G. L. Pease Union Square

Union Square has bright VA's out front with notes of grass and citrus. The Red Va's trail behind but will move forward at times. They are very tangy with a yeast like note on occasion, dark fruit notes, some toasted bread notes and a faint spice. The VA's are slightly earthy with a touch of sweetness. The flavors stay at the mild to med range and you need to really focus on the smoke to find all of them. I would still not consider this as complex as others but it does hold my interest nonetheless. It does not get ashy or cigarette like in any way, the mouth feel stays smooth and creamy. The nic is at the mild to med range and can be sipped all day if one is inclined to do so.

Union Square has a very light aroma of bread with a hint of baking spice upon opening the tin. The flakes are, for the most part, broken up quite a bit. They also are fairly easy to rub out. The tobacco is dry enough to smoke right away as well.

At the start of the bowl there is a hint of toast and practically nothing else. However the blend opens up nicely after the first third or so. There’s some grassiness as well as dark fruit and spice. Any discernible flavors are on the mild side and require you to smoke slowly and really think about what you’re tasting. If you’re doing anything else while smoking Union Square, you may miss out on the subtle flavor.

Overall Union Square lights up easily and stays lit well, only requiring a few relights. This is definitely a first smoke of the day.

I'm not saying this is a bad blend by no means, but it needs aging for sure. My palate is over dominated by very young, bright Va. i only get just a hint here and there of the red. Too sharp and bright for my tastes, burns pretty hot, and gives me incredible tongue bite. I only suspect it's because of the lack of age. It has all the potential to be great. Just need to give it time.

Update 5-28-19 with almost a year as of the production date of this blend, the addition 6 months has really helped this one out. The natural sweetness has really shined through. C&D Virginias always have a burley like character imo but the age has let me know otherwise. The brights add a hint of citrus. The reds give it a deeper profile without drowning out the brights. It still has a tendency to give some bite but a slow puff here and there prevent that from happening. I'm sure with more age it will smoke cooler and sweeter. As I've stated before, age will do this blend great justice and so far it has shown me that it has.

I am on a quest to find a VA to replace McClelland, and this is certainly a candidate. It is not McClelland-ish, but it is a very good smoke. There is no "tang", and certainly no ketchup, but rather a smooth and creamy VA taste. There is no discernible topping, and exhibits, as qualified elsewhere, a very natural tobacco taste. There is a subtle sweetness, and a "bready" quality sneaks in occasionally. It is not a "biter" but can exhibit harsh spots if you get carried away. I read another review that suggested a dedicated "clean" pipe and that is probably a good idea. It is a sort of broken flake and should probably dry out for a few minutes to get the best experience, but it is smoke-able out of the tin. Good stuff, and an excellent candidate for cellaring.

I was looking for a Va. blend and ordered this to try.

I tried it 'fresh' so maybe my experience was different to others who aged it.

On opening, it was very dry, almost papery but with good texture. It packed very well and lit easily but burned hot.

I was disappointed. Not because there was anything wrong with the product in any way - it was just that I was expecting an awe-inspiring 'wow' factor smoke with a rich 'leafy' aroma in the smoke and notable Va. flavours and sweetness on the palate.

The actual product is more subdued and complex which is what I'd have assumed it to be if I hadn't been led to expect otherwise.

The product is clearly of excellent quality. Regardless of what others may say, it does need to be kept in its drier state rather than humidified as any 'bite' you get from it burning hot is much milder than from it being smoked in a moister state.

It is certainly worth a try as an all-day blend though is one of the milder Pease blends with lower nicotine. A good indoors product as outdoors the smoke aroma isn't very intense.

Medium chocolate brown, uniform color, broken flake at an average moisture level. The smell in the jar caught me off guard, so I had my 9 year old check it as well. His assessment - "Hmm! Raisins? And something else. Smells pretty good!". What I smelled was a sweet fermented fruit scent (raisins is pretty close) up front and also a slight hint of hearty grain. Ok, short answer - it smells like raisin bran. Yes, really.

The fruity-raisin flavor doesn't carry over to the smoke at all for me, though. But the cereal grain flavor does. Tobacco-Wheaties. If I'm really really patient and really really careful, I can coax a good bit of sweetness out of it. And if I abuse it, I can get a little bite out of it, but I didn't find it to be particularly bitey. I don't know how old this is, as it was a sample I got in trade, but I suspect it's not terribly old, and I suspect it will show improvement with age. Nicotine level is no higher than medium.

Overall, a decent middle of the road straight Virginia. If that's your forte, you might just love this stuff.

originally reviewed 8/10/2012

At the beginning of the smoke, this seemed like a plain, ordinary Virginia, neither sweet nor creamy; but after mid-bowl, it became slightly creamier and a tad sweeter. Yet, IMHO, it did not seem to have the kind of depth to differentiate it from the many Virginias out there in the market. Besides, I had to re-light ever so often that I almost gave up on it altogether.

As I said when I reviewed The Virginia Cream, I have not smoked that many GL Pease (GLP) blends so I am unable to compare it with other GLP Virginias. Incidentally, I've recently been smoking Mac Baren's Virginia Flake Cut and it seems to have more depth that Union Square.

Since the popular opinion is that GLP blends benefit tremendously from aging, I'll put this away and return to it in a couple of months.

I'll settle for a two and half star for now.

Sweet and gentle, yet still quite strong in nicotine. The tin aroma is earthy and fruity, and the flavor is appealing to me, but it has to be puffed slowly to reveal its mystery! I generally like natural tobaccos, and in my opinion this blend tastes like Virginia leaf is supposed to. It's an all day smoke for me, even if I tend to turn to stronger and a little more complex mixtures in the evening. Simplicity is a word that comes to mind, and this is a good thing!

This is the first straight Virginia I've tried (when it comes to pipe tobacco), and I'm very happy that I did try it. I will definitely get some more to see what it's like with a little age on it!

This broken flake Virginia has a fermented dry fruit smell, the moisture level is on the wet side but could be smoked right away. It's a medium bodied Virginia tobacco with a natural sweetness and all the flavor spectrum that a Virginia lover would want in his pipe. One should be aware of its strength however, especially if smoked fast.

Virginia lover