McClelland Bombay Court

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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"