Astleys Pipe Tobacco

Astley's began as a tobacco shop at 109 Jermyn St London, England, in 1862.

Astley's shop originally sold both tobacco and smoking pipes. Especially at the start, meerschaum pipes were the most popular and sold quickly. They later moved on to briar smoking pipes, along with their own blends of pipe tobacco.

Astley's kept in the smoking pipe business for nearly one hundred years, selling their last pipe around 1961. This marked the end of the smoking pipes, but not necessarily the end of the business itself.

Astley's would continue to make tobacco for some time longer before finally succumbing and going out of business.

However, despite being long out of business, Astley's tobacco was well received, and the name itself still garnered respect.

Adopted by Kohlhase and Kopp, the German tobacconists have taken on the Astley's tobacco tradition. In keeping the Astley's name alive, they have been able to keep history alive, introducing new people to an old classic.

Maintaining the Astley's name means following their recipes. That's why you will see their blends numbered, as you would have seen in the mixture book at the original shop in 1862.

Those books were a well regarded practice, used by respected tobacconists like Alfred Dunhill and many more. It was a way to learn what their clients liked and worked wonders as a marketing tool.

If you had a specific blend you enjoyed, these tobacconists could have it in their book and could spread it around to those smokers who did not have a firm idea in mind or were looking for something new.

We offer eight different Astley's blends, and each numbered from the Astley mixture book. They all range from mild to medium in strength, with very little artificial flavoring added.

Medium in taste, none of the tobacco rates as anything more than tolerable in room note either. Enjoy some history with Astley's tobacco.