Thoughts on GLP Union Square and Virginia Tobacco

[Thomas Tkach]

I'm not doubting your experience Wiz, just trying to make sense of my own.  If, as Thomas suggests above, it is a simple matter of fermentation, then similar blends aged for similar times should have roughly similar acetic acid levels.  But my experience suggests that there is a broad range with some blends having not even a hint of the smell.  If I remember my biochemistry, fermentation of sugars produces alcohols and carbon dioxide.  Fermentation of alcohol produces acetic acid.  So yes, you could get some vinegar smell occuring naturally, but you would need an awful lot of alcohol to explain some of these blends.  It seems that the acetic acid has to be added, and that makes sense in terms of the pH and the mold prevention you mentioned.  It doesn't make for an inferior product and there is no reason to suggest that it is in any way a bad thing.  I just think its good to let people think about these things for themselves.  But in the end we all need to smoke what we like.
Mike.

Unless they have different levels of microbes in them. No microbes=no fermentation. Maybe the stoving or hot-pressing some manufacturers use kills some of these, while other processes let them live. I don't really know. GLP suggested somewhere (one of his Q&As I think) that different locations/facories have different microflora which may lead to these differences.

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Well, and other issues could play into that. How it is cased, what it is blended with, etc...

 

[MichaelM]

Good points both. In had not thought about the impact of heat treatment. And certainly components of the casing could have an impact on the bacteria. Very interesting.

 

[RDPipes]

With all do respect to all here, this is why I don't talk tobacco much at all.
It's like a court trial with both sides having there expect witnesses and neither side being technically wrong on the surface of the matter. But, after delving into to the seemingly minor or minute details
there's always at least one question unanswered and then it's left to a jury to say ya or nay which
doesn't always get it right as we all know. Strange analogy yes but, it works for me.
And I'm not saying anybody is wrong here, just that so many questions have been brought up that I'm not even sure now. I reckon that's why I just smoke what I like and don't worry about the rest. I'm a smoker not a tobacco manufacturer..........thank god. :fpalm:

 

[Thomas Tkach]

With all do respect to all here, this is why I don't talk tobacco much at all.
It's like a court trial with both sides having there expect witnesses and neither side being technically wrong on the surface of the matter. But, after delving into to the seemingly minor or minute details
there's always at least one question unanswered and then it's left to a jury to say ya or nay which
doesn't always get it right as we all know. Strange analogy yes but, it works for me.
And I'm not saying anybody is wrong here, just that so many questions have been brought up that I'm not even sure now. I reckon that's why I just smoke what I like and don't worry about the rest. I'm a smoker not a tobacco manufacturer..........thank god. :fpalm:

I smoke what I like, too. I just think it's interesting to learn as much as I can about why blends taste the way they do. Smoke what you like and discuss what you like, too! Thing is, I wish I could easily/cheaply manufacture my own tobacco! If I had access to the same steam-jacketed pressed and high-quality leaf that the Gawiths, Mac Baren, etc. use I'd love to tinker and blend and experiment with hot-pressed vs. ribbon cut of the same blend. In home-brewing, it is possible to use most of the same ingredients and process/techniques as production breweries and make really great beer that is tailor-brewed to your specific tastes. Alas, I don't think the same is possible with blending tobacco. All respect to you, too, Cart.

 

[monbla256]

With all do respect to all here, this is why I don't talk tobacco much at all.
It's like a court trial with both sides having there expect witnesses and neither side being technically wrong on the surface of the matter. But, after delving into to the seemingly minor or minute details
there's always at least one question unanswered and then it's left to a jury to say ya or nay which
doesn't always get it right as we all know. Strange analogy yes but, it works for me.
And I'm not saying anybody is wrong here, just that so many questions have been brought up that I'm not even sure now. I reckon that's why I just smoke what I like and don't worry about the rest. I'm a smoker not a tobacco manufacturer..........thank god. :fpalm:

I think Ron's summed it up quite well. None of this really matters only that you smoke what you like and like what you smoke regardless of all the "expertise" involved. :twisted: :twisted:

 

[MichaelM]

With all do respect to all here, this is why I don't talk tobacco much at all.
It's like a court trial with both sides having there expect witnesses and neither side being technically wrong on the surface of the matter. But, after delving into to the seemingly minor or minute details
there's always at least one question unanswered and then it's left to a jury to say ya or nay which
doesn't always get it right as we all know. Strange analogy yes but, it works for me.
And I'm not saying anybody is wrong here, just that so many questions have been brought up that I'm not even sure now. I reckon that's why I just smoke what I like and don't worry about the rest. I'm a smoker not a tobacco manufacturer..........thank god. :fpalm:

I'm sorry you see it that way Ron. My approach is much more similar to what Thomas described above. I guess I just like to understand stuff and experiment. I don't know about jurys and such, but I learned a few things and I call that a good use of my time. Sincere apologies if I asked too many questions.
Mike.

 

[Fumus]

For what its worth, I don't think you asked too many questions Mike. Actually kind of glad that you started this discussion as its been both informative and at times entertaining for this new piper.
Love peace and bacon grease.

