McClelland Bombay Extra

(3.07)
We began with Bombay Court, darkened the Virginias, added a touch of perique and increased the latakia, resulting in an enriched version of a unique and popular formula. This blend provides added depth and complexity for those seeking a richer, fuller, Oriental Mixture for after dinner or evening enjoyment.

Details

Brand McClelland
Series Personal Reserve
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By McClelland Tobacco Company
Blend Type English
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50 grams tin, 100 grams tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.07 / 4
17

18

6

4

Reviews

Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 45 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 07, 2014 Medium None Detected Full Very Pleasant
Very aged sample from an internet buddy - about an ounce or so. Quite a nice gift and I wish I liked it more. But it is much appreciated all the same, and not just because of the thought.

Mostly black with flecks of dark brown, this has a heady bag aroma of latakia and a faint whiff or orientals. Lights easily and burns cleanly. The initial flavor is latakia and it's pretty much latakia down the bowl. As latakia tends to soften over time, I'm at a loss to explain this. It's as if as it got milder, it melded too much with the other tobaccos and nearly obliterated their flavor. I'd occasionally get a teaser of perique or orientals, and some very light sweetness was present, but this struck me as a latakia bomb, and I don't do well with those. About 1/3 of the way in, I got this interesting well done steak flavor with some spice that was compelling, but fleeting. Mostly this blend just seemed "dazed and confused" with too much bitterness, but also with promise. I'd be curious what a fresh tin tasted like, and even more curious what Bombay Court tastes like, as I've not smoked either. Not being a huge fan of McClelland's latakia blends until Blue Mountain, I skipped these. But this one is interesting enough to make me want to try again, as I may have missed something to my detriment. This particular version, however, struck me as a blend less than the sum of its parts, but I do thank the sender for opening my eyes to this. I'll update once I've tried the fresh version. 19 years may prove to be too long to age this one - we'll see!
Pipe Used: meerschaum
Age When Smoked: 19 years
9 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 06, 2002 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable
Boy, after reading pmonroeb's review of Bombay Extra, I went and checked my tin to make sure I had smoked the same stuff. Taste is certainly relative!.....Latakia lovers, rejoice! If, on the other hand, you prefer your Latakia in subdued doses, duck and run from this blend! This tobacco should be renamed Bombed Mouth, because I sure feel like mine has been strafed by Latakia!

Upon opening the tin you get the definite feeling this is a heady blend. You get the same feeling at the match. I made it to about the quarter-bowl point before the wife sent me into the garage with the dogs - guess that tells you what the room note is like.

If you like your Latakia flavor revved up and care little whether you have friends around, then light up with Bombay Extra. Talk about smoking in solitude, this baby will get the job done, Whew!
9 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 21, 2011 Medium Extremely Mild Full Pleasant
This is my favorite blend. I searched for a long time until I found this blend for an experience that I imagined I pipe could deliver. I love the complexity of the smoke as you get two/thirds into the bowl. The perique is just in the right measure and the latakia is never overwhelming. Like most McClelland tins, it should air out a bit before smoked but it is a wonderful blend.

On another note, my wife, who really isn't a fan of my pipe hobby, likes the smell and taste of this tobacco (unlike most smokes, she will kiss me after I've been smoking this blend). I've tried similarly constituted blends anonymously to see if I can fool her and I can not. She complains about every other smoke except this one. For peace at home after a smoke, this is my favorite (which is good because I like it just the same).

This blend's true pleasures are revealed in the last 1/3 of the bowl after the hotter and sweeter Virginias are all but burned out and the Lataka and Perique are left. The dark complexity and flavor, with the lingering sweetness of the Virginias, are one of the purest forms of relaxation that can be had smoking a pipe. A trule special experience.
6 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 11, 2015 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This is what I wrote about Bombay Court:

"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."

The changes in Extra are a definite improvement. Has more flavor and comes off as less woody. Also has a little more sweetness and a nice spiciness. I gave BC 2 stars. This version is an easy 3.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. Burns very well.
Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
5 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 14, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I think I'm in love with this blend. I tasted Bombay Court and, though I liked it a lot, I was left with a craving for more. Enter Bombay Extra. This blend smokes great from top to dottle, and always rewards you with a complex and satisfying flavor. I haven't smoked for a long time, so I can't break it down into its special Latakia and Perique, but what I can tell you is that, if you're a non-aro guy like me, you will find this blend very rewarding. Ordered a large tin and expect to have it in my regular rotation.
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
MDP
Sep 19, 2010 Medium Extremely Mild Full Tolerable
Intentional or not, McClelland has answered Dunhill's Nightcap (I've only smoked tins and bulk blended by Murray & Sons). Beaucoup Latakia, a manly touch of Perique with middling Oriental and dark Virginias are BE. Nightcap is all pugnacious and relentless to me, missing finesse and even a modicum of balance. BE is provides a little finesse and a modicum of balance and hence it would be my choice if this kind of blend attracted me. It does not, but I appreciate it for what it is represents.

