G. L. Pease Union Square

The flakes are drier than my benchmark Samuel Gawith, and drier than the Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia tin I finished before this one. In light of that, it's strange to me that Union Square smoked substantially wetter than any other straight Virginia I can think of. It bubbled incessantly, and left several pipes needing a cleaning.

There's also a cigarette smell that reminds me of Briar Fox, and that I associate with young C&D Virginia. The flavor is all high and tangy, lacking depth and body. I won't speculate on the quality or age of the raw leaf, but I don't think the cakes were aged long enough.

There's something about the pressed flake that GLPease uses that works so well for Union Square. I suspect that if Union Square was finely cut, like Montgomery, it wouldn't be quite as good. As a flake, it's incredible for what it is. That said, it is extremely easy to rub out flake. The strength of it is surprisingly strong for a Virginia, too. To me, this is the absolute best tasting Virginia flake/blend out there. I don't know exactly how he blends this but I suspect all forms of Virginia's are used because it has its own unique signature. Sweet, grassy, dark, pure Virginia tobaccos and nothing else. I keep going back to the word "clean" when I smoke it. It tastes clean. And as always, it's better with age.

P.S. For the record, I read zero of the previous reviews on it before I wrote my review. I find it amusing that so many of us are using the adjective "clean" to describe it and must add that if so many people hold it in this high of regard, Union Square must deliver a consistent experience.

This one I apparently bought back in August of 2021 with a date code of 123120. This is a broken flake and has a pleasant smell of hay/grasses, etc. I have been enjoying this in my Altinay Meerschaum Poker and like the fact that I am tasting pure Virginia leaf if you believe the description and from the taste of this wonderful blend I do. Straight forward? Yes, that is what makes smoking this so pleasurable. Starting out I get the bready, sweetness of the Red Virginias and further down the bowl the other Virginia tobaccos seem to seek attention. Does this have a lot of bells and whistles? No, but for a really outstanding Virginia this cannot be beat. I wish I had a few tins of this to age but my cellar is full at the moment.

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: Comes in small flakes , just right moisture, easy to rub out.

Tin note: Has a rich fruity, bready smell.

Tasting notes: This blend tastes grassy, bready, a bit spicy, tangy, slightly smoky, minutely sweet. Deep earth, a bit tart, and woody on the finish. Simple but delicious.

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

Extra Remarks: This is a great blend. With this being my final review in the Fog City Selection, I feel it's fitting that it happened to be a straight Virginia blend because I think Greg Pease made this whole series to display his deft hand with the Virginia leaf. This blend is a rather straight shooter, not too complex or unique, but that is not the purpose of this blend. The Virginias are quality and Pease brings so much out of just one type of leaf in this blend. A delightful "anytime" kind of smoke and I can say no wrong about it. 4 stars.

This tobacco marks a before and after in my short history as a pipe smoker. I hope veterans excuse me for the obviousness I'm about to write, but now I know that there are straight virginias that can fit into my usual rotation, that a straight virginia doesn't have to be bland, nondescript, flat and monotone. I have tried some va/per that more closely match this description.

With a broken flake cut (although the description says they are flakes), they appear when opening the tin shiny and ripe virginias with the characteristic smell of sweet hay, where I believe I perceive a certain spicy nuance. When the tobacco is turned on, the flavors of toast, cereals, nuts and certain sweet touches are displayed that intensify as the smoke progresses, with some almost honeyed nuance at times. And from what connoisseurs say, this does not have any type of casing, those flavors are natural! It burns well and evenly, without requiring too many re-ignitions. It should be smoked with a slow cadence so that it does not become monotonous, something that should be done with all tobaccos, although that rule is not always (and I the first) taken into account.

Of course, with this tobacco I prefer to pay attention to the smoke, without performing a task at the same time that can distract me from the sensations it produces.

02/27/2023: I've smoked a lot of tobaccos and a lot of virginias since writing this review and I haven't seen any that look like Union Square, which makes it a unique tobacco for me...

I can understand the drum beating and flag waving on this one. I got two 8oz tins from Rich at 4noggins and was glad I did. Good smoke. Burns well and easily with only one relight for me. (But I had to go and tend to my Chicken Kiev I had going on the stove). Very pleasant taste and note. Good body without the nicotine buzz. Just the kind of strength for nicotine snowflake like me. A good all day number. Highly recommended.

