G. L. Pease Union Square

For pure VA i , until today, went for FVF but from today on it's going to be this blend.

It has the best VA taste i had and comes in almost broken flakes which i prefer .

I know Greg is known for his Oriental/Balkan/English blends and while this is different to what he is used to blend he didn't forget to surprise us again as he did before.

May the force "blend" with you Greg.

I'm inclined to think Union Square is a truly outstanding tobacco. Smoking it this young is perhaps a little more challenging than it will be at 2 or 3 years old, but even now, it's a pleasure to smoke.

This is a sort of faux-flake tobacco, like all flakes produced by C&D. Purists might quibble at the loose, low pressure squeeze put on this tobacco, but it's also kind of charming. The tobacco is a beautiful orangey-reddish-yellow, a sunset in a tin. And it possesses one of the more interesting noses I've encountered lately—a mélange of hay, bread, orange marmalade, and green tea. I've only ever rubbed this flake out and that has been working well for me. It burns beautifully and long and the bowl flavors progress from sweet and grassy at the top to richer, honeyed Virginia scents in the lower reaches. I simply could not stop smoking this stuff after I opened a 2 oz tin and have since stocked up for the future. I don't think I've ever tried a tobacco that so clearly demonstrated potential for longevity and flavor development.

This is a subtle, beguiling, sublime smoke and highly recommended.

Union Square would be a great smoking experience for all the Virginia lovers. First of all it has a stronger and sweet smoke than the most pure Virginias on the market. The sweetness is all natural.

The broken flakes are quite moist and needs to be aired. They dry fast and the flavorss I think settles nicely. It has a nice true tobacco flavor which can bite the smokers with a fast puffing cadence.

The rich Virginia flavor and the nicotine dosage are just well for my needs. I will surely will keep some tins of Union Square always in the cellar.

Greg Pease has won my trust by delivering great blends, accurately described, that have nuance and style.

Union Square, straight from a fresh can, might be set aside as bland and grassy. But rubbed out and dried it delivers good but, for me, not yet great virginia enjoyment. The full character of what is obviously high quality virginia tobacco is not expressing itself. There is subtlety and pleasant variation through the bowl down to the dottle

I am convinced this tobacco will mature with grace and bring increasing complexity and depth. It is probably a great candidate for a little jar stoving or home pressing to see where it can be pushed while still fresh ... for the impatient.

Smoked the whole young tin with plenty of pleasure and immediately sent for a half dozen to cellar and age.

Another solid Pease blend with promise it will become something more delicious for the virginia lover with a few months or years in the sealed tin.

In my years of pipe smoking, I have had the opportunity to sample MANY Virginia blends, some of which remain in my regular rotation and many more that were little more than a passing fancy.

The only thing I can say about GLP's Union Square is that it is simply a sublime tobacco. The slices are nicely cut so as to facilitate rubbing out (if desired) and packing.

Despite its moisture level, the tobacco lights easily and burns steadily. The experience is one of pure sweet, yet tangy Virginia flavour that only gains complexity as the bowl progresses. The tobacco burns down to a salt-and-pepper ash, and a clean Virginia aroma is left in the room.

The tin aroma of these moderately hard-pressed, thick flakes is of sweet wheat and hay.

The flavor is of purely cane-sugar-sweet VAs without silage or funky ferment. The gold VA's are dominant at first light while the reds ascend as the bowl burns down. The flavor profile is generous, yet narrowly targeted and elegantly crisp.

A fantastic straight VA, Union Square is laser-clean and flavorsome. A nobly aesthetic creation, it is highly complex within a tightly focused range. Though it will undoubtedly age well, it is remarkably smooth with only a month or two in the can. This went best in narrow to medium gauge chambers.

This was my first venture into the land of straight Virginias, and I was pleasantly surprised. The tin smell was somewhat like a good black tea. It lights up nice with the folding method, and doesn't really require too many relights. Burns nice and cool to the bottom of the bowl. The taste is sweet in exactly the same way that sugar isn't. I'll be ordering more of this soon.

i love virginia blends and of course im a fan of pease blends. this one is outstanding in more then one point, but what makes it remarkable for me is, that it progresses in getting better to the end of the bowl! with most other blends im not really looking forward to the last third of the bowl. only union square makes me doing that. i like the taste of this pure tobacco. its easy to handle in preparing and lightning. the roomnote is good and im happy to have some tins for aging.

If it were me that was tasked with writing the epitaph of a pipester that hadn't tried this blend, it would simply read:

"He missed Out"

So try this, and I won't feel burdened with writing a fool's epitaph. It's damned good!