Tobaccos McClelland - Bombay Court (Personal Reserve)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-03-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Ribbon cut of mottled blonde-to-black with a tin nose of superb oriental. This was another blend that I think I smoked one tin of when it came out in the '90's and decided it was not worth a second shot. However, when someone sent me a sample of Bombay Extra, I got the strong impression that this mellower cousin might fit what I was looking for. How right I was! Feels good to be right once in a blue moon!

This is a spicy, exotic oriental-FAR forward Scottish style blend, with those fantastic McClelland Virginias taking second seat and the latakia far to the rear. A mildly complex mixture, but not nearly as much so as many other Scottish blends I've smoked. This was steadier and focused on a symbiosis between the leaves into a top-to-bottom tasty smoke that would be rich enough to satisfy but still fairly mild and easy to smoke. The more of this I smoked, the more I wanted to smoke, and I can't think of a higher compliment to pay a tobacco. I also discovered that slow sipping this blend did not bring out the flavors. This blend liked to cook at a bit higher temp than, say, a Virginia flake. As a sidebar, despite what I hear from the current crop of "tobacco gurus" about the need to slow sip everything, I usually test each blend to see what puffing cadence it prefers, and I can't recommend that practice strongly enough. Granted, most blends like to take it slow. This one liked a bit of puffing - not too much, although even too much didn't cause it to be too cranky - but enough to get it cooking properly.

As I continue learning about tobaccos, I'm discovering what oriental-forward blends with light latakia (Scottish blends, as per the conventional wisdom... which may be THE wisdom for all I know!) bring to my rotation. I'm slowly leaning towards preferring the best of these over my usual Virginia fare. And this is one of the best.

Pipe Used: meerschaum and morta

Age When Smoked: 5 years

21 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-02-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A long time favorite from McClelland's and always a rewarding smoke. I get the Latakia flavor I am looking for as well as the enhancements the Orientals and Virginia tobaccos add. Actually a semi-sweet blend and truly unique.

Pipestud

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-05-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mild notes of smoke and wood from the Latakia. The Turkish leads with a nice note of butter and more wood. The Virginias add a modest sweetness. This is a good smoke, but is a little too woody for my taste. I wouldn't call it bland, but it borders on it. More sweetness would be nice. I can't get too excited over this one.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns very nicely right out of the tin.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2015-03-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The lightly floral lemon Virginia has a very mild spiciness to go with the grass, and tart and tangy citrus along with a pinch of sugar. The Oriental/Turkish are smoky, spicy, earthy, herbal, vegetative, floral, and very woody with a light salt, leather and sour notes. These components are noticeable in every puff, though the spice seems a little more prominent toward the finish, and the Virginia is a little less obvious than the Oriental/Turkish. The musty Cyprian Latakia is smoky, earthy, and woody sweet, and while a minor player, serves an important function. The "vinegar" notes disappear quickly, but the mild tanginess pleasantly lingers. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a step past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh, but it does sport a few small rough edges. Needs a little dry time, and requires some relights, but smokes cool and clean with a very consistent sweet, spicy, savory flavor to the finish. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl if given that dry time, though I do not recommend letting it completely dry out. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste, though you may not win too many popular votes in the room note department. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2016-06-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

McClelland - Bombay Court.

Finally, after being messed around by the U.K. postal service, with there sur-charges, package processing, and official delays, I finally received my latest trade from my American pipe-pal Franck, aka Gentleman Zombie. For this trade, as well as brand new blends, we agreed to swap a few 'opened but not so fond of' tins. This is one of those; what do they say? one mans trash is another mans treasure!

Firstly, I'm unsure of the age so I can't comment regarding that, but it's just old enough for the broken seal to have made the hydration perfect. The ribbons are a fair divide between dark brown and black, and they're medium in size.

On the back of the tin it says "natural sweet flavour'; that's the one word that I wouldn't associate with this, it has a raw, full flavour, but not a sweet one (to me); unless that's meant rhetorically! I enjoy this kind of Latakia, it's not that smoky, but more woodsy. The Oriental/Turkish play a good role in completing the flavour: these are easily tasted and accompany the Latakia impeccably. To be truthful, out of the three it's the Virginia that offers me the least in the way of flavour; maybe a slight grass note, but nothing too pre-eminent. The nicotine? To me this is medium in the dictionary definition of the word! It burns superbly: hardly any re-lights, only some odd tamps, and no dottle.

Now the room-note: I like it quite a bit, it's nothing extraordinary but it's good nevertheless.

This also makes an incredibly good first smoke of the day. For the mornings alone it warrants four stars!

Franck, once again, thanks pal!

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Levent Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: ??

Purchased From: Traded with Gentleman Zombie

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-12-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My tin of Bombay Court had a date stamp of March '97. I opened it and the aroma was a combination of the oriental tobaccos and what I can only describe as McClelland tin aroma. It's the same smell in every tin of Mclellands I've opened. The leaf was rough cut, mostly black with a few shades of brown. I have an affinity for Oriental blends in my Charatans so I filled up a bent acorn. The latakia was more dominant than the Orientals but did not overpower the blend. I smoked this blend in a variety of pipes, mostly of English manufacture. After about a week the McClelland tin aroma dissipated and more of flavor of the Oriental leaf came through in the smoke. In a small to medium bowl I found the flavor to change halfway through and the Orientals to be more pronounced. At one point I loaded a Sasieni pot and found the flavor to be better than expected considering the wide bowl. I next loaded an extra-large bowl, but the Orientals were lost in this pipe.

When I looked inside my tin a few days ago I realized I had been smoking this almost exclusively for over a week. I was even using this blend to re-season a small colection of estate pipes I had picked up recently. I plan to continue stocking my tobacco cellar with this blend and try some Bombay Extra in the near future.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aurorasofautumn (38)	2020-04-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

And yet another truly perfect offering by McClelland. I am glad that I stocked up on this before McClelland closed its doors.

I have just compared a tin from 2000 to a more recent one from 2015 and let me tell you that both of them were equally fantastic. I love just about everything about this tobacco. I love the artwork of the tin (who wouldn't?), I love the name Bombay Court (envisioning a scene set in India straight out of E.M. Forster's A Passage to India), I love the cut of the tobacco and I love the smell and taste of this wonderful product.

