G. L. Pease Union Square

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.