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
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 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!
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
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 25, 2002 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Strong |
I'm rather fond of Bombay Court, so I decided to give this one a try. At least for me, this was a serious dissapointment. The well balanced and modulated blending in Bombay Court seems to be seriously disrupted, at least in my opinion, by the over preponderance of Latakia in Bombay Extra.
Interestingly, the tin aroma does not suggest the enormity of the latakia that comes out in the smoking. I'm not a huge latakia fan, so when I do feel like an English blend, I usually lean towards blends with lower latakia content. Some blends that feature considerable portions of latakia, but are well modulated and balanced (Renaissance and Caravan from GLP and Astley's #99 come to mind), I find very pleasant. However, with this blend, I find that the latakia content wholly overwhelms the virginias and perique (a triumverate of tobaccos that I'm partial to most of the time).
Though perhaps for the lover of strong latakia mixtures, this one just ain't for me.
Interestingly, the tin aroma does not suggest the enormity of the latakia that comes out in the smoking. I'm not a huge latakia fan, so when I do feel like an English blend, I usually lean towards blends with lower latakia content. Some blends that feature considerable portions of latakia, but are well modulated and balanced (Renaissance and Caravan from GLP and Astley's #99 come to mind), I find very pleasant. However, with this blend, I find that the latakia content wholly overwhelms the virginias and perique (a triumverate of tobaccos that I'm partial to most of the time).
Though perhaps for the lover of strong latakia mixtures, this one just ain't for me.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 2018 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
There is indeed a certain richness to this from the perique, and I like it. Still, the bass notes on this one kinda drown out the zesty herbal quality of the orientals that you get when smoking Bombay Court.
I'm conflicted. I wouldn't reach for this when in the mood for a VaPer, nor would I reach for it over other options when in the mood for a Latakia or Balkan blend with perique. Altogether, its a nice blend that may hit just the right notes for some smokers, and I wouldn't say I can't recommend trying it.
I'm conflicted. I wouldn't reach for this when in the mood for a VaPer, nor would I reach for it over other options when in the mood for a Latakia or Balkan blend with perique. Altogether, its a nice blend that may hit just the right notes for some smokers, and I wouldn't say I can't recommend trying it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 09, 2010 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
Another lightweight blend from McClelland. I found this offering to be too mild for my taste, another good choice for someone exploring English blends or a first pipe of the morning kind of a thing. As I have mentioned in other reviews of this blender, my frustration is that what they describe as full-bodied blends are nothing of the sort in my experience. But other reviewers have commented about being bowled over by Latakia. Go figure.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 07, 2010 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
This review is based on a couple of bowls. Frankly, the first bowl was a bit of a disaster. It would not burn well, there were hunks of what appeared to be Dark Star in my pipe after the ribbon cut portion burned away. The tobacco had seemed dry at packing, but it didn't burn right. For the second bowl, I left the tobacco out for a few hours, and hand rubbed it quite a bit before packing. This was much better -- there are some nice light notes on the top, but it's a fairly rich tobacco overall, seems to have some stoved or pressed Virginia as a main element, and of course the latakia. Given what this is, I should like it more than I do.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2004 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
Typical Mcclelland EM: light, round and creamy. Slightly More interesting and personal than British Woods, but not as full as Dunhills or GLPs. It has a dark and soft sweetness which is quite agreeable, though nothing to rave about. Weird pear smell in the tin!
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