It has the exactly right amount of smoky Latakia, which is always there to keep one's interest up but never intrudes too much. It has those rich and slightly sweet nuances of Virginia, which are barely there but without which this whole blend would not work either. And most of all, there is a whole lot of Oriental tobacco which is herbaceous and somewhat "dry" (as in dry Chablis). All of this makes for a subtly refined and complex tobacco, which has to be smoked at the right pace and in the right mood. It is quite mild, but refreshingly so!

Bombay Court - one of my all time favorites, a tobacco that cannot be rated highly enough.

4 out of 4 stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rintrah (14)	2018-04-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As with any review of McClelland blends post early 2018... it comes with a touch of sadness even if the blend in question is not a bell ringer.

Bombay Court from the personal reserve series is a tasty inclusion with some interesting oriental notes that intertwine with classic, sweet virginias. A nice blend - not something that I'd rush to stock up on were it possible at this point - but nice. My sense is that the reason this blend isn't more regarded is that other reference blends with a similar profile are SO good and noteworthy - namely Red Rapparee by Rattray's (personal fave) and Early Morning Pipe by Dunhill.

If you have it - love it and enjoy it. If you don't - don't lament, seek out others in the range of which there are many.

3/4 stars.

Pipe Used: old brit briar, meer, cob

Age When Smoked: ~4 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Danno (106)	2016-11-11		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Having not had this blend previously, my review is based entirely on a single well-aged can.

My tin of Bombay Court has been sitting at the back of a shelf for some time, and as I prefer Turkish-infused blends in the fall months, why not have at it. The tin dates to 1997, and so has rested for a good while. Popping the top released a brace of beguiling smells: sweet, winey virginia, a bit of briny latakia, and a hefty sour note from the Turkish. Entrancing!

Lightup is soft and creamy, with essences of port and somewhat metallic notes from the Turkish. Things soon settle down into a dewey, ultra smooth virginia/oriental blend, and don't change much as the bowl progresses. Nicotine is mild, at most, and the whole affair is well behaved, burns effortlessly. Mouth feel is sleek and smooth, giving off an air of refinement.

And yet, I am left feeling that my tin may be past its 'best served' date. I could do with a little more character, and find myself both wanting more taste from the tobacco, and inevitably tugging too hard to find it. I also tend to crave something stronger after I finish with Bombay Court, which is a touch unfortunate.

Nearly two decades of repose may have eroded the character of this blend. I will likely revisit it on occasion, when weary of more assertive fare. I do find the quality of leaf and packaging to be excellent.

If it were possible, I'd like to have tried this at the decade mark. I am considering buying a tin of recent production, and putting it away for a few years. Perhaps I'll revisit this review then.

Age When Smoked: 19 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-01-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Rumor has it that McClelland has terrific selection of Orientals warehoused. I have no idea if that is true, but I do know that they have some very good Oriental “forward” blends. Bombay Court falls into that very good group. I tend to enjoy tobaccos on the drier side, and I find that with BC, the drier the better. The Orientals are top notch and BC is really balanced. Each of the component tobaccos seem to fit perfectly in this blend with just the right amount of each. The Latakia plays more in the background, although it is more than a just a condiment and offers just the right amount of smoky deliciousness. My just finished tin is from 2005 and there is a sweetness that reflects the age. I have not smoked it new so your results may vary.

Age When Smoked: 8 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2002-01-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Appearance: Very nice ribbon cut, assorted colors run the full gamut from light to dark. No particular shade seems to predominate. A bit moiser than I like my mixtures, but about average for McC.

Aroma: A well balanced aroma of sweet virginias, smokey Cyprian Latakia and spicy Orientals.

Packing: Packs easily into medium and larger pipes.

Lighting: Takes flame fairly well, neither too east nor too difficult to light.

Initial flavor: A nice balance, with the Va. Component most noticeable at first, the Orientals and Latakia coming out within a few seconds. All the ingredients play well together.

Mid-bowl: No significant changes, just a nice balance with a bit of layering. Not bland or monochromatic, but not very complex either.

Finish: Finished well, not much gain in harshness. The pipe was dry and clean with some gray ash left.

Summary: On it?s own, a very good effort. Compares favorably with Ashton Celebrated Sovereign, or Royal Vintage Latakia #2, but far short of GLP Renaissance.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	samwiselikeafox (4)	2019-08-20		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This happens to be a favorite of mine but I'll try to be unbiased. I bought a tin about a year into my pipe journey in 2015. I was just starting to explore a variety of blends and McClelland was still readily available. From the name of the blend I expected something perfume-y out of a kind of oreintalist fantasy involving ornate wall carvings, sheer, gauzy drapes and a sleepy tiger. What I got was one of the most memorable Balkans I've ever tried.

The tin note is decisively barbeque-y - classic McClelland - with a pinch of pines and moss and diesel. It heralds some deep virginias done in the McC fashion and a very fine mixture of complex orientals and a backbone of latakia.

The taste - I can't separate the taste from my strongest memory of smoking it. I was at 1200 ft one\ a mountain outside of Telluride, CO sitting on a boulder which, in turn, sat in the middle of a flowing brook. My brother and I loaded bowls (I used my camping pipe: an old Royal Star Dublin whose walls were thick enough to be used as a cudgel) and puffed away during our break. The virginias set the tone with a deep, dark plum while the orientals provide a crisp top of spice like the cold, sharp air whipping through the tops of the trees. The latakia comes in somewhere in the middle of the profile adding a complex pine and backwoods fire aroma. Extremely well-balanced and always puts me in mind of a walk through thick alpine woods. If smoked right it's one of those balkans that feels so deep you can almost sink beneath it.

One of the reasons I love the pipe is the ability of taste and smell to transport us through space and time. If this smoke can bring me back to the San Juan Rockies than it's a winner for me every time. As a tobacco it's easy to load, the broad cut means that it will pack with plenty of room for air unless you're a jack hammer with the tamper and I find this to be the best way to load Balkans. It burns evenly to a fine ash and only requires a few minutes of drying. It doesn't seem to have much nicotine.

If you want something similar I'd recommend GLP Odyssey as the closest match I've found, SPC Plum Pudding being next. Magnum Opus has some similarities and Balkan Supreme can hit some of the same spots. I could make comparisons to Penzance and Wilderness but that wouldn't help you much.

