G. L. Pease Union Square

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.

I have been on a VA kick of late! I have been trying to smoke all the major VA's in the market and of course I had to try this one especially as it is one of the few uncased tobaccos on the market. So, I opened the tin and took a good long sniff of the pouch aroma and was rewarded with a nice soft vegetal aroma, something like hay but a little more rich than that. It comes in partially rubbed flakes of a medium brown color. I took the flakes and kind of rolled them like I would a full flake and loaded them in a Castello that I have been just smoking VA's in and proceeded to light it. It took several lights to get it going, but once lit, I settled back with it and a freshly ground cup of dark coffee. I liked it from the very start. A smooth sweet hay like flavor with not even a hint of any added to it and absolutely no bite. It remained bite free throughout the bowl. It burned clean and fresh and all the way down to the bottom of the pipe, leaving a medium grey ash with no dottle or moisture. Just a powder was left. After my first bowl, I just had to have another, I just loved the nice simple sweet taste it left on my tongue. The room aroma is somewhat like cigarette smoke but with a sweeter, smoother scent and to me was pleasureable. With my third bowl and much more coffee, I just have to say, this is a very nice VA, it leaves a nice aftertaste and it is just a pleasure to smoke. I am going to put some away to age for awhile as I know it will get better. This one is for those that just want to taste the tobacco and is not looking for anything else in their smoke. I highly suggest trying it!

This blend satisfies that pure Virginia craving. I personally let the tin air out for a few hours before putting it into a jar, as I find it brings out more of the natural sweetness. This is a very sweet Virginia, with sugar and honey dominating the taste spectrum in the most wonderful of ways. This one is perfect for rotating between earthy Virginias or VaPers.

It is a few notches below medium in taste, but the depth is absolutely there. I think this is what makes this blend so special, allowing it to be smoked very often without losing its magic.

This tobacco is the definition of an all day Virginia, especially if you lean towards the sweeter side. Not much more to add here that hasn't already been said, but if you are a straight Virginia person and haven't given this blend a try, it's a must. Does not bite which is so nice for a Virginia this pure.

Ages beautifully. Had one tin that was around 7 years old and was perfect.

From the tin, Union Square is a broken flake that is a little on the moist side. I would recommend a some drying time but not much. The flakes easily rub out to a ribbon cut if desired. The tin note is earthy, tangy, spicy, fermented, and semi sweet.

This one smokes different then the aroma. The flavor profile ranges from earthy lows to bright highs. I think earthy is the predominant flavor and gives the blend a very round profile. There is a lot of bready and hay notes present that are semi sweet, but it is a nice natural sweetness. The Red Virginias add tangy fruity flavors as well as hint of subtle spices. The brights are in the background but still noticeable in every puff. They are mildly citrusy with a touch of lemon grass. The blend offers some complexity with each Virginia fighting for the lead at various times. In my experience, it starts off more earthy and gets sweeter as the bowl progresses.

Union Square behaved well. It didn’t offer any tongue bite and smoked cool for a Virginia. Towards the end of the bowl there is an ashy taste present, but only the very bottom of the bowl. It required a normal amount of relights and did leave some moisture behind. It’s full in flavor and a medium in the vitamin N department. I wouldn’t want to smoke this blend all day because of the nuances in the flavor but this would be a very good smoke in the evening to unwind with when you have the time to pay full attention to the pipe. I also believe this will age very well. 3.75 out of 4 stars.

Union Square is a great Virginia blend that does just about everything extremely well. The Virginias themselves are middle of the road in terms of taste when you think about the variations of flavors that Virginias can take on. Union Square has a slight bready note, but it's not a predominantly bready Virginia like Escudo. It also has a slight hay like note, but not predominantly like Orlik Golden Sliced. And lastly, it has a slight earthy, leaf litter like Virginia note, but not so predominantly as something like SG Full Virginia Flake. It's mild, extremely pleasant taste wise and subtle. The room note is sweet smelling for a Virginia and not off-putting in the slightest. It's not overly sweet like some Virginias, but the sugar content is certainly there and this blend will age well with time. It is well behaved and doesn't bite, even if it's pushed, requires very little maintenance and relights and the broken flakes are easy to work with. Bottom line, It's a phenomenal smoke from start to finish. I smoke it most often in a Savinelli 2622 pipe which has medium sized, medium height to the bowl itself. This blend, however, is more resilient and less picky in terms of pipe selection than I've had with other blends (HH Pure Virginia is a good example). To get to the point (if you haven't figured it out already), this is an easy 4 out of 4 star blend. I smoke it regularly and after spending some time with it have decided to cellar numerous tins of it. It's wonderful that it comes in 8 oz tins and that the price is very affordable. To be honest, I haven't found anything else quite like it because it just does everything well straight Virginia wise. Pick up a tin or 20 😉 and I think you'll be happy you did...

A wonderful straight virginia with no sugar or flavorings added. It is exactly what you'd expect from the description. Not much to add. If you like virginias, and dont want all the extra flavorings and sugar, I do not know how you could beat this blend without of growing and curing your own tobacco. Perfection.