G. L. Pease Telegraph Hill

Preparation & Burn: 7/10 Easy to pack. Burns cool enough, no bite. Not many re-lights at all. A bit harsh if not sipped and burns a bit fast.

Taste: 12/20 This is a decent blend, but there's so much more I'd rather smoke before this.

Mildness: 7/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. Not much nicotine here.

Total: 26/40

Given the 4-star reviews by JimInks and other reviewers that I hold in high regard, for me this was a no-brainer for any VaPer fan to purchase. I'm not sure why he says this is "not quite" an all day smoke. For me, it certainly has become so. It's a "no-fuss" blend, being very easy to pack and to keep lit, with no bite, it delivers the citrus of the VA along with just enough dark fruit from the Perique. It also develops well down through the bowl, with the Perique becoming more dominant, which may have somthing to do with the fact that my 8oz bulk purchase now being four years old.

Presentation: All labels in the Fog City Selection look the same. A gold stripe across the bottom, a white background, with a gray sketching of the streets of San Francisco.

Cut: A thick ribbon cut, perfect moisture level.

Tin note: Smells fruity and tangy with a figgy untertone, a very nice smell.

Tasting notes: Tastes creamy and grassy on light up. Draws are a short fruity sweetness followed by a zesty tang, followed by a grassiness and then a woody finish. I taste some very slight bread and some earth with the grassiness. The spice is very present on retrohales. A pleasant toastiness appears on some finishes. Some might find this a spicy blend, although I just see the spice as one of a few main players.

Mechanics: N/A -- A well behaved blend.

Extra Remarks: What an excellent blend! It doesn't have a lot of fruitiness of red virginias that I tend to long for in VaPer blends, but I didn't mind. This blend was so well balanced and complex, like a playlist on shuffle with flavors. Don't retrohale too liberally if you are not a fan on spice though! I don't think I would ever get bored smoking this blend. 4 stars.

First of all I have to warn you that this review is based on several tin cans never less than five years old. I have not tried the Telegraph in its earliest youth.

If a novice smoker asked me for a recommendation of a va / per where the perique can be clearly appreciated without it being overwhelming, I would recommend Telegraph Hill.

In the tin it has a very intense vinegar aroma, balsamic, fresh, and with a touch of spices, coming from the perique. These nuances are reproduced later in the flavor, after lighting the pipe, also adding, from time to time, a spicy point. The smoke is fresh, tasty, smooth and very pleasant. It does not bite at all and it burns perfectly, although it does so at a faster pace than average.

Another attraction of this tobacco is that it has a very strong personality, and I would say that in taste it is unlike any other va/per that I have tried that is currently marketed. The way I see it, this is one of the best va/per of those produced at the moment, once McClelland and Dunhill disappeared from the market.

I think this review makes it very clear how much I like Telegraph Hill, and to you, who are reading this review, I would recommend that if you like this type of mix with virginia and perique you should not miss the opportunity to try it. I'm almost sure you will thank me...

Very pleasant tin note. Smells flavored but doesn’t taste flavored. Sweet and spicy smoke. Not very grassy or bready in my opinion but I do get some woody earthy stewed fruit Va notes and a touch of citrus. Perfect amount of Perique for me. Good cut and moisture. Burns a bit hot and quick if not sipped but no worse than other ribbon cut Virginias. I have read on this forum it ages well so I put a few away. Richer, sweeter and more refined than Strattford. Need to be in the mood for something sweet to reach for this but it's never cloying and it doesn’t taste as if it’s been overtly sweetened. Will buy again.

Excellent Va/Per, love the size of the cut. Toasty aroma, perique is generous and full. Pack it loose, it can easily get thick in the bowl. An absolute markpoint for the US way to interpret Va/Per, because yes, a little ketchup comes out here and there, but still not that much as Americans seem to like.

Telegraph hill is presented in a fine ribbon cut and exhibits a sweet and earthy tin note. The Virginias are grassy, fruity and bright. The perique addition is light and balanced adding a peppery and dark fruit note. There is a hint of Latikia, maybe 3 percent, that enhances the blend with an earthy and woody presence. Perfect moisture content out of the tin, burns at a medium pace with no issues. Mild to medium in taste and nicotine, smooth and resolves to a clean ash with little moisture left behind. May be considered an all day smoke to the VaPer enthusiast.

If Fillmore’s flavour sounded to me as the refined version of Bayou Morning Flake (by CD), now Telegraph Hill was the same compared to Exhausted Rooster (again by CD). That’s was my very personal impression, right or wrong it may be.

Then I have to say that I have been more than pleased with TH, having all its properties (flavour, burning, body and strenght) in good order. And I liked very much its ribbon cut. I would say there is some fruity topping, but if the majority of the reviewers judges that TH is in the “none detected” category, I have no reason to distrust, then this is meaning that this VaPer combination is particularly succesful.

Again, nothing magical, but a very consistent smoke, to be repeated. To the TR Community, All my Best Wished for the new Year 2019 !

Fine leaf,optimal proportion Va-Per but...raw!This is the last but not the first Pease´s blend with this problem.What´s the matter?Pipe smokers,we buy tobacco and not very cheap by the way,simply to smoke it.After that if we like it we try hunt a decent quantity for cellaring.It´s ridiculous to pay right now and putting in the bowl not before a couple of years.Outrageous.