If you can get some take it outdoors into the woods, that's where it's best suited. Enjoy.

Pipe Used: Royal Star Dublin

Age When Smoked: 1-2 yrs

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Odyssey (Original Mixtures), Hearth & Home - Magnum Opus (Marquee Series), McClelland - Wilderness (Collector Series), Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-09-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Does not need much effort to light but it does not catch to fire immediately, something probably expect with such a cut.

When I first smoked it, not having smoked another English for some time, it gave me the impression of being an archetypal English blend according to the British tradition. However when you compare it more directly with other Englishes, it shows its McClelland character with its tell-tale sweet Virginia scent.

It’s a hearty English, measured in the Latakia content, flavourful with nice Virginias and a good Oriental note, though not very complex or nuanced. I did enjoy it but there are much better Englishes out there and better McClellands as well.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crapgame1967 (61)	2017-01-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

This is from my tobacco log and dates from 2002 and I will say this blend is better now than my 2002 thoughts! This is a wonderful blend that contains the dreaded Virginia and as if by magic the Virginia burn I expect to occur never happens. Maybe Virginia tobaccos are not all that bad and with the right tobaccos it can even become something I may start to embrace! I am not sure what gives this the smokey flavor but whatever it is I am glad it is in this blend to help mask (is that the right term) the Virginia tobacco that I am still wary of.Overall this tobacco is one to buy again and again!

Pipe Used: Pipe from wall at tobacco shop

Age When Smoked: new tin

Purchased From: My friend Dick J's shop!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2016-09-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

McClelland Bombay Court presents as a range of light to dark brown ribbon. Tin note is subtle, presenting some grassy and herbal notes with a foundation of more pungent, damp, earthy, and mushroomy aromas. While by no means lacking, the tin note is muted compared to the norm for a McClelland oriental.

The charring light brings those damp, dank, earthy notes to the fore with a background note (typical of quality Virginia) of haylage and a touch of sweet feed. This is an interesting combination of Virginia and Oriental tobaccos that is disproportionately impacted by the condimental Latakia - and not at all in a bad way. Each sip seems to bring equal parts of the constitute tobaccos. While there is an overall damp mouthfeel to this blend, the smoke is nonetheless dry, and the burn is slow and cool.

Bombay Court is a walk through a primordial forest: deep, dark, dank, yet remarkably smooth-smoking. The final third is heavy, damp, and - yes - delicious. Bombay Court can't contend with the fantastic Grand Oriental series, but is a fine and interesting blend in its own right: certainly worth a try, and a winner for those who prefer more dank, musty, muted, yet cool-smoking, creamy and smooth Oriental/Latakia blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2014-08-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Not really my cup of Tea. I like McClelland products in general and in particular the frog morton range, 221b and Christmas Cheer, but i just havent taken to this one. Well made though so i'm sure others will like it. 2 stars for now. I have another 100g tin but i doubt i'll order more.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-11-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my first Latakia. If all Latakia are like this, I am hooked. I am not an experienced smoker, this isn't going to be some profound review that compares this to a wide range of tobaccos. To date, I have smoked mostly aromatic tobaccos. Today I found out what I missing out on by not expanding beyond my comfort zone. The first thing I notice upon opening tin is that this smells nothing like what I have tried to date. It smells of wood smoke and cedar to me, an almost black pepper spice to it. I find this intriguing. On the first light, it is again the smell that hits me. More spice and wood smoke roll over me, the faint memory of BBQ smoke comes to mind. Being a huge fan of BBQ, I begin to salivate just a little. Second light and now my first real taste. The taste lives up to the promise of the smell. So much flavor and somehow the smell just enhances it all. Again I feel like I am tasting hickory smoke and spice, with just a touch of sourness to it all. Some how this vinegar background note unifies the whole taste experience for me. The taste is smooth and even throughout the whole smoke, unlike a lot of the other aromatics I have tried. I get to the end of the bowl and keep re-lighting that last little bit hoping to prolong the experience just a little bit longer. I think I might be in love. I will definitely be stocking up on this tobacco.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-02-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Just popped an 05 tin I caught on eBay. Now I know why people chase old tins of tobacco. This blend is lovely, mild/medium, smooth as a babies bottom. Slightly sweet with chocolate overtones and a hint of latakia. A truly elegant refined blend for the quite moments of your life. And it leaves a fine tobacco aftertaste.

Perfect moisture and burn direct from the tin. For me this is a relaxing morning pleasure. Light ,lively and engaging. Perfect with a cappuccino.

As with all McClelland blends it has a unique aroma in the tin, I love it, some do not. Bombay Court burns slow and cool, will not bite, and displays a variety of flavors.

McClelland blends are a tremendous value for the money because most are dry in the tin and smoke slow. You do not pay for moisture or PG. As a result a pipe can last a long time.

This is great smoke to DGT since each time you put a match to it the flavors explode with billows of sweet smoke. Use a clean pipe, you want to enjoy the subtle flavors without ghosts of the past intruding. I have not tried a new tin, but will give you a run for the old ones.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of my first ventures out of the aromatic category so keep that in mind while reading my review.

I found the Latakia to be a dominant flavor in the first half of the bowl which I like but not quite as strong as is in this blend. Several of the other reviews say that the Latakia is very much on the back burner so that tells you that I don't mix much of it in my home blends. I do enjoy the last half of the bowl more than the first half as the sweetness marries with the other flavors more. I find this blend a little harder to light than other tobaccos I am used to smoking but I did purchase the tin and haven't allowed it to sit uncovered for any length of time.

I smoke this blend in a Danish Freehand that I made myself out of plateau briar. I can tell you that even after saying what I didn't prefer in this tobacco that it is extremely clean tasting, even and cool burning and that it does not bite. I have also smoked it exclusively since I purchased it 4 days ago which says a lot for it's ability to please the smoker. I will surely be looking into more of this company's blends. Oh and the wife who is used to a Peter Stokkebye Black Cavendish or Blue Note fragrance said this one could be smoked in the house. WOW!!!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2004-12-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

12-07-2004 A light oriental.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: This doesn't smell swampy like Bombay Extra, just a typical light oriental. Very similar to Oriental #8 and #12. Leaf is light brown to dark brown.

