Finished my pipeful of Haunted Bookshop and now I'm on to G.L. Pease's Union Square in the Rattray's Blower's Daughter before bed.
I've only had Union Square a few times thus far so I'm still working out my thoughts on it, but it definitely captures that "moldering leaf litter" aroma and flavor profile that some red Virginias can have moreso than any other Virginia blend I've ever smoked. It's surprisingly dark and earthy for a pure Virginia and would be a really excellent gateway into Virginias for a Burley smoker, or a gateway into Burleys for a Virginia smoker!
The melange of Virginia flavors are soft but not too subtle, with the dark, earthy, bready, autumn leaf litter red Virginia flavors right up front and just a little touch of green tea-like bright Virginia off in the background to keep it from being monotone, and it's surprisingly forgiving when it comes to burn temperature and smoking cadence. You'd really have to freight train it to get Union Square to bite or turn ashy tasting, so it would be a very forgiving blend for a less experienced pipe smoker or just absentminded all day puffing. It stays lit quite easily too (after rubbing out the broken flakes and giving it 10 minutes of dry time at least), and the pleasantly noticable but not overbearing medium nicotine content makes it seem like a good all day smoke. The high red Virginia content does make for a very zingy retrohale though, so it's not a perfectly smooth blend, but it is a tasty one.
All in all I'm really enjoying Union Square, and while I'm not sure it'll replace Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia as my favorite darker Virginia blend, it's certainly giving Mac Baren's offering some strong competition and I think it would be a top notch choice for a fall and winter Virginia.