This is a superb blending of light and dark Virginias in cake form. My tin has little age on it, but tasted sublime from the first light. It rubbed out with ease and smoked cool and dry from start to finish. The nicotine, although higher than I'm used to, was very tolerable. The taste is elegant and smooth. I can only imagine what a year or two would do. Unlike most Virginias I've tried, there is little if any tang or sharpness. The slight sweetness is all natural and a welcome addition. I think that Greg has created a masterpiece in this blend and I intend to order a few tins for aging.

GLP's Union Square may be more "forgiving" than their Laurel Heights, but it still demands some attention to preparation, loading, packing and smoking before it relaxes and gives up its considerable goods, notwithstanding its "easy" appearance and almost cloying aroma when the tin is popped. In the tin, presentation is beautiful, merely-moist, mottled, soft flakes that I cannot spindle and fold into a pipe before they fall to rough, chunky "ribbons". The note from a young tin is barely damp silage under truly yummy, sweet, blended VA tobaccos, with the brights upfront. With age, add fermented notes of pineapple, apricots and golden caramel, along with distant fresh yeast and a drop or two of rum.

Union Square is one tobacco I prefer to smoke very dry, to the point where it's "crispy". Smoked "wet", and especially if it's rushed, it can get harsh, and/or soot winds up in the air hole, and/or one might detect a faint trace of ammonia in the air. OTOH, smoked very dry, and with some consideration, barely sniffing light puffs, it makes clouds of clean and bracing VA TOBACCO smoke that features most of the tin notes, and the taste follows suit. It does require some attention as it is smoked, or it will go out; but there is no penalty - at all - for re-lighting it.

After a short trial period, US has smoked well for me, and it keeps getting better as it is smoked down. The aftertaste is - surprise - delicious VA tobacco, sweet but not saccharin, never bitter, with no ash. I love it. Nicotine is like Laurel Heights, which is to say, stealthy, building quite slowly toward "strong" over the course of a bowl and thereafter. It only took me a couple of tries to learn to hold off with a second bowl.

While it's hardly a no-brainer, I find US quite relaxing and very satisfying, along the lines of several other Pease blends I enjoy. Highly recommended to those who feel up to the "challenge". And aging just makes it better...

This review is after 15 bowlfuls over several months. Yellow sticker on tin bottom has an October 28, 2009 date. Moisture seemed just right in these supple, small flakes, but further drying proved necessary. There is an aroma of mild fermentation (fig-like, touch of vinegar and baking spices). This was quite easy to fold and load. Rubbing out the flakes turned out to be a better move than smoking whole flakes or cutting “cubes.”

Not a one or two vesta affair lighting and regular relights were necessary (which can raise the possibility of tongue-bite). Flavor initially is mild and hay-like. Five minutes into the bowl and the flavor deepens to subtle sweetness, complexity and familiar Virginia flavors. Union Square reminds me immediately of Rattray's Virginias (this is not always good, in my opinion) and maybe something like SG BBF and Old Gowrie, but heavier than BBF. There is some richness, too. The room note will not win admirers unless they like the aroma of better cigarettes.

USq requires great care to keep the burn temperature low as possible. Otherwise, this flake will bite me as badly as Mac Baren Virginia No. 1, Marlin Flake and Fillmore. Contra-intuitively, this required a full rubbing up of the flakes. I believe this allows more smoke volume, thus flavor, when gently drawing the smoke in and out of the pipe (some call this “sipping”). If I smoked this in a gentle breeze, I'd opt to keep the flakes chunky. Harder puffing for flavor proved painful.

On the nicotine continuum, USq is somewhere between Old Gowrie and Hal O' the Wynd. USq burns cleanly to a mottled ash.

Somewhat recommended now. Perhaps time in a sealed tin will prove beneficial, but I am on the fence if I will invest time and cellar space to the experiment, as it does not replace or add anything missing to my regular rotation.