Packing and Lighting: Easy, but is very moist in the tin. 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: Nice burst of the turkish from the get go, some bright VA too.

Mid-Bowl: Same round turkish dominated flavor, not too pungent, a little spicyness from the red VA noticable. Latakia is in the background.

Bottom of Bowl: A slight build up of strength, gery mottled ash is left with some moisture in the heel and shank, 2-3 pipecleaners worth!

Overall: This is a smooth oriental blend, but is just too bland for me. It might be a good intro to Turkish dominated blends though.

Rating: 3 out of 5 points

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BostonPipe (84)	2003-06-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

To begin, I find this to be a more balenced blend than Bombay Extra, (see review). In the tin the tobacco is predominantly dark with an odd lighter ribbon now and then. A little springy on the light it did require a relight and tamp to get it going. I note all the componenets on the first half and during the second half the latakia slightly pokes ahead of the others.

I find this blend to be a nice, comforting, English blend with no surprises. I like the fact that it is not a latakia "loaded" blend. The balence is great. This is an English that I could smoke all day long.

It burns to a grey/white ash with little dottle left at the end. It does seem to stay dryer if allowed to air out a bit before packing.

Nice, smooth, consistent smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-01-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The tin of McClelland Bombay Court I smoked for this review was put up in 1999, so the following contents may not be applicable to newer "vintages."

This blend is a dark-brown and black ribbon with a small amount of beige ribbon. On opening, the blend is a little damp, but quite smokable.

The early parts of the bowl produced a light, silky smoke tasting of Orientals, muted Latakia and a bit of Virginia sweetness and prickle. I noticed relatively little bite, although the flavor is thin enough that I sometimes puffed the blend into some heat.

By mid-pipe, the blend still seems "light," with an increase in the peppery note, and a sour-and-salty nuttiness that tastes pretty good.

The last third of the bowl always seems a bit dull to me.

The end of the smoke leaves just a small amount of light-grey ash. It often always leaves me feeling a bit unsated--this blend is light on nicotine, although it tastes good and smokes well.

The most interesting aspect of this smoke is the edge-play with the Orientals. They are a big part of the experience, but they never cross the line into true bitterness, and are always buttressed by the sweetness of the Virginias, or the smokiness of the Latakias, or both.

I note that this blend does better in bigger bowls and that it DGTs quite well.

In summary: a well-made, if occasionally boring light English, good for mornings, or for the all-day smoker looking for a moderate nicotine dose.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tillmanj (73)	2001-04-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin Aroma: Very dusky, but with a hint of that famous McClelland ketchup smell to it. I suppose that means that there is a goodly portion of Virginias in here. Not an overpowering aroma by any means. This is actually a pretty light scent for a Latakia blend, especially a McClelland one.

Physical Charisteristics: Small ribbons, mostly black or brown, with a little golden showing here and there for good measure. Packs easily, due to the small pieces, but is a bit springier than is desired, for much the same reason, I imagine. This springiness is only a momentary annoyance, and not really problematic.

First Light: This blend did not want to be lit, and once lit, did not want to stay so. However, after a bit of wrestling, it decides that not only would it like to be lit, but it would like to be engulfed in flame. In the space of three puffs, it went from sputtering to raging inferno, and my tongue screamed in agony. However, I quickly got it under control and moved on to the full smoking enjoyment that Bombay Court can provide. I can tell immediately that this blend will require careful smoking in order to get everything possible out of it. I will not be idly puffing on this while working, I will sit down and give it my full attention. The rewards with Bombay Court are immense, if it is approached properly.

Notes: Dries out the mouth a little, but nothing a good cup of tea can't fix. Coffee seems to overpower this blend (at least the coffees I like), so I would stick to tea with this one. I love it with a little Irish Whisky, or a light Scottish Whisky. Stays lit with very little attention. I walked away from a bowl of this, and came back a good five minutes later and it was still lit. Fine white ash, almost powdery. The kind of ash it is awfully easy to suck through the stem, so I stir it up and dump it before tamping. Mellows out quite a bit in the second half of the bowl. I could easily smoke a lot of this, and in an age where the tobacco choices are so vast, that is saying something. Not as heavy as some 'english' blends, this is a pleasant year-round smoke, whereas some of the 'englishes' I enjoy must be relegated to the colder months, due to their 'weight'. This is most likely due to its relatively low Latakia content. The amount of Orientals in this blend is high, which makes a nice change from my normally Latakia heavy blends, but still within what I consider the 'english' type. I would caution against smoking this all day however, too many of the nuances of it are lost with repetition, and to lose its subtleties would be a crime. This is good in a meerschaum, but does not really shine unless it is in a briar, and gets even better once it and the pipe have 'gotten to know each other'. If you are going to smoke this on a regular basis, it would be worth your while to dedicate a pipe to it. You will not be dissapointed.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2022-07-06		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

One of my few remaining unopened tins of McClelland that I brought in to the unofficial club on Saturday to open. The tin date is 351009, so that makes this one 13 years old. This has a greater proportion of dark leaf to brown or so it seems. I also noticed when loading my pipe that there was ribbon and pieces of tobacco almost to the point of dust particles. The first few smokes I was using an extra-large bowl and the taste of the tobacco seemed extremely mild. Fast forward to today about four days later and using a small bowl Meerschaum the smoke seemed to be a little stronger tasting. So, I guess the adage of the same tobacco tasting different in different pipes may have some credence to it. And also, I am sure my sense of taste probably changes from time to time depending on what other blends I may have smoked. A good blend but not one I would have bought again even if McClelland was still around. Those who tried it at the “club” seemed to be liking it okay.

