Time for this week's blend of the week review!
Blend of the Week #15: G.L. Pease Union Square
Starting with the ol' sniff test, the tin note here very much reminds me of the autumn, with the aromas of soil and damp fallen leaves really filling your senses. It's a pleasant scent combination that gives me the feeling that this Virginia was made for the chillier months of the year.
That damp autumn leaf litter aroma is well mirrored in the flavor of the red Virginias when smoked, accompanied by a little bit of breadiness and the occasional hint of lemony citrus from the bright Virginias; at least until the last third of the bowl when the lemon citrusy'ness becomes the dominant flavor for the remainder of the smoke. Those are really the only three notes I get from this one, so it's not the most complex Virginia in the world, but there is enough going on here to keep it from becoming monotone or boring.
Like the vast majority of pure Virginias it's a fairly subtle blend and none of the flavors are terribly bold or in your face, and after smoking so many strongly flavored dark fired blends lately I actually had a fairly difficult time recalibrating my palate to taste the softer understated flavors present in Union Square, but with a few days of effort I finally got a feel for it. I don't know the exact ratio of red Virginia to bright Virginia in Union Square, but if I had to venture a guess I'd say it's probably about 70% red and 30% bright based on the flavor.
In terms of mechanics, Union Square comes in a visually pleasing marbled broken flake which rubs out easily and comes slightly moist but can be smoked perfectly fine straight from the tin; which is the blender Mr. Pease's recommendation for best flavor. When smoked straight from the tin it requires a fairly average number of relights, particularly if you're a fan of the "fold n' stuff" method, though if you're willing to rub it out and give it a little dry time before smoking then relights will be minimal. In either case it smokes clean and dry and leaves little to no moisture in the pipe after smoking.
When it comes to my usual retrohale test, Union Square produces a mild sting through the sinuses but is still fairly retrohale friendly. I wouldn't want to retrohale every puff, but a little retrohale here and there isn't going to make you feel like you snorted a line of chili powder. Nicotine wise this one was a bit of a surprise, since I think Union Square might be the strongest pure Virginia I've ever smoked that didn't have any dark fired leaf in it! This isn't a Gawith heavy hitter by any means, but I would put it at the upper end of medium in terms of it's nicotine content, whereas every other pure Virginia I've smoked previously has been more towards the lower end to middle of medium. Union Square is definitely stronger than the vast majority of pure Virginias out there, but I don't think it's going to knock your socks off either unless you're totally unaccustomed to nicotine; in which case a little caution might be warranted.
Another surprise is that room note on Union Square is strangely tobacco'y, much more so than I'd typically expect from a pure Virginia since pure Virginias usually smell more like bread baking in the oven rather than anything non-smokers associate with tobacco, but the other members of my household found this one to be very tobacco'y and didn't care for it one bit. I thought it was a rather pleasant aroma myself, but it got a big thumbs down from the non-smokers in my life. On the flip side, when I reviewed Coniston Cut Plug awhile back I thought it had a very dense, heavy, and tobacco'y room note but when they got the chance to smell it this past week the other members of my household thought it smelled great and gave me approval to smoke it indoors anytime; so go figure!
Wrapping up this week's review, I'm actually a little indifferent on Union Square. It's a pleasant enough blend and I didn't mind smoking it for a week, but it didn't really wow me either. I liked the autumnal vibe it was going for with the red Virginias, but then the bright Virginia would pop in every now and then going, "Oh hey, by the way, I know you're enjoying those earthy autumn flavors but here's some lemon!" which just felt a little out of place to me. On the other hand I can see how it might taste a little flat and become bland without the bright Virginia in the mix, but the lemoniness of the bright Virginia in use here does clash with the red Virginia in a way that I just wasn't terribly fond of.
Ultimately this one isn't a keeper for me because of that, but thankfully I do have a few other red Virginia blends to try and may find one that suits me a little better! Speaking of which, next week's blend of the week is another red Virginia, though it's one that won't be around much longer and I may have a difficult time acquiring more of if I end up liking it's distinctly vinegary tang. Still, better to try it while I may still have some small chance of getting more of it than before it's entirely gone forever. Next week's blend of the week is...