I love trying a new GLP blend, Whether it makes it to my rotation or not, Every blend is interesting, complex, and well put together. This comes in a cut flake form, and on poping the tin smells organic and rich. For me, this is best packed after a couple hours to air. Pipe used was a Bing's Favorite dedicated to Virginias. This Virginia symphony is not sweet by any stretch, It's very earthy at its base- Like Wheat. There is a combining flavor thats a bit sharp, like hops in an IPA- This would be a great smoke on a hot day with a beer. The burn rate is nice and consistant, not too hot, few relights. Faster cadance brought more hoppy like spice, while breath smoking almost reached a nice ale like body. The strength is what I would deem a medium, and the finish was clean and dottle free. My tin was two weeks old, but I imagine this will age nicely given the conditions in the tin and the Virginias sed, but it is fine from the starting gate. I would recomend this as an all the time smoke, but I also plan on aging a few a few years to see how it matures.

In the tin I get sweet dark fruit and a bit of grass or hay.

For a moment I got a whiff of strawberry candy. However, the dominant note is by far sweet grass and hay from the bright Virginias with just a bit of dark fruit from the red Virginias. It's not nearly as tangy and sweet as many other straight Virginia blends due to the lack of added sugar. However, it brings out some of the leaf's natural sweetness and lemon sourness.

Not an overly rich, deep, or complex blend, but does have high and low notes. The grassy and lemon top is completed by a drop of warm bread notes so it's by no means a boring smoke, although the flavor doesn't change much throughout the bowl.

Mechanically, I found that rubbing out the flakes is the easiest way to pack and smoke Union Square. Smoking cool for a straight Virginia and in a moderate pace. No tongue bite. Can be an all-day smoke. Minimal relights.

Mild in body and strength. I do wish it'd have more of both, especially a bit more of body. At times it feels a bit like a chewing gum tastes once the flavors start to disappear, although it's nowhere as drastic as that in the case of Union Square.

This blend is in line with blends such as Orlik Golden Sliced and Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia, as well as Capstan. I've never smoked Full Virginia Flake, so I can't comment on that. Out of these four, I'd probably rank it last as each of the others brings forward something that Union Sq. doesn't. However, I love straight Virginias on the bright side and this is a very good blend. Balancing between the blend on its own and between the way it's compared with other similar blends, I'd go with a three star rating.

3rdguy

One of the complaints I have with straight Virginias is that they usually leave me wanting more. Sometimes I get mostly hot air. Probably why I have a preference for Burley. This is one of the few Virginias that delivers on enough flavor, some nic, nice ease of smoke and has me coming back for more.

Nice retrohale of mild flavor. Burns to a nice white ash everytime. I prefer it in cobs which seem to add just a bump and a giggle more of sweetness. Takes a few relights but once it is going you can put your lighter away. I have over 5 lbs in the cellar of this one and have no regrets. I can now choose to only smoke it with a minimum of 3 years of age. I prefer it to FVF.

Highly recommended.

One of my consistent, favorite straight pure Virginias. Rich and satisfying blend of flue cured red and bright leaves. Thin, narrow strips cut from larger flakes; think SG FVF cut into toothpick size pieces. Simple Natural sweetness, that displays complex aromas all at once. The cut lights and packs easily, smokes clean and slowly, and a bowl lasts a long time. This one can really be nursed, and it stays evenly lit, even in a mild breeze. A highly recommended mainstay Virginia.

If my memory suits me well I smoked this around 5 years ago fresh. I remember a fairly strong blend with nice simple flavors and a few harsh notes. I remember it being good and ordered more tins knowing the master behind the blend and my love for Virginias. Fast forward to now, smoking a tin 5 years old and wow. Smoking the cleanest tasting full Virginia that smokes like a mild one. Subtle sweetness, minimal citrus, fermented hay and oats, a little earth, and slightest tang. The flavors remain consistent but do develop down the bowl and become slightly deeper. Practically no spice only on retrohale do you get that Virginia tingle. Unique in the tobacco world and if only using a few words to surmise. Smooth, rich, singular flavor of excellent expression. Superb.

Wow ! Straight Virginia goodness ! It needed some drying time which for me most blends do . From the tin , not much i can smell , a little citrus . Good natural tobacco flavor . It tastes a wee citrus and slightly fruity and surprisingly spicy from the red Virginia i assume . Not very sweet at all . The reds dominate to me . It has a nice creaminess also . I take my time smoking this as i could sense it may bite if pushed hard and I don’t plan on finding out . Thanks to GL Pease for this fine Virginia blend ! It should age well .

Union Square: This is The Shit.