Age When Smoked: 13 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2019-08-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am surprised I never reviewed this tobacco as it has become one of my favorite morning smokes. When I first purchased a tin of MCC Bombay Court I was just getting started in the pipe hobby and I wanted to see what an Oriental forward blend was all about. I recall thinking it lacked any flavor and after 2 bowls threw it in a jar and put it on the shelf. After a year or so I came back to it and with a more mature palate, I lit up another bowl. Wow! what a fool I was, maybe I still had to get the film of propylene glycol and cherry off of my tongue from the bad advice I got starting with aromatics when I lit that first bowl. Or maybe like many pipe smokers I just found that there are different tobacco's and they all may be enjoyed in the right pipe at the right time of day, and just maybe I did learn a thing or two about how to taste tobacco and that there are proper mechanics needed to get the best out of a smoke. Either way this stuff is fantastic if you like Oriental forward blends, in fact I would say it is one of the very best. Skiff Mixture, L.J. Peretti's Oiental #40 and Tashkent along with GLP Chelsea Morning and Bombay Court are the pinnacle in my experience. The tin note is McClelland VA faintly present with spicy Orientals. There is a woody/nutty smell and just a whiff of Latakia present. Very nice. The flavors are best described as slightly sweet, buttery, creamy with dry wood and light spice. The sweetness I attribute mainly to the VA's with the Cyrian Latakia also contributing and the rest of the flavors come from the great Eastern leaves used in this blend. I enjoy Oriental smokes in the morning when may palate seems most sensitive to subtle flavors... and this does go will with coffee. I have found it to perform best in a wide, shallow bowled pipe. A best in class Oriental.

Pipe Used: Briar's, meerschaum and cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2014-03-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Revised 2014-4-18- Sometimes you're just wrong about a blend and I was wrong. When I first tried this, I was unimpressed and threw it into the "bin of misfit tobaccos". I saw it there looking all dejected and decided to give it another chance, BUT FIRST I wanted to reread what I had wrote. What is this !!! someone gave me a bad review...... could this be...... is my wife correct??? She says, I'm always wrong. But then I read reviewer "DK 14-3-29" review ( please read it , spot on), paraphrasing he said, " SMOKE IT FAST & HOT". I did, and this blend is great, no bite, not bitter, the flavor of "Gingerbread" jumps out and interesting throughout the bowl. Actually reminds me of Chonowitsch T-17. What a great change of pace from sloooow sipping Virginias, and heavy Latakias. Changed review from 2 to 4 stars

Original review This starts out with a nice balance between sweetness and Orientals ( Smyrna/ Drama ?)and It doesn't start out hot or ashy like some Orientals, I don't detect much Latakia ( unlike many reviewers) and it's relatively smooth. However, the second half of the bowl goes flat, not good on the relight and it is very one dimensional. I compared this to McC #24 , which is a Virginia/ Drama blend and I do like #24 better as it holds my interest throughout the bowl. I wouldn't go as far as to say this is boring, but it sure ain't no brass band !

I have to agree with reviewer RCUSElder (244) 2004-12-07

Pipe Used: Cob & Osark Maple

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks open 2009 vintage

Similar Blends: Chonowitsch T-17.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Bombay Court amazes me every time I smoke it. Deftly blended and beautifully balanced creating a rich and creamy flavorful smoke. First light you get cool smoky latakia and that is the last time you will taste it so fully. The Turkish/Orientals are forward but nothing dominates. Pull a little harder and you get some fine Virginias. Sip and some cool Lat comes in. It's all almost perfectly integrated. The last third melds together into something singular and fantastic with a slightly salty beef jerky flavor that can linger on the tongue for quite some time. I love this stuff.

Have to mention that weird ketchup tin aroma. With the smokey background maybe something closer to an aged chipotle sauce? What's more strange is I've come to love that smell, and when I catch a whiff of it I salivate in anticipation of the next bowl.

This is a great smoke and a real favorite. Also a really nice counterpart to London Mixture.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Im not much of an english smoker i always thought English blends we harsh and storng. This blend changed my mind its mild and smooth with a suttle sweetness. If your an English smoker this is a must try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-05-09		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A delicious blend. The VA's really come to be a great starter, when the blend then meanders into the Turkish and sparks the Latakia. The blend was a perfect balance in my opinion, and I can't imagine it will last very long unsmoked. The tin is from 2003, and it has been aged to perfection. It has the potential to be an all day, as its mildness doesn't leave the pallate wanting rest while it has enough flavor and depth to stay fresh and with depth. Yummy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2008-06-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Move over you Frogs. Now this stuff is, oh so yummy, it's almost too hard to describe.

I've tried this in three different pipes, the last one being a Ceramic Bowled Calabash. Being a glazed bowl and kept quite clean, it doesn't have the ghosts' of a 100 different tobaccos.

The flavors of Bombay Court came through in waves, and it only got better down to the last snippet of tobacco. The Virginias IMHO were the most predominant, with the remaining tobaccos appearing in the background where they added some very tasty additions to this amazing smoke.

This is my first venture into a McClelland Tobacco, and I wasn't disapointed. 4 Stars and a Plus!

Randy W...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AL (26)	2007-02-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

To me this is a well balanced Oriental. I have other blends that I consider Full Orientals, this is one that I find quite enjoyable. I can smoke Bombay Court any time of day and enjoy it. This comes slightly wetter than I like, a little drying is needed but not much. Bombay Court is easy to load, lights easily, and burns down to a salt and pepper ash. This blend provides for an underlying sweet smoke from the Virginias, the Orientals peek in and out throughout the smoke and are a little tart. The Latakia seems to me to be in the background, I notice the Latakia early in the smoke and then its there but its not an attention getter. This could easily be an all day smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buster Bluth (56)	2006-03-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I hold Latakia in the same esteem I hold Perique. It's a spice/flavoring. I like English/Scottish blends, but want my Latakia in the background. In general, I feel that McClelland tastefully handles Latakia in their blends. A little smokiness to balance out the sweetness of VA's is always the way to do it, IMO.

Bombay court is a regular standby that has handled evening Churchwarden service for me, particularly during the colder mos.

Here' why. There's always a surprise at the "bottom of the box" Upon lighting, the Turkish and Latakia dominate. Around mid bowl, the torch is passed to the VA's. The smokiness of Latakia stays present but is offset by the sweetness of the Virginias. It's a smooth transition, like a DGT you kept smoking. Non-smokers weren't assaulted by the Latakia.

Very dry and white ashes. 4 stars and many cans in the cardboard boxes I call a "cellar" , but I see no need to age, I like "as is"

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-11-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I got a tin of this put up in 1999 from the estate of my departed friend, Luke Lofton, as fine a pipeman as ever to share a bowl with. As such, and being a big fan of the Turkish leaf, I wanted to love it. Sad to say, I don't. Oh, I like it just fine, but I don't love it.

