G. L. Pease Telegraph Hill

Prep: The moisture level was about perfect.

Notes: An even mixture of red and bright virginias form the base. Bright, citrusy, hay notes are evenly in play with fruity, earthy, notes from the reds. The Perique accentuates the red leaf further with dried fruity, plum-like notes though the "spiciness" isnt strong. It is quite consistent from top to bottom of the smoke. A solid choice for beginners, though I dont believe it delivers anything unique to the Va/Per field. For those reasons, I give it a 6/10.

https://youtu.be/l2OMrpmI220

3rdguy

Just finished my 1st full tin of this, quite enjoyable. I will say the overall flavor is that of caramel and it remained consistent throughout a smoke and in a variety of pipes. No bite. Light on the perique for my tastes but not in a bad way just glad there is not less. I had 18 months age on the tin when opened and will have to put some in the cellar. A great VaPer in a crowded field.

When I first picked up the pipe in 2013, I had absolutely no idea and/or inkling about anything having to do with pipes, let alone the many different types and blends of pipe tobacco. So, there was a very steep learning curve in regard to both pipe and tobacco. With regard to tobacco however, I can only describe my early days of exploration as the "Big Bang" of discovery, sampling anything and everything I could lay my hands on, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

Seven years hence, with the chaos of the "Big Bang" having subsided, I am no longer smoking heavy English blends during the hot summer months, nor am I smoking (as a rule) the Virginias during the dead of winter (with Cringle Flake, various Christmas Cheers and McClelland's 40th Anniversary Flake being the odd exceptions).

But here in California, when hints of spring occasionally waft through the air in January and February, VaPers become the natural bridge between Winter and Summer.

I recently ordered/sampled two VaPers I had never tried before: One was Rimpoché AP, and the other was Telegraph Hill. Both blends were phenomenal -- both blends were sampled back-to-back -- and both blends totally rocked my world with regard to how I viewed/interpreted/understood VaPers. The long-held views I had about the benchmark VaPers -- Escudo, DNR, Old Gowrie, St. James Flake -- were all completely blown-away by these two newcomers to my rotation.

I tried the Rimpoché first (and wrote a glowing review), while Telegraph Hill was hot on the heels of the Rimpoché, smoked the very next day.

The two (to me) were so remarkably the same in quality, in taste, in flavor profile, I was pretty well dumbfounded. Not only were they both so very close in terms of being kindred VaPers, but they had totally upended my strongly held beliefs as to what a real and genuine, good tasting, good smoking VaPer should be.

In a nutshell: Telegraph Hill is but a more moist, better hydrated version of Rimboché (which arrives quite dry in the bag). When you lay these two tobaccos out, side-by-side, they look very nearly (virtually) identical.

Telegraph Hill: Phenomenal Virginia Perique blend.

Nice blend. Tin note is slightly sweet and sour, hints of hay and a "pack of cigarettes" smell. Flavor profile is bready, peppery, with dark fruit notes. Get's deeper past the half way mark and considerably spicier. I liken this to Dunhill Elizabethan, Three Friars and other ribbon cut VaPer's with a medium dose of perique. This isn't as sweet as an Escudo or Dunhill Navy Rolls, which I prefer. I think a shag cut removes some of that sweetness, but that may just be my imagination.

G.L. Pease, Telegraph Hill: A refined yet flavorful ribbon-cut VaPer and my everyday smoke.

The Virginia varietals are made up of a mixture of red, dark, and some brighter leafs—in that order. They are mostly tangy, earthy, and sweet without any grassy-bright notes. The perique is extravagantly yet perfectly applied in this blend. It is spicy with undertones of fermented fruit. It is well balanced, yet still keeps my attention throughout the smoke. With six months of age (or more), the Virginias seem to become smoother and richer in profile.

This stuff is so good. For me, this is perfection at the highest levels.

The tobaccos are a good mix of bright Virginias and darker tobaccos. I find the C&D ribbon cut blends to be a joy to work with. This one burns well, but maybe too fast.

The blend is slightly moist but still smokable out of the tin. My tin had some months of age on it. The tin note is kind of sweet, ketchup and vinegar-like, and sour but with some grassy, oat-like hint in there. To me, it doesn't smell or taste like any other Virginia Perique blend I've had.

This is a sweet blend, like pastry sweet notes from the moment you light it up. I get the fermented notes, and the sensation in the nose on the retrohales is great. It's got that Belgian beer hint I mention with Escudo, and , to me, Virginia Perique mixtures, in general. There are sugary notes, grassy notes, some sweet pastry notes that are kind of bread-like, and some oat-like notes. There are peppery notes from the Perique. There is also a general briny taste to this blend that is unlike any other Virginia Perique blend. It's kind of salty and vinegar-like and fermented. It makes it unique. I think I remember getting a similar flavor in Laurel Heights as well.

In taste and body this is a pretty bold and flavorful blend, but the nicotine strength is somewhat low. It never gave me a nicotine hit, which I find great.

This blend is widely available and fairly priced.

I recommend this to Virginia Perique lovers who want something slightly different.

It is with deep regret that I now find myself fully converted to the church of Pease.. now I am forced to stock up on all his Virginia based blends and spend way too much on my cellar.. Telegraph Hill blew me away.. comparisons to Elizabethan scared me, as I have not gotten along too well with that mixture lately.. but even at a young age Telegraph hill, in my opinion, is way more interesting.. It's a soft sweet blend with the most exquisite gentle dose of pepper.. it's an easy going va/per that somehow is equally satisfying.. It's really a delightful medium smoke... nothing that will shock you.. but it is like a finely tuned composition.. The Virginias are soft, sweet, bready and creamy.. not much of the grass/citrus element.. this is just a wonderful quiet tobacco that slowly unravels.. never loud but demands your attention.

I like this blend on the rare occasion I can get it to burn right. There's something in this that causes it to more often than not burn awkwardly. Something in this blend doesn't like to burn with the rest of it. Perique flakes? I'm not sure, but I have to spend way too much time coaxing and messing with that aspect of the smoke to enjoy it fully. It's like this in Briar's of various make, cobb's and meerschaum's. When it goes ok, it's really good, one of the better Va/Per blend's out there, but it wants to burn weird.

If someone were to ask me to describe this blend in two words I'd say it's "pitch perfect." The sweet, the savory, the bitterness, the spice and all the subtleties (and there are a number of them), all of it, pitch perfect.

Charring light only gives a glimpse of what a bowl of this wonderful mixture has to offer. The Virginia's are toasty with a delicate grassy high note and the perique lays low, gently amplifying the overall flavor.

Mid-bowl flavors are deeper, spicier and intensified. The flavors darken, morphing into what what I can only describe as rich & rustic. The overall flavor is semi-sweet, earthy and spicy with hints of molasses and fragrant woodsy oak like notes. The smoke is smooth and well balanced with a perfect amount of spice. The perique adds a bit of kick without overstepping its role or overly influencing the flavor.

This mixture is easy to work with and practically smokes itself once properly lit. Flavor and nicotine strength are an even medium yet there's enough of both to make this a suitable nightcap. So far this is my favorite GLP VaPer and next to Embarcadero one of the best and most articulate blends in the Fog City Selection.