G. L. Pease Telegraph Hill

What does one write about the best VaPer (IMHO)... the one that replaces Escudo and McClellands St James Woods, not to mention several others?

GLP tobaccos, as a rule, make me work very diligently to unlock their potential. As I like to say, they hold "secrets" that are up to me to figure out. A few of them either have still held onto those secrets or I simply discovered I did not care for them. Many more eventually turned out wonderfully. But rare is the GLP tobacco that hits me with a hammer blow from the first puff and makes me exclaim "Ahhhh... this is IT!".

Telegraph Hill is the consummate VaPer, in my book. The virginias are the perfect base to a fairly heavy dose of perique, not overwhelming, but very very prominent. Fillmore overdosed me with perique and harshness but this one is just perfect. It's mellow but not too mild, it's almost briny as opposed to peppery, and it burns very cool. Because it is so flavorful, I was afraid that this blend couldn't kick back and relax with me, but it does that perfectly as well. I would call this a spicy blend as opposed to a sweet one, but it also possesses a bread-like quality. No hay or fruit. And nothing approaching bite. Never could coax much bite from GLP blends, and this one won't bite even when abused. But smoked in a normal slow cadence, this one delivers what Cope's Escudo and Bell's Three Nuns used to, as well as the old McConnell version of Ashton's Old London Pebblecut. Fantastic blend! I cannot rate this one highly enough. It seems to take a backseat to Fillmore in the popularity arena but I find it infinitely more to my taste. As far as I'm concerned, Greg has mastered the venerable VaPer blend. No need for me to experiment further.

This is a quite usual tasting Va/Per that has a very familiar taste - yep, a dozen or so other similar blends are on the market, sine with a much fuller flavor but none quite as deep in the flavor department.

If the Virginia leaf thrown into this blend had more backbone and the flavor more was a little more intense, I might have given Telegraph Hill five stars out of four. I can see where it will tingle the scrotum of many pipe lovers (well, the men anyway.)

Update 2022: I first reviewed this blend nearly a decade ago. In the time that has passed, it has become my about favorite blend, including the many no longer in production.

It is, for me, the very best VaPer a VaPer lover could hope for. The interplay between the Virginia and the perique is perfectly balanced. As age deepens the Virginia and smooths the perique, that balance remains perfect.

Original review from 2014 follows:

The tobacco comes in ribbons, and looks exactly like you'd expect a good VaPer to look. The tin note is bright and sweet with an appropriate measure of spice from the perique (with age, some of the spice gives way to a figgy/raisin aroma, but the spice still hangs around). Tn moisture is ideal for immediate smoking, no need to dry it out. There is no scent of topping or casing, and the impression is that of an honest, quality tobacco.

The smoke itself is excellent. The Virginia isn't "deep" the way it can be - instead, it tends towards the bright and sweet variety with a bit of citrus, and something almost briny about it (in a very good way). The perique isn't overbearing, but it isn't sparse either - the result is plenty of spice, but not enough to overshadow the Virginia underneath. The first quarter or so of the bowl you can taste the component tobaccos individually; from that point on, all of the flavors seem to come together into a cohesive taste and aroma that IMHO is what the ideal VaPer ought to be. The burn is consistent, relights are few and far between, and there's no sog to deal with in the bottom of the bowl.

Some reviews seem to indicate a lack of complexity. I disagree. Smoked slowly a complexity develops throughout the bowl, and by the last quarter there is a fantastic layering of flavors. Here, the VAs begin to deepen just a bit and the perique waxes and wanes.

One note on the perique: age plays a factor here. Make no mistake, the perique plays a "spicy" role moreso than a "dark fruit" role in TG, but with age the spice takes half a step backwards and the darkness comes half a step forward. This changes the experience entirely - young, TG is a bright, pointed Virginia with spicy perique highlights; aged, it is a rounded (and sweeter) Virginia with a bit less spice but an increased depth.

I love it at any age, and will smoke it anyway I can get it.

Less is more -- Mies van der Rohe

Greg Pease himself has said of Telegraph Hill that "...each sip builds upon the last...". I agree. Like an expensive perfume, a little TH goes a long way for me, and I prefer to sip and sniff this blend meditatively from a small-ish pipe. I have a small pot that renders TH perfectly. Although TH is a fine VA/Per, for sure, it is also about as fine a blend, generally speaking, as I have smoked; simple, yet not so simple; fragrant, almost floral, yet rich with unspoiled tobacco scents and tastes. It's nothing special to look at, broken ribbon bits of various shades of reddish brown with some darker flecks, and a few small stems and veins thrown in at no extra charge. The tin note is well-melded, yielding gracefully to inquisition, generally fragrant rather than piquant, with fig newtons, apricots, and citrus over buttered oatmeal, with a solid-but-deferential VA backbone. I load TH loosely, and it burns OK once it's lit, burning down rather quickly. Lit, the scents play out in earnest, adding caramel, resin-y incense and "exotic" spices, and all of this translates to tastes, as well, along with some sugar, walnuts, and something like faint old Bourbon. The citrus also lends a nice astringency. Smoked gently, there is just a little sharpness from the VAs, and the flavors concentrate and sour some down the bowl, then TH unfurls like a symphony. Strength is mild to medium, significantly less strong than Laurel Heights. I mostly smoke TH outdoors, but still air is definitely the ticket. It smells great to me, but I am aware that Perique often offends bystanders. Aftertaste is a slightly "smoky" version of the smoke that soon fades to a lengthy best-of reverie. Did I mention that TH ages well? Indeed, it does. My stash from the initial release is smoking VERY well now. If you have problems with a young tin, jar it and you will be pleasantly surprised later.