The first flavor to come through upon lighting is the trademark McClelland's ketchup-topped Virginia, but that settles down fairly quickly To become a rather delicate and well-mannered flavor. The Turkish really doesn't come into its own until mid-bowl. It plays well with the Virginia.

I believe that the Latakia used in this blend is Syrian, providing a sour/salty/smokey thread that weaves throughout the smoke, staying at the edges.

If you're a fan of Virginia's in general, or of McClelland's Virginias in particular, you'll probably really enjoy this blend. Likewise if you're a fan of Syrian Latakia. (I prefer the Cyprian.)

If you're a fan of Turkish, I believe you'll find a much better experience with Dunhill's London Mixture.

In the McClelland line, I much prefer British Woods.

I'll finish this tin without complaint, and think about Luke as I do, but I won't be buying Bombay Court again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-08-31		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Not bad, interestingly sweet/smoky/musty, especially in the first half bowl. Can bite due to the high virginia content. Same "pear" tin aroma of Extra, compared to which it's actually better, tastier and smokier, as Extra drowns orientals with Latakia and Perique.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-01-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Bombay Court was reviewed by five reviewers in a blind pipe tobacco tasting in 2002 (I think). A Latakia blend that even non-Latakia folks enjoy. Below is the transcript, snipped to fit (mostly non-smoking parts).

Terry Freeman: (snip) beautifully warm, nutty and leathery smell that reminds me of saddle leather and early spring air redolent of wood fires and freshly-turned earth.(snip) first touch of flame gives me a naturally sweet mouthful of rich, medium density smoke?smooth, slightly nutty ?barest trace of Latakia smokiness?.The most noticeable?the Virginia base and generous ? Turkish. ? VERY smooth but of light to medium strength? The ?first third ? sweet and nutty. On the tongue it reminds me of lightly smoked roasted cashews, while the smoke ? pure roasting chestnuts! ?reminds me somewhat of Dunhill's EMP. As the bowl burns ?, sweetness ..subsiding into a soft richness as the Virginias take on their usual later-in-the-bowl density and weight.

The Story: Down past the halfway point, the sweetness has subsided a bit and there is a distinct pepperiness and an astringency?. Not a trace of bite. ?great light smoke, perfect for a sunny morning like this?.changes flavors in a very subtle way with no obnoxious interludes. Denouement: Beautiful finish, ? sweetness peeking ?out between the full flavors of the Virginia and Turkish tobaccos. The Latakia is still in the background, used as a spice rather than a main course. ? rich biteless flavor and a pleasantly accessible simplicity. A quiet thoughtful experience which requires little attention to keep things burning easily and coolly.

Pros: ? no bite, lights and burns well, flavor relatively stable. It's rich but mild, low in nicotine and easy to smoke for extended periods?.Good all-day smoke for lovers of oriental tobaccos [who don?t like Latakia overwhelmed Englishes] yet enjoy the subtle interplay between a solid Virginia base and well-used condiment tobaccos. Cons: None that I could find?.This one's a winner.

Dave Haig: (snip) smoky, strong latakia odor was hard to overcome?. small sniff of Virginia and ? perique?amount must be minute. .This tobacco is solid from start to finish...definitely for the latakia fan! Likes: I am not a latakia fan, but ? This blend however wasn't unpleasant at all and I will happily add it to my cellaring blends?Dislikes: Some of you may be turned off by the latakian blends, (snip) but I think there is enough viriginia to appeal to a wide range of smokers.

Greg Hampton: (snip) first quarter of the bowl, ? quite unremarkable,...actually smoked nicely without tongue bite?latakia was the dominant flavor, though not heavy, with an underlying (Virginia) sweetness?half bowl ? picked up ? smokiness and sweetness, ?became more balanced. Now, I was interested. The flavors ? smoked meats and something darker, like cocoa or espresso, and the sweetness, like dried fruit. The texture ? smooth and fairly creamy. ?very end ? became a little dark and harsh. ?smoked fairly cool and dry throughout... 2nd smoke: ?tasted a bit fuller?not as much harshness at the end. Overall impression: 7 out of 10. ?good volume of smoke, room aroma ok ?didn't leave a bad aftertaste. ? pretty decent smoke. ?Not everyday smoke, but I will definitely smoke this again.

Lars Eriksson: (snip) Initially ?very, very mild ?burns tongue somewhat.. A bit boring, Unpersonal?Pipe ? very hot. I might have been latakia "poisoned" when I smoked this?didn't find any taste at all?nothing I would buy.

Don Givens: (snip) the champion of slow-smoking delight. The subtle interplay of Oriental versus Latakia with the occasional ?Virginia? very distinct flavor, ?develops throughout the bowl. ? undoubtedly light but the monumental complexities as the bowl wears on nearly overwhelm the palate. ?hot if puff [at more than smoulder]?though flavor wouldn?t allow?slight acidic taste [at the end if sample too moist but] overall quality more than makes up for the end. Overall Rating 9 of 10

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-01-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This is a truly delightful English blend. I seem to have a love hate relationship with McClelland tobacco-- either I love one of their blends, or I am absolutely uninterested. This is one of those that I love.

The colors of the blend vary from very light lemon Virginias and light Orientals through to the jet black Syrian Latakia. The tin aroma is about as one would expect-- pleasant with a distinct latakia note.

By and large, I'm not a huge latakia fan. I do have a few select latakia blends that I enjoy from time to time, but I generally smoke Virginia and Virginia/Perique blends. This is one of the few latakia blends that I enjoy.

Generally, I favor Englishes that are not everwhelmingly predominant in latakia. I find orientals a necessity for balancing the harshness of the latakia. On the whole, this blend meets my rather exacting specifications for an English blend-- it is sufficiently well balanced that I very much enjoy it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-04-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I found this tin in the back of my closet where it has been "lost" since I purchased it from Barry Levin. This was my regular smoke before I discovered Sobranie White and the PCCA blends. Bombay Court is a medium-strength all-day blend of a virginia base, a fair bit of orientals, and a little bit of latakia. Because of its virginia base, this tobacco is cursed with the McClelland ketchup syndrome, especially apparent after nearly a decade of aging. A day or two's airing-out solved this problem, though.

