and light colored tobacco. Pouch note- A Virginia Flake. (Boring, I know, but I can't put it any other way).

The good stuff- I went ahead and rubbed this out partially. The moisture was perfect for an easy light and tamp. It only took that one light to get off to the races.

Initial light- upon lighting, there is a deep bread flavor. It's certainly a Virginia blend, and I'm not sure there's any Perique in here. In fact, after a few minutes I taste honey. Not honey from the bottle, but the same flavor your honey makes in a hot cup of tea,

First half- I've been chugging along and my mind is made up, it's a Virginia blend. At this point, it's tamed, yet nuanced. Then, the main flavor I get is honey graham crackers. I had to relight once, but I'm sipping slow. Also, is it fair to call a blend milky? As in, milk and honey.

Second Half- same nuances are found here that were there before. Maybe a little lemon/citrus flavor. I'm certain now that there isn't any Perique here. I am also certain this is a blend that will not make someone's head spin with nicotine. Now, the bread (buttered rolls) flavor shines. Man, this blend is smoooooooooth. No bite at my cadence. No gurgles. No harsh notes. This blend sort of reminds me of Luxury Twist Flake, but I know it's not. In fact, if I had my better judgement about me (and it's been years since I've had a tin) I'd say this is Full Virginia Flake. Don't hold me to it.

In conclusion- This is an excellent Virginia Flake that deserves a spot in my cellar, if not everyone else's. There is that "Timothy grass" note, but past that, it's a sweet, smooth blend that stays fairly consistent from start to finish allowing the nuances to dance in and out of thought at random. I like it, and if I were a Virginia freak, this would be at the top of my list (as long as the price agreed with my wallet).

Pipe Used: Bent Billiard

Similar Blends: SG Full Virginia Flake, PS Luxury Twist Flake..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2016-03-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Astley #44 is another fine Va. flake that I can turn to for my daily rotation . The square flakes , tightly packed , in the round can make a nice display . The tin note invites one to smoke . I find the tobacco a little dry in it's delivery and that can make for a hotter smoke which is the only real fault with #44 . This is a good tobacco to cellar . I found an old can around and opened it and the years did a nice job making it more mellow . The taste never achieves the subtle highs one gets from a really first rate Va flake but this is more than a decent smoke . Among the Astley blends I prefer the 109 which is one of the great Va blends . #44 is a good alternative when you feel like something a little different. 4/17 It seems time to revisit #44 . Having not smoked it for a while I now realize what a fine tobacco it really is . Astley called #44 their dark Virginia for good reason . This blend really stands up to an outdoor smoke on a breezy day . The tin note is even finer than first thought , sort of earthy > Kinf of like Mc Clelland's #22 without the drama . Now delivered with an excellent moisture content , this easy to pack and smoke blend will have a greater presence in my daily rotation .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-21		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Nice dark flakes. Good volume of smoke after lighting this one up. Stayed lit well. Flavor was not as robust as I was hoping for, HOTW is much more my style. This did have a nice spicey note when taken through the nose. Expensive blend, 11.25 for 50 grams, I won't be buying this one again, but it was good to try one in their line finally.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-12-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

By jove, this is no dark VA flake! Whoever said that should be hanged on the main mast without any chances of appeal! This is rather a light brown leaf with some shades of golden and medium brown. As you can tell, I was disappointed upon opening the tin.

However, this flake, I admit, still remains interesting. Being manufactured by K&K, which also manufactures Rattray's and McConnell's, this flake is a hybrid between Scottish Flake and Hal'O The Wynd. It has the aroma and the looks of SF but the strength of HOTW, in a lesser harsh way.

Easy to light and smoke- the humidity level was low in the tin,on the borderline of being dry- no 44 does not require attention,will bite only if you push it and smokes even with a combination of sweetness and natural VA taste. The nicotine kick is acceptable.

Lacking the unique flavor of SF, though, this mixture remains acceptable, but nothing more. I would not rebuy it.

Does anybody knows who wrote " Dark VA flake" on the tin? I have some business to attend...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2004-10-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This proved to be a great smoke for the first two-thirds of the bowl. But towards the bottom third of the bowl, in many different pipes, this tobacco grew hot, to everyone?s dislike, and spicy, to my dislike. Perique overload? Perique is supposedly not an ingredient in this blend. Also, it will bite if not careful. I am no stranger to VA blends but this blend just didn?t do it for me: each bowl was very rewarding at first only to ?slap me in the face? later. I have to be negative because of this characteristic; I won?t be trying it again. As regards Astley?s blends, #109 blend doesn?t treat me this badly and, as such, I like it much better.

