McClelland Bombay Court

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.