Smoking it for the first time in years, I am still impressed with its easy smoking qualities. It contains more orientals than I'm generally fond of, but balances them well with its sweetness. The latakia isn't really so much in the flavor so much as the aroma.

The flavor is a sweet, salty nuttiness that reminds me somewhat of salted pecans, with a very slight smokiness. As you progress down the bowl, the orientals build up and the smoke becomes drier and more pungent, and the orientals start to build up on the back of my throat and I get a bit of dry-mouth. This never gets too bad, though, about the same as Pelican does, and much less so than Dunhill Std Mixture Medium.

Good stuff. Not quite as much latakia as I generally like, I'll have to try tin of Bombay Extra soon, that sounds like it's probably right in my sweet spot. (edit: nope, prefer regular BC).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-03-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Pouch Aroma: When I opened the bag, I was greeted by the delicate aroma of a blend rich in Orientals with a light touch of Latakia. It's a beautifully warm, nutty and leathery smell that reminds me of saddle leather and early spring air redolent of wood fires and freshly-turned earth. Appearance: I'd venture to say that this is a very well-aged tobacco. The color varies from black Latakia pieces, some dark brown broken flakes and on through the majority of richer medium browns with some lemon Virginia ribbons and greenish-brown crimp-cut Turkish pieces. All, especially the broken flakes, are liberally dusted with sugar crystals which shine like pixie dust. BEAUTIFUL tobacco, Don!

Packing and Lighting: I'm going to put this in a Don Carlos 3-note partially rusticated bent pipe which is, by far, my best pipe for English tobaccos. It's got a rather large bowl and I filled it to the top, as I think this will be a fine, long smoke. It packed easily as I tried to get a good variety of the component tobaccos, a task made simpler by the variety of cuts with many ribbons to help hold things together. There was only one thick stem which had apparently gotten pressed into a flake, but those are fun to chew on so I don't mind.

The first touch of flame gives me a naturally sweet mouthful of rich, medium density smoke which is smooth, slightly nutty and contains the barest trace of Latakia smokiness. It lights easily and starts out cool, with promises of great things to come. The most noticeable elements are the Virginia base and a generous amount of Turkish. Above all, this stuff is VERY smooth but of light to medium strength thus far. All in all, it's going to be a great morning smoke. Exposition: The key notes for the first third of this bowl have been sweet and nutty. On the tongue it reminds me of lightly smoked roasted cashews, while the smoke wafting from the bowl when I send light puffs into the stem is pure roasting chestnuts! The Latakia is only present for me in the room aroma which reminds me somewhat of Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe. As the bowl burns however, the sweetness is subsiding into a soft richness as the Virginias take on their usual later-in-the-bowl density and weight.

The Story: Down past the halfway point, the sweetness has subsided a bit and there is a distinct pepperiness on the tongue and an astringency when exhaled through the nose. Not a trace of bite yet but the spicy flavors are drying my mouth a bit; the strong Assam tea I'm drinking with it matches well though and enhances the light smokiness of the Latakia. This stuff is a great light smoke, perfect for a sunny morning like this. It's dry-smoking, stays lit extremely well with only light tamping and changes flavors in a very subtle way with no obnoxious interludes. I detect no air- or fire-cured tobaccos in here at all.

Denouement: Even the finish on this tobacco is beautiful, with the sweetness peeking back out between the full flavors of the Virginia and Turkish tobaccos. The Latakia is still in the background, having been used as a spice rather than a main course. There is also a rich, slightly sour note which calls to mind the end of a bowl of McClelland's #2015, but not as distinct. It's a wonderful way to end a great smoke - fluffy mottled ashes, rich biteless flavor and a pleasantly accessible simplicity. This isn't a complex smoke for me; rather, it's a quiet thoughtful experience which requires little attention to keep things burning easily and coolly.

Pros: This has no bite, lights and burns quite well (but not like tinder) and the flavor stays relatively stable throughout the entire bowl. It's rich but mild, low in nicotine and easy to smoke for extended periods. I can see this being a good all-day smoke for lovers of oriental tobaccos who are overwhelmed by the amount of Latakia in many Englishes yet enjoy the subtle interplay between a solid Virginia base and well-used condiment tobaccos.

Cons: None that I could find, unless one can't make room in one's day for something this mild and smooth.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2022-11-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It is a three-and-one-half star tobacco for me, but I will go to four. I would just about rate McClelland's worst blend four stars. Miss them, and enjoying my modest remaining stash.

Is this an English; an Oriental-forward English, or a Balkan? Depends on your opinion or terminology. The Latakia is present (as are the Orientals), and in this tin from 1991, I suppose it could be Syrian Latakia, because it seems to have that winey taste, but hard to tell by now.

1991; McClelland had not gotten their tins quite right at that point, and the tobacco was dried out. I had to reconstitute it. What I got is heavenly, and a great Balkan (or Oriental-forward English).

I prefer those McClelland broken Virginia Flakes with the vinegar, or catsup smell (I get more vinegar than catsup), but this is a very nice light-English smoke. Or Balkan; the Turkish makes its presence known.

I was right to crack this tin; it was dried out, and wouldn't have improved any more. I will go to it in its reconstituted version in the jar, when I want a nice English/Balkan.

Update 2/15/2023 Boys and Girls, a word of advice: when reconstituting (re-hydrating) old dried-out pipe tobacco, do it slowly with DISTILLED WATER. I made an amateur mistake and used tap water added all at once to the tobacco, and air dried it to jarring moisture. It molded! 15 years of pipe smoking, and I should have known better. Should have re-cased it in molasses water and stoved it...at least I got to try a few bowls.

Pipe Used: Many

Age When Smoked: 31 years

Purchased From: Ebay

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-05-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I picked up a 50g. tin of this at a tobacco shop the last time I visited the "big city" simply on impulse. And I'm glad I did. I am a big fan of VAs and VA/pers, as well as English/Balkan blends. The first impression on opening the tin was a soft cushion of ribbon cut VAs, some brown and black striping, and not a whole lot of McC ketchup. Very smokey. Smokes like a dream with a little dry time. And it DGTs very nicely. This was my first light Balkan/English blend and it is a treat. Just enough latakia to take you into the "realm", plenty of VA sweets to remind you what this is based on, and the orientals take off to the east every now and then. This would be a great first trip to England for VA, VA/per groupies and a nice change-up for the heavy English/Balkan fans. I really enjoy this smoke at mid day before gearing up for a latakia hit in the evening. THis one stays on my shelf 'til something better comes along.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I like the orientals in this one. The latakia does not drown everything else out. The virginia is tangy. Nicotine is on the light side. No bite.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RMBittner (66)	2009-11-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My review is based on a 2005 tin, opened and smoked (very quickly) in 2009.