I simply cannot explain characterizations of BE as "mild" or that it burns poorly. Like most McClelland blends, it needs moisture reduction and time to breathe after the tin is unsealed. As OSR said, it is for sipping. Chuggers need not apply at the English blends department.
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 07, 2009 Medium Very Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Having been off the pipe and tobaccoreviews.com for two years I am back and my first welcome back offering is McClelland's Bombay Extra and it was not a bad way to enter back into the pipe smoking arena once again.

As I began to smoke Bombay Extra I detected all the noticeable McClelland qualities and almost concluded that there is nothing too special to note here...just an all round good smoke until I realized how all the leafs marry perfectly together and each can be detected and yet not one ever comes to the front to dominate...a perfect symphony. This symphony can be perceived as boring or bland but I think in reality it is a master blend. It just an all round decent smoke.

Bombay Extra should be sipped if you desire to maintain the balance...then she is perfect. Enjoy.
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 17, 2004 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Blind review, sample sent by mail and review published on ASP. This is one of the better English blends this non-English fan has ever smoked.

75F patio smoke in 1/8 bent Tinsky tall Bulldog blast

Appearance: 50% black, 25% red, 20% brown and 5% blond. Mostly ribbon cut leaf, perfect moisture.

Tin Aroma: Light Latakia, with scent of what could be either matured Virginia or Oriental.

Light up: Lights easily with Latakia showing itself first, though it is well and lightly applied. Sweetness, toastiness and tongue heat indicate significant Virginia content, and mild back of throat edge indicates some nicotine strength. I'm not in ecstasy, but am enjoying this very much. The Latakia is truly only a spice note, just a bit more evident than it is in Bob's Chocolate Flake. Need to watch smoking rate b/c this can bite if pushed. Burns easily and dry, though the Tinsky must get some of the credit too. Bowl aroma is primarily Virginia.

Settle in: Top range is faint but necessary for the mild complexity this blend possesses.

There is a vague top-end sweetness that escapes further description. There is a caramel-like note in the lower end of the top range, indicating high-quality Virginias were used. This effect is lost, however, if the pipe is not air-smoked, so I am guessing that a high percentage of these qualities are from the small amount of bright leaf present, and the red Virginias. I'm picturing a mango-type sweetness and zestiness, but not flavor. Mid-range is the heart of this blend. The caramel tones transition into the mid-range and expand. Mind you, no toppings on this one are detectable. No heaviness or bitterness, no hint of Perique for me. Not really spicy either. Also a pound cake sweetness and depth, and an apricot jam quality (that isn't it exactly, but is as close as I can get). The Latakia is very faint, a big plus in my book, and it lends a chocolate-y tone to the background. The heat is no longer a factor. Bottom range is present but not much so. Vague and sweet. This tobacco burns fast. There are only five or so flavors here, very constant, without much variation. There is enough complexity, however, to keep the smoker interested, and the flavors that are present are pretty tasty. I'm not tasting any orientals at this point.

The end is near: This tobacco burns to a clean ash, leaving little aftertaste. Again, not much variation, but the Latakia does pick up a bit near the end, as well as a flavor that I identify with matured Virginia. No burley curse.

I'm not especially good with identifying Latakia blends, but I'm guessing that this isn't an Esoterica or Lake District blend. I don't pick up any signature smells of the Danish or German blends. I'm guessing American-sourced Virginias here.

An initial 7.5 of 10, very high for a Latakia blend for me. Second and third smokes confirm this rating. The best of the three for me.
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 30, 2002 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Full Tolerable
This is one of my favorites. This is one of the richest aromas and flavors I have ever experienced in a tobacco. There is an astonishing depth to the flavor that builds slowly throughout the bowl. I would not describe it as strong, but as rich. You can definitely taste the darkened Virginias that give this blend a unique natural sweetness that sets it apart from most latakia blends. This tobacco defies being categorized. While it has a strong latakia element, it just does not fit into a Scottish, English or Balkan description.

Like most McClellands, it must be dried a little and I find it packs better if I break down the longer ribbons. The tobacco lights and burns well.

One quality I find particularly appealing is that the room aroma is less offensive to others than most latakia blends and does not linger in the room as do most latakias. I have on several occasions smoked this more than once in an evening then had guests over the next morning and asked if they could smell the tobacco and they could only smell an inoffensive hint.
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 09, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Full Tolerable
A rich and full blend. The smokiness of the Latakia will settle out and mellow with everything else after a bit of aging. The effect makes it in my opinion even more wonderfully balanced. The orientals are there for sure. A whiff of zing to them here and there. I think everything about this presentation is a big win.
Pipe Used: Peterson Systems Standard XL307
PurchasedFrom: Allegheny Smokeworks.
Age When Smoked: 3 years.
3 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.

target="_blank"