Edward's Good Companion

This was my first purchase in a bricks and mortar pipe shop. The number of pipe tobaccos I've smoked can be counted on one hand so this is written from that limited perspective which could also be an advantage. Was specifically shopping for cigars but didn't want to pass up on the chance to pick up some of the store brand tobacco and asked for a recommendation. Without hesitation the proprietor suggested "Good Companion" which aroused the heartless skeptic in me wondering if this was an excess inventory issue; however went along with the suggestion since it was likely made in good faith. The tobacco itself is too tame for my tastes, so it is in this sense a non-disagreeable "doesn't make waves" type of good companion not a challenging loves to debate type of good companion. Just not enough flavor, complexity, jazz or nicotine. More of an elevator music of tobaccos than a John Coltrane of tobaccos. This may be a smart choice for a new pipe smoker who is also a rookie to smoking in general, but not for one who is in the store also shopping for cigars. This is a good companion for those seeking a mild tobacco flavor that burns well.

Vendor: Edward's in Atlanta; Time between purchase and opening: 1 month; Storage: glass jar; Pipe: Dr. Plumb bent brandy with Vauen 9mm filter; Smoking environment: tropical

GC is an old-fashioned burley blend, lightly cased and easily smoked. It is apparently a modified version of Edward's Scottish Moor, which tastes sweeter to me. Edward's is more closed-fisted about its component tobaccos than many other manufacturers, so I can't say with certainty what it contains. I'll guess short cut burley, some dark cavendish and the occasional green leaf, which might be deer tongue. As an aromatic it's as gentle as can be. It smokes very dryly and needs little attention or extraordinary preperation: moisture level is just perfect from a 2oz. sample I bought from an Edward's affiliate. It has a little nic-kick, but I wouldn't rate it higher than many burley blends. Taste-wise I prefer this to Scottish Moor, though it would probably be a toss-up for many. GC picks up a little complexity midway through the bowl, which I like. Though it's not going to become a go-to blend, I can easily see how it might. If you like Wilke's Nut Brown Burley and quality aromatics, this falls somewhere in line. I rated it highly because it's so easy to smoke and therefore, pretty satisfying. *** out of 4 stars.

This is a counterpart to Edward's famous Scottish Moor, but it has more burley and less essence (still vanilla type or VA-B esssence).

This mostly tastes like a rich burley blend, softened with some virginias, a little unscented toasted cavendish, and the soft-soft essence added (no spays just essence or aroma curing of burleys). A creamy but robust burley type. Cool and dry.

I too like Scottish Moor better becasue it is a little sweeter in a red virginia fashion (no, no red ribbon here) and not as heavy as Good Companion.

But make no mistake, this is a fine, fine example of a rich tasting burley blend, even more smooth than the older fashioned types from C&D. And the burley and essence give it a rich taste uncommon in straight burley type mixtures.

Scottish Moor was created in 1963; Good Companion around '72. Try Edward's Sebring for a lighter burley mix (more Virgina and VAB added) or Colonial for a more straight (no esssence) burley mix just south of Good Companion. Bishop's Burley is in between (with small chocolate or CCG essence added). Colonial is the more of an old fashioned blend.

All of these burleys are excellent blends uncommon today.