I'll keep this brief. As others have noted, this is a delicious English blend with a decided emphasis on the Turkish. The McClelland Virginias provide a rich and flavorful foundation, and there's just the right balance of latakia in the blend. This is an excellent smoke that comes very close to being "highly recommended." I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-06-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a very flavorful English blend. Good moisture content from the tin, was easy to load and light. Only needed a minimum of attention while smoking. Left a salt and pepper ash and a dry pipe. The Latakia is very noticeable in the tin aroma, but none of the components dominate the flavor. Could easily be an all day smoke. Possibly too intense for a new pipester but the aromatic smoker and the seasoned pipester of "non-flavored" blends just may enjoy this, even if only on an occasion.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

These notes are based on a tin of Bombay Court originally packed in 1999.

If I had written a review based on the first few pipefuls after opening the tin, I would have rated this blend as "ho-hum". But I put the tin away and actually forgot about it for about six months. When I rediscovered it, and loaded a pipe...Wow! The idle time made a world of difference. It was a little drier in the tin, and the flavors of the virginias, turkish and latakia now seemed to be in perfect balance. A classic recipe, beautifully executed. This has quickly become a favorite of mine.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-05-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has become one of my favorite tinned blends. I purchase mostly bulk, so I only keep a half dozen or so tins around at any given time. This has an initial sweetness and somewhat smoky flavored charring light, and after a tamping and another light, burns readily. I like the way the flavors express themselves, one by one as the smoke progresses. The latakia is always present, but stays in the background and the sweetness of the Virginias and orientals sort of ebb and flow thru the bowl. I will always keep this in the rotation, and I really have not found if aging will improve this or not. I enjoy it just like it is, no drying required.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-04-29		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

While my tastes in tobacco are wide, usually Oriental blends are not my first choice. But from time to time I find their character exciting and necessary to have in the tobacco bar. Usually the problem I find is they are rich and heavy after awhile. But Bombay Court was like a fine dry gin. Very dry, balanced, nice flavor and pleasant room note. This would be the one Oriental that I could smoke every day for an extended period of time. I smoked it in a Peterson rustic dry system. It packed easily. Lit easily and stayed lit to the bottom of the bowl. Burned down to a fine white ash and left the pipe very clean. Would reccomend it to English blend smokers wanting a break from their usual blends.. This was very balanced and unobtrusive..Will keep a steady supply around.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very balanced tobacco and highly pleasurable. It had a enough smoky latakia to be interesting and not too much to be afraid of offending the unenlightened. It reminds me of a blend that I used to buy years ago close by to Wall St at a tobacconist on Maiden Lane, although this is far superior, the balance is what they share. The ash is light and it burns clean to the bottom of the bowl. If you accidently puff on this a little to aggressively and heat it up ... it will forgive you and settle down as you do. (Or as I did, as it were) Very nice stuff! VC

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-07-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of my top 5 all-time favorite blends. The closest thing I have as a "go to" blend. Typical McClelland tangy broken virginia flake with a nice amount of oriental leave to add a bit of sourness and spice. The latakia peeks its head out once in a while but certainly never comes to the forefront. This could be a great intro to oriental blends for those wishing to venture out of the realm of virginia flakes.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-05-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Strong

McClelland's Bombay Court is surprisingly unpleasant. This 'Personal Reserve' looks good and smells great in the tin. Unfortunately, there the positive notes end. This is a 'taste like something smells' weed and in this case it is a mixture of new vinyl and a well-used kitty litter box. However crude that reads, it is truth that is not helped by the fact that this tobacco also burns very hot. The kind people of Mumbai would be insulted by such a namesake and with good reason.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-02-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Truth be told I am not a devout McClelland fan, BUT this is the exception. I have been searching for a virginia flake that does not burn the tongue or make the belly queasy,and I believe I have found it.The dominant flavor of this blend is a rubbed out Virginia flake with just a dab of Latakia and a generous amt of Orientals and Turkish added.The blend defines what must have been an aromatic of yesteryear.It is sweet, mild, and bursting with flavor.My very good friend who loves McClelland said I would not like this blend so naturally I had to try it.Needless to say, a fair amt of his tin was left in my posession.When looking for a change from Latakia blends this is the ultimate in flavor!This is the best non-aromatic i have sampled from this company to date. I will make it part of my rotation. 3.5 0f 4 stars.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-02-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

An excellent offering in the Personal Reserve series by McClelland. This is a rich, dark blend of ribbon cut Virginias with Macedonians and a hint of Latakia. It has much of the same McClelland benchmarks: ketchupy tin aroma, thick, sugary cuts of tobacco and attention to quality with an emphasis on top grade stoved Virginia. This has much of the exotic charm of the British Woods with a bit of sweet piquancy ala Frog Morton. But it?s a more reserved version of each. Though it doesn?t rock my world like the two aforementioned, it?s a mixture worthy of merit. This could easily be an all day tobacco, as it doesn?t burn the tongue and no wet dottle is evident. Excellent, though I probably will stick with British Woods or one of the Frogs when I?m in the mood for a tobacco of this style.

Three and a half of Five Stars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-07-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Being an admirer of McC VA's & their Orient/English blends that restrain the latakia, it was not hard for me to enjoy this. Like #6, tin aroma is mainly fruity kinda 'oily' with a leathery background Latakia presence. Inthe bowl it tastes smooth, rich & somewhat creamy & without the bitterness towards the end common to more latakia heavy blends. My tongue remains unscathed from BC, though a slight dryness & rawness was noted after a ...well, fairly too casual smoke- faltering technique style smoke we've all had. Though this phenomenom is typical of anything with the powerful, sugar-rich McClelland Va's in it & I can usually avoid their chastisements using a variation of the breath-smoking tech. All in all, primo stuff & I see myself buying more.

Nobody has rated this review yet.