As close to raw tobacco leaf as possible
January 12, 2025
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 2oz
When Greg states on the tin no casings or flavorings, he is not lying. Union Square is 100% true tobacco flavor. I've dealt with raw virginia leaf many times and Union Square is what raw leaf tastes like. It's good but it's not for everyone. Union Square has a jagged edge that has to be aged away over a few years. It's a whole different taste spectrum youre working with. With a lot of tobacco on the market, when you are tasting obvious notes of for example citrus, chocolate, honey, molasses, etc. Alot of the time it's actually a casing that you are tasting along with the tobacco. You're tasting sugars and flavorings in the casing that help steer certain natural flavors of raw leaf that aren't as apparent without the casing. Here with Union Square, you are getting tobacco in its raw form. Flavor wise I get is a light honey sweetness, a faint citrus and dark fruit note here and there, and a BIG red pepper spice and harshness which comes from the fact that the leaf is not cased with anything. Harshness also comes from nicotine that is in the leaf. You don't have any sugars to mask it so it's more apparent in the flavor than in the strength. This is why I say it takes years of tin aging to mellow Union Square out.
If you want true, unadulterated tobacco flavor, Union Square is how to get it. Just beware though, this ain't Orlik Golden Slice....Read More
April 23, 2024
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 8oz
Love this blend. I'm mainly a burley smoker but this blend is very nice and satisfies my sweet tooth when I have one. Just be careful with it cause it does bite. It also takes a few relights to get it going.
September 17, 2023
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 2oz
This is a good blend a little bitey for me but I’m sensitive to bright VA. Bready and malty a bit heavier on the reds.
August 20, 2023
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 2oz
A Full Va flake with a good Nic hit. Delicious. Can bite if smoked too vigorously. Not an all day smoke but one of the best straight virginias I have ever had the opportunity to enjoy.
A Bit of a Let Down, But Still Very Good
November 28, 2022
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 2oz
Not bad, but not great either. It has a great room note and the finish is clean, but I guess I expected more from a Greg Pease blend. It has the same nuance as Cornell and Diehl Red VA Ribbon and Yorktown... perhaps even a little less than Yorktown. I'd advise those two in bulk and cellaring rather than spending more $$ on this one. There's an added sweetness to this - perhaps invert sugar or honey? The bready, sweet, smooth and slight tanginess is there but not to any astounding degree. It's a more natural, albeit sweetened, nuance.
There's a balsa wood flavor here and there which equates to a cellulosic, sterile kinda thing. If you want something special and memorable... Sam Gawith Full VA Flake and Mac Baren HH Virginia are the two which hold the crown. You know you've got something with those at first light. This is good, but don't expect that sweet-feed thing that makes your mouth water and say WOW... this just isn't it. It's solid/consistent, better than average and comforting, but so is Yorktown, at half the price. Nic is 2 out of 5....Read More
November 25, 2022
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 8oz
It’s delicious. I can smoke it all day and everyday. High quality Virginia. We are spoiled.
November 18, 2022
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 8oz
Tin note of stewed Rasins, spice, and hay. Tobacco broken flakes are not too moist, no drying needed. The yellowish-brown flakes have a little dark brown and tan leaf. It rubs out fairly easy. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of strong spiced bread, wood, mild earth, mild sweet grass, mild floral, very mild tart lemon, very mild orange bitter and a mild peppery retro. Virginia is leading, supporting and providing backup. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good....Read More
August 05, 2022
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 8oz
I reach for it more often than other Virginia blends.
July 27, 2022
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 2oz
Broke out the Dunhill, 1955 Craggy Prince on this one. Tin note was pleasant and cut was pleasing. I'm thinking it will age really well. When I saw the SP article on the 12 best G.L. Pease tobaccos, I already had 7 in my arsenal. This wasn't in there, but it is now. My tins had 10 months of age. I can tell by how a bowl starts out that it needs a tad more age. I smoke plenty of aged, so it helps me figure out how much time I need in the cellar. Perhaps a month longer in the humidor, and it will be a half star better. Yep, half star better after one month. Enjoy yourselves....Read More
February 28, 2022
Product: G. L. Pease Union Square 8oz
I loved this tin so much. When you open the tin, you immediately get a burst of figs, raisins, bread, and dried cherries. Well at least i did. It’s different from other Virginia’s and after you watch the video of how it’s made you’ll know why. Strongly recommend!