 

[RDPipes]

With all do respect to all here, this is why I don't talk tobacco much at all.
It's like a court trial with both sides having there expect witnesses and neither side being technically wrong on the surface of the matter. But, after delving into to the seemingly minor or minute details
there's always at least one question unanswered and then it's left to a jury to say ya or nay which
doesn't always get it right as we all know. Strange analogy yes but, it works for me.
And I'm not saying anybody is wrong here, just that so many questions have been brought up that I'm not even sure now. I reckon that's why I just smoke what I like and don't worry about the rest. I'm a smoker not a tobacco manufacturer..........thank god. :fpalm:

I'm sorry you see it that way Ron. My approach is much more similar to what Thomas described above.  I guess I just like to understand stuff and experiment.  I don't know about jurys and such, but I learned a few things and I call that a good use of my time.  Sincere apologies if I asked too many questions.
Mike.

No no Mike, I didn't mean that anyone was asking too many questions or wanting to know too much. I too am very curious and want to know many things, it's just when it comes to tobacco I and I emphasize I am just thankful to find a few I like and I'm just not interested in how it was made or it's history. All I'm interested in is "can I get more?" And that doesn't mean no one has the right to be different then me. I think everyone will admit that ONE of me is more then enough. But, somethings such as tobacco talk on forums always seems to end in someone contradicting the other and that's all I was trying to point out, that and I try to stay away from conflicts as such. I'm too old and too tired to even want to deal with it. Just want to sit back in my rocking chair and enjoy life without interruptions and certainly without conflicts, hence the reason I'm a hermit.

Oh! and by the way, Union Square tastes like dry dirt to me.

 

[monbla256]

[quote

Oh! and by the way, Union Square tastes like dry dirt to me.

Oooooh you in trouble now Ron !! :twisted: :twisted
BTW, those are my feelings about it as well !! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[MichaelM]

Thank you Cart, Fumus. I hope anyone that bothers to read what I wrote will ignore the nonsense.
Mike.

 

[Old Nate]

I enjoyed this thread, had a little about Union Square and I'm interested in trying this one, as I am a big fan of McClelland Virginia and believe GLP is a master of Latakia but no one beats McClelland at the Virginia game.

 

[Brewdude]

Ya, I remember reading this thread when it was going full-tilt and thinking "I should post" but apparently never did.

Ketchup controversy notwithstanding, I did get some US in a few yrs ago on the relative merits of it being discussed by Yak, Kyle, and others. So I got some in.

Frankly I found it bland and one-dimensional (back then) and got rid of what I had (which wasn't much). But, I did have a partial tin of it jarred up which I still have. 

It now probably has 3+ more yrs on it, so I'll be ferreting it out to see what difference age has made. And I don't recall what age it was when it went into the tin. I may have that written down on the jar, providing I can find it.

In any event, I'll revisit US to see if age and/or my tastes have changed.


Cheers,

RR

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I really enjoy U. Square. But I like it for a lot of the reasons that others don't. It's quite different from most other Straight Virginia's and has flavor qualities that are much more akin to a high quality burley flake. In other words it's earthy, deep, woodsy and somewhat darker in flavor but not in a "stoved" FVF or Dark Star kind of way. Instead it smokes brighter than most stoved flakes but still presents a lot of ballsy depth. Moreover, there's good balance between these two characteristics. It's not a very sweet smoke, so don't expect that. Well at least to my taste it's not sweet. Some do however find it to be so.

 

[Old Nate]

Is any GLP tobacco sweet? To my taste, all that I've tried are not... This includes Montgomery, Haddos Delight, Triple Play among others... Not to say they're not enjoyable, but def do not contain the stoved plummy sweetness I get from other VA's.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Is any GLP tobacco sweet? To my taste, all that I've tried are not... This includes Montgomery, Haddos Delight, Triple Play among others... Not to say they're not enjoyable, but def do not contain the stoved plummy sweetness I get from other VA's.

I found two that to my taste are on the sweeter side, both are Latakia's & both contain perique, Samarra and Quiet Nights. All of the Fog City blends that I have smoked Union Square, Embarcadero, Fillmore, Ashbury and Telegraph Hill are more (to varying degrees) on the savory side of the flavor spectrum. Fillmore is probably the most extreme example of the selection's savoriness.

 

[Old Nate]

Hmm. D&B, I would call Triple Play savory. Many of those I haven't had, but is your definition of savory on par with mine?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I thought I would have liked it. I do, really, but I can't say I like it a lot. I know they are virginias without the usual added sugar or topping, but buying Union Square made me realize I am not really a virginias only fan. So I would suggest it only for those that are true virginias fans.

 

[MichaelM]

Since this thread has been reanimated... I thought some of you might enjoy this video on how the blend is made.  Quite a bit of work going into each tin!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tzb-Evz3Ju0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen ></iframe>

 

[Anonymous]

e viseo is what convinced me to try some. I thought it was a darker VA, though, from watching it.