I rate this tobacco 5.0 out of 10.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-12-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Excellent African Virginia leaf that's been steamed and pressed like a good suit.This really brings out the natural sugars and wonderful taste. The dark flakes in my tin were barely broken up. The tin aroma is soft and deep natural tobacco. The smoke tastes like Virginia should taste, gooood and laid back, a bit of the tang,and very fresh. This is a goooood backy!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-01-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I concur with the gentlemen above that this is superb smoke. The flakes are faily loose to me (but then, I smoke Erinmore flakes now and then...try rubbing those out!) so they crumbled and packed into the bowl just fine. Flavour is pure Virgnia goodness, crisp, toasty and sweet. True tobacco flavour here, no frills, just good straight-on Virginia. Tongue-wise, you're always living on the edge with straight Virginias, eh? So this one's no different. With a gentle puffing rhythm, this smokes quite cool. Highly recommended for the Virginia lover. I'll be stashing some tins for sure.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (217)	2022-09-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Astley's No. 44. Opening the tin was rather surprising. The flakes are much lighter in color than I would have expected for a Dark VA. The tin note was also surprising as it was full citrus and very sweet, with grass/hay notes in the background. Again, not at all what I was expecting in a dark VA. The taste was citrus way out front. Very sweet too sweet not to be topped with something. The grass/hay was present behind this. I also got a little earthiness and some wood throughout the bowl. After about the first 1/3 of the bowl, I also picked up subtle notes of graham crackers, dark fruits, and a little spice. After smoking a couple of bowls I begin to say this tastes a lot like something but could not place it. Then it came to me and while I have no way of confirming I think it is Reiner's Long Golden Flake minus the perique and white burley and where these are lacking an orange VA has been added to the base components. The topping is heavier than LGF and may or may not be the same, I fall short in describing toppings. In a side-by-side comparison with LGF, this flake is a little lighter in color which may account for the lack of perique. That said, it is not a bad flake but not what I am looking for in a dark VA. There are lots of others that are just better suited for me. The room note is fine for me, others were not overly impressed by it. The finish lingers a little and is all citrus and sugar. I don't see myself purchasing this again but I have finished the tin.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FlowerPowerGirl (2)	2021-07-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What can I say that is more. This blend for your mornings makes full day happy. Earth leaves and dark flavors not like Orlik golden slice. Leaves wanting more each time and only used in best pipe.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-04-18		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I joined TRs about ten years ago & have sampled about eighty different blends... just rejoined & changed my handle. For some reason, I began getting too many "run time" error messages & the time I spent on some 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 fairly dark as aged VAs become. It was 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 ready to stoke. 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.

Pipe Used: GBD Virgin Billiard, Country Gent Cob

Age When Smoked: 6 years

Purchased From: Pipestud's Consigment Shop

Similar Blends: Similar Blends: Best I can recollect, this is the only "Dark" VA I've ever tried other than Dunhill's Royal Yacht & there is no comparison...

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-02-27		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

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 strangely enough, 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. 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 Astleys can find a means of procuring a better grade of Virginia that produces more sweetness as a proper Virginia should. Obviously, for the reasons explained above is probably the reason Astleys, after all these years, #44 has only received 42 reviews thus far. Does Astleys really care? I don't think so or they'd do something to increase the quality of this blend. One can easily find something more pleasing & satisfying with little effort. I would hope Astleys would take heed to this review as I hope others might. Nothing extra special here.

Pipe Used: Vintage size 2, 6" Meerschaum billiard.

Age When Smoked: Six Years Old

Purchased From: Pipestud's Consigment Shop

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2016-07-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Neatly broken flakes and sweet honey nose, that is what welcome you when the tin is opened. Dark virginia with citrus and fresh fruity flavors flow in balance and convince you this is one of the most delicious straight virginia on the market. Four star in my book.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-07-23		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This square shaped flake needs to be aged. After a couple years it does wonderfully.

The aroma is close to red wine. It smells like McConnel's Scottish Flake. The flakes are not dark by all means.

It smokes well and provides nice nicotine.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (128)	2008-12-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An excellent medium strength virginia, full of flavour and tasty, packs easy and burns well all the way down with one match, no bite and smooth. Taste wise, a notch or so up from Marlin Flake. A fine quality virginia, superb for an evening smoke when one wants a little peace and an easy going smoke but with enough flavour to remind us why we smoke a pipe.

Four Stars without a doubt.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puro66 (73)	2007-06-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is an excellent well balanced virginia. In my opinion the best in the Astley line. I've smoked many tins of this, often as a substitute for Marlin Flake. It's not as good as MF but it is close. Virginia fans will enjoy.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lochinvar (78)	2005-09-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Probably the best VA from Astley's. Deep and dark, the taste is slightly sweet hay with passing notes of citrus and cocoa or molasses (very, very faint), this is one of my favorite dark flakes. With a little age on it, it is unstoppable.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-11-19		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Compared to No. 109, No. 44 comes up short. The tin may say "dark", but it is (visually) lighter than its sibling. It may appeal to fans of drier, less sweet VAs, and packs more of a kick than 109, but cannot match the latter in terms of smoothness, taste, lushness, and overall quality.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-07-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This being my first experience with the Astleys tobacco, I was a little leery of the taste and the strength as I prefer the Danish Blends.

This was an open tin that was given to me so I cannot really comment on my impression of the freshness, although the tobacco was not dry and packed well. The tobacco smoked very well with no harsness or tongue bite, I did detect a subtle hint of sweetness in the taste as the tobacco burned slowly to the bottom of the bowl.

The one impression I did receive from No. 44 that it left me satisfied like that of the first cup of a rich Columbian Coffee in the morning.

This will be added to my shelf of occasional tobaccos to smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-04-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I like this blend and 109 the best of the Astley Virginias. Highly refined tobacco in small, dark flakes. Very pliable, easy to pack and lights quickly. It smokes to a fine white ash all the way down to the dottle with very little tending. My problem with this tobacco and with the other Astely's I have smoked is that they do not deliver a big Virginia flavor. They all seem to fall into a very narrow range of flavor: Thoroughly processed, quality tobacco with very little tobacco flavor together with a light sweetener. They also have tendency to burn a little hot, hotter than McClelland's. However, they do not bite, with the exception of #55 at times. I would not place #44 or the other Astey blends in the upper tier of Virginia tobaccos. Paddy.

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