Sutliff 515 RC-1
Blend of the Week #15: G.L. Pease Union Square
Starting with the ol' sniff test, the tin note here very much reminds me of the autumn, with the aromas of soil and damp fallen leaves really filling your senses. It's a pleasant scent combination that gives me the feeling that this Virginia was made for the chillier months of the year.
That damp autumn leaf litter aroma is well mirrored in the flavor of the red Virginias when smoked, accompanied by a little bit of breadiness and the occasional hint of lemony citrus from the bright Virginias; at least until the last third of the bowl when the lemon citrusy'ness becomes the dominant flavor for the remainder of the smoke. Those are really the only three notes I get from this one, so it's not the most complex Virginia in the world, but there is enough going on here to keep it from becoming monotone or boring.
Like the vast majority of pure Virginias it's a fairly subtle blend and none of the flavors are terribly bold or in your face, and after smoking so many strongly flavored dark fired blends lately I actually had a fairly difficult time recalibrating my palate to taste the softer understated flavors present in Union Square, but with a few days of effort I finally got a feel for it. I don't know the exact ratio of red Virginia to bright Virginia in Union Square, but if I had to venture a guess I'd say it's probably about 70% red and 30% bright based on the flavor.
In terms of mechanics, Union Square comes in a visually pleasing marbled broken flake which rubs out easily and comes slightly moist but can be smoked perfectly fine straight from the tin; which is the blender Mr. Pease's recommendation for best flavor. When smoked straight from the tin it requires a fairly average number of relights, particularly if you're a fan of the "fold n' stuff" method, though if you're willing to rub it out and give it a little dry time before smoking then relights will be minimal. In either case it smokes clean and dry and leaves little to no moisture in the pipe after smoking.
When it comes to my usual retrohale test, Union Square produces a mild sting through the sinuses but is still fairly retrohale friendly. I wouldn't want to retrohale every puff, but a little retrohale here and there isn't going to make you feel like you snorted a line of chili powder. Nicotine wise this one was a bit of a surprise, since I think Union Square might be the strongest pure Virginia I've ever smoked that didn't have any dark fired leaf in it! This isn't a Gawith heavy hitter by any means, but I would put it at the upper end of medium in terms of it's nicotine content, whereas every other pure Virginia I've smoked previously has been more towards the lower end to middle of medium. Union Square is definitely stronger than the vast majority of pure Virginias out there, but I don't think it's going to knock your socks off either unless you're totally unaccustomed to nicotine; in which case a little caution might be warranted.
Another surprise is that room note on Union Square is strangely tobacco'y, much more so than I'd typically expect from a pure Virginia since pure Virginias usually smell more like bread baking in the oven rather than anything non-smokers associate with tobacco, but the other members of my household found this one to be very tobacco'y and didn't care for it one bit. I thought it was a rather pleasant aroma myself, but it got a big thumbs down from the non-smokers in my life. On the flip side, when I reviewed Coniston Cut Plug awhile back I thought it had a very dense, heavy, and tobacco'y room note but when they got the chance to smell it this past week the other members of my household thought it smelled great and gave me approval to smoke it indoors anytime; so go figure!
Wrapping up this week's review, I'm actually a little indifferent on Union Square. It's a pleasant enough blend and I didn't mind smoking it for a week, but it didn't really wow me either. I liked the autumnal vibe it was going for with the red Virginias, but then the bright Virginia would pop in every now and then going, "Oh hey, by the way, I know you're enjoying those earthy autumn flavors but here's some lemon!" which just felt a little out of place to me. On the other hand I can see how it might taste a little flat and become bland without the bright Virginia in the mix, but the lemoniness of the bright Virginia in use here does clash with the red Virginia in a way that I just wasn't terribly fond of.
Ultimately this one isn't a keeper for me because of that, but thankfully I do have a few other red Virginia blends to try and may find one that suits me a little better! Speaking of which, next week's blend of the week is another red Virginia, though it's one that won't be around much longer and I may have a difficult time acquiring more of if I end up liking it's distinctly vinegary tang. Still, better to try it while I may still have some small chance of getting more of it than before it's entirely gone forever. Next week's blend of the week is...
Sutliff 515 RC-1
