G. L. Pease Union Square Pipe Tobacco

The tin I received was dated 12/2020, so it had a couple years age on it. That in itself got me excited to try it upon receipt. I expected more fermented VA notes from Union Square; exceptionally nuanced honied sweetness, bready, fruit, smoothness, maybe a touch of hay and a sweet-feed like vibe ... this didn't have it, at least not to the extent I've experienced in other VA flakes. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's no better than Cornell and Diehl Red Virginia Ribbon or their Yorktown blend. I'd highly recommend those two bulk blends at a much lesser price and cellaring those. If you desire a knock your socks off VA flake, Mac Baren's HH VA and Sam Gawith's VA Flake are unmatched. Greg Pease designs some very good blends/mixtures, but this one is more on the 3.5 to 4 star rating... a little above average but not stellar. Having smoked VA since 1995, I'll stick with the SG and Mac Baren, but at least I tried this. After all, that's part of the fun of this hobby.

I've recently opened this and smoked it in at least 8 different pipes. It has some good qualities to it and it behaved the same in all pipes. I found it to begin with a very sweet "fig & raisin" note that lasted for at least 1/2 the bowl or more, no matter the size. For me personally, that was too much of the same sweet flavor for too long. Near the last 1/3 or less, the flavors melded into something quite nice with much more tobacco depth and character; but by that time it was almost over. I know nothing about cellaring, but I suspect these "separations" of flavor will meld together and provide something much more pleasing after a few years. The tobacco is of high quality and a pleasure to work with. I smoked it very fresh and thus had regular re-lights, but with more prep that would diminish; no complaints there. This is a nice tobacco which some will find to be exceptional, age will likely enhance it, but it will not make my top repeatable / daily list. Maybe I'm too impatient but I want more complexity now.

I reviewed the wrong tobacco earlier. This was my first flake, and I smoked it all to white ash. It was a sweet smooth pleasant smoke that has staying power.

This is my first time trying US. Right out of the tin ... I’m quite pleased ... but I think with some aging this one will be even better. Most importantly, kudos to the fine folks at Tobacco Pipes for their excellent service & offerings. TP is top notch in my book!

A wonderful blend of Virginias. Recently I added a small amount of Turkish Ribbon and improved the blend to darn near perfect. Great body and palate. One can I smoked I had since 2015 and it was tremendous.

The mildest, smooth and delightful VA money can buy. I have never been without it since the first time I took it for a spin.

GL Pease Union Square is just wonderful. The flavor is mild, the nuances are subtle. There is a pleasant room note and a pleasant after taste. Consistent to the bottom of the bowl with no ashy flavor. A little folding, some sloppy packing. Get ready for a slow long burn. If you can't finish the bowl - you can always come back to it. My selfish side leaned towards keeping this a secret so it never runs out. I've decided to share what a great experience this tobacco is to smoke. I smoked this tobacco in a Dublin shaped pipe.

While it doesn’t quite rise to the level of my beloved McClelland straight VAs, Union Square is too excellent to ignore. I look forward to this tobacco with a bit of age on it.

Great Virginia. Hay, grass. Very well done guys.