IMO, TH simply nails the VA/Per category. Still, I think it might find favor with any slow smoker who enjoys a subtle and complex VA blend. I say this because, despite the Perique is critically important here, it comes across in a way that's unique in my experience in this particular blend. 4 stars from me, along with a spot on my favorites list.

I was really looking forward to this one. At this point I must say that I am somewhat dissapointed. I say "at this point" because I believe the tobacco is too young to be judged fairly. Telegraph Hill is a beautiful tobacco to look at. The perique is in good measure. It just doesn't have the sweetness that I prepared myself for and it can burn a bit hot. I think time will really bring out the potential in this blend. Hopefully I will be able to give a positive update in the future.

UPDATE: I just had to try this again after stoving it a bit. I vacuum packed some of the tobak and then wrapped it in tin foil. It sat in the car under the seat for 2 1/2 weeks in this Texas heat. What an amazing difference! This can't be the same Telegraph Hill that I tried a few weeks ago! My original thoughts were correct. This tobacco is just too young out of the tin to be FULLY appreciated. The taste on the tongue is sugary sweet with just a hint of perique to tickle the nose. It burns cool and smokes good all the way down the bowl. It is a very clean taste on the palate and tongue with no bite whatsoever. If this has changed this much in just a couple of weeks in the heat, its potential is truly great! I have found a new favorite in the tobacco world which is always a wonderful find.

G. L. Pease - Telegraph Hill (Fog City Selection).

Having finished my tin of Penny Farthing I wanted another VaPer on the go. I have a few sealed go to blends of this genre in my cellar but fancied something new. Cue Telegraph Hill!

Mostly brown and yellow ribbons with just a few black specks. They're all medium in size, there's one or two twigs, and the moisture's decent. The smell from it's one of a VaPer, albeit not too bitter.

The smoke scores highly, to me. The Perique is an emphatic flavour, but it isn't as indefatigable or headstrong as it was in Penny Farthing! The Virginias are sapid and savoury, almost doughy and not sweet. Nor to they showcase the often found sharp, citrus, Virginia qualities. Telegraph burns at a medium pace, independently, giving a bite-free smoke.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: I like it.

Telegraph Hill? A top notch VaPer which warrants four stars:

Highly recommended.

WOW!!! I can't think of a better way to express my joy when experiencing this very fine and pleasurable high quality blend from Greg Pease.

I received a small sample of this tabac in an order from my online tobacconist. I filled up my Prince of Whales with half of the contents of the sample package. The aroma from the package was heavenly in and of itself. The light up was very easy and flavorful with a strong fresh hit of fine Virginia leaf and a good jolt of nicotine as well. Sip after sip the flavor and aroma just kept building, just the right amount of Perique really sends the taste sensation of this blend to cloud nine. This one really holds a fresh and flavorful smoke from start to finish. A brilliant combination of sweet and nutty with a slight amount of pepper at the finish.

I savored this bowl from start to finish. My eyes immediately gazed at the remainder of the tobacco in the sample bag. Enough for the car ride to the tobacco shop I thought to myself. I purchased three more tins, one to smoke and two to cellar. I will update this review when I have sampled the contents of one of the aged tins. Six or so months I think if I can keep my hands off it!

1st time I smoke this blend when my friend take a visit to my house and smoking pipe together. I took a little bit of this ribbon cut tobacco and pack it into my pipe just a half of the bowl. I smoke it with hurry because that is my beginning period to smoking a pipe and honestly I don't enjoy it all with the harsness, peppery, and spiciness of this blend, and when my friend offer me to give me some, I refuse it, don't want to smoke this blend again.

After half of year, my other friend send me this blend again, full of tin, unopened can. I keep it in to the storage for 2-3 month because I think I don't like this blend like the first time I had tried it before so I let this baccy stand on my desk for a time and not touch it. And some how, after my journey with VaPer blends, I fall in love with VaPer and I remember I still have 1 tin of blend that I had not touch it for a time so I decide it to open this blend and try to smoke it.

1st scent I open the tin I can smell a pleasant flavor of raisin and plum and I really like it. The ribbon cut and its color very attractive on my sight so I start to pack it into my pipe and light it. And my god, the smoke is very great, taste and flavor are perfect, the sweetness and mellow smoke from fine virginia leaves with scent of raisin make me so happy. At first light, the strength and taste are so mild and mellow, but after I relight it, is getting stronger but without loose any hint of the sweetness and rich flavor of the raisin and fruity scent.

Sure I will make this blend as one of my favorite. I really enjoy it from the first light until the finish. Easy packing, burnt well, great smoke, and a pleasant journey. Without doubt, I will give this blend 4 star. Its a complete taste, the sweetness, peppery, and spiciness are great.

Telegraph Hill was my intoduction to Virginia/Perique blends it has little nicotine strength, but that isn't one of the things I look for in a pipe tobacco being a former Camel smoker. The first thing that caught me was the Virginias, they were very sweet and smooth throughout the bowl. About midway through I started getting a little spice from the Perique. I am mostly drawn to English/Balkan blends so my pallate may miss some of the more complex nuances this fine blend has to offer but over all I find this blend to be a very satisfying smoke. I now keep two tins on hand. If you havent tried a Virginia/Perique Blend before, this one is an excellent place to start.