McClelland Bombay Court

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.