Rating tobaccos can be such a fickle affair. Sometimes I find myself vacillating over a 4-star or a 3-star recommend (in most cases, that’s a slam-dunk decision). Sometimes I’m torn between a 1-star “no recommend” and a 2-star “if you are so inclined” recommend. Most of the time these reviews are an easy call (for me). They only become more difficult when I’m giving a 2-star recommend for something that is getting 3-and-4-star reviews from a majority of reviewers, many of whom are practiced pipers, much more experienced than I when it comes to evaluating tobacco. Sometimes I’m just ambivalent about a blend; other times I am of two minds about another. Sometimes I find reviewer grievances about a particular blend to be frivolous; nit-picky; gratuitous; without merit. And then sometimes I try something like Union Square.

Whenever I am trying something new from C&D or G.L. Pease, I always expect the worst, but hope for the best. Union Square is some fantabulous stuff – puffing on this for the first time feels a little bit like hitting the lottery. Aylesbury’s Classic Flake is a very good (3-star) classically straight Virginia. Aylesbury’s Sir John, Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake and McClelland's Straight Virginia (Red Virginia Flake) are all extraordinary examples of everything straight Virginias should be (4-stars). And then there’s Union Square: Just Holy Cow, WOW . . . And yet I know that not everyone is going to agree with my (personal, normative, value-laden) opinion about Union Square. If you’ve read this far into the review, I’m not even going to try and describe what it is about Union Square I find to be so appealing (I mean, if I had to explain) . . .

Going to cellar a few more pounds of this stuff.

Union Square – Highly Recommended – 4-stars, unequivocally.

G. L. Pease - Union Square (Fog City Collection).

I keep a rotation for the mornings in my kitchen, to accompany my morning espresso. I finished my tin of McClelland Brindle Flake so I popped this open. Nowhere near as tangy as the Brindle, but of the same high standard!

The flakes had become stuck together but when I tried to remove one I realised, as it crumbled at the lightest touch, the tobacco had gained the build of a kake, rather than actual flakes. Hydration's great.

The smoke. The flavour's a bit 'fresher' for the first part of a bowl but it isn't 'sharp'; mild hay instead of citrus and grass. There's a little sweetness, some cream, and a subtle tanginess which begins to come through as a bowl's smoked. The burn's medium in temperature and relaxed in speed. I find there's no tongue bite to be had from it.

Nicotine: below medium. Room-note: pleasant enough.

Union Square? A firm four stars:

Highly recommended.

This is simply a superb morning blend. It easily ranks among the best straight Virginia tobaccos, the likes of FVF, Blackwoods Flake, and Dunhill Flake. However, Union Square shines best after some aging.

It is a natural tobacco that is quite efficient in putting the smoker in a really tranquil mood. When aged properly, its sweetness would evolve into sour creaminess of the sort that each Virginia lover craves for. Highly recommended.

First time smoking a blend from the Fog City Collection. Beautiful broken flake that is light brown with specs of dark and yellow throughout. Smells hayishly sweet with notes of earth and slight fruit in the tin.

I have smoked this with loading it straight in the bowl and rubbed out. Both seem to work well for packing and lighting. Stays well lit either way and produces good amounts of smoke.

This should be sipped to allow the flavors to be enjoyed. The flavors are very natural. There is natural sweetness. Natural Tobacco and earth tones with just the tiniest delicate spice. Sometimes I caught hints of citrus and a bit of tang now and again. It is a wonderful tobacco. Quite the deviation from the other G.L. Pease blends I'm accustomed to, but I think he knocked a 'straight virginia' blend out of the park. I could detect the balance between the reds and light virginias. And it burns down to a nice white powdery ash (I often read reviewers talk about this, but have never experienced it like this blend provided...it really ends up as a white ash powder). I thoroughly enjoy this blend and plan to cellar some when I get the chance.

I did mention that this is similar, at least to me, of Orlik Golden Sliced, however, this blend differs in the fact that the sweetness is not as pronounced or manufactured. After smoking more of an aged tin, along with trying some other straight VA flakes, I have some more notes to add.

Between FVF and BWF, I would say that this blend is a bit brighter and toastier. I would even dare say more sharp. It can bite, usually during lighting, but is not a tiger in the pipe. It's a good tobacco but doesn't have the deep and dark or soft tones that both FVF and BWF have. This is a top quality VA blend closer to Renier's or Orlik's.