McClelland Bombay Extra

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is my all time favorite. When I smoke this mixture, I'm part taking in the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Revolution. I become whisked away, bending time and space. BLISS, ABSOLUTE BLISS. The melding of tobacco tones in my mouth, perfectly. On a scale of four stars, I rate this at SEVEN STARS. What I will do, is to let it breathe in open air until it is not moist to the touch of the back of my fingers, and at that point I delve into that enigmatic pleasure zone: Man, Tobacco, and Pipe.

I believe Mark Twain once said, "Too much of anything is no good, except too much whisky, which is just right." This is a blend for people who feel that way about Latakia. Bombay Extra has way too much Latakia, which some of us feel is just the right amount. If you are an unrepentant Latakiaphile, then you will also be able to taste the meaty Orientals and McClelland's outstanding Virginias in this blend. But if you think Latakia is best used in moderation, you will probably only taste Latakia.

As for tin aroma, it smells like all good English blends smell: bloody awful. I don't understand why anybody cares about tin aroma. In my experience, generally the worse a blend smells, the better it tastes, and vice versa. If I want tobacco that smells good, I'll buy an aromatic and use it as potpourri in my smoking room, while I smoke real tobacco. (I actually did that once. It was enjoyable, but expensive.)

I usually drink tea, but sometimes I'm in the mood for a double espresso. Likewise, I usually smoke medium English blends, but when I want a serious Latakia hit, I reach for Bombay Extra.

Opinions, opinions....

I find this to be the most complex blend in the entire McClellands line of mixtures. One can taste all of the different tobaccos and none of them dominate the blend.

This is a tobacco to be sipped. It's not a full mixture though the label would have you believe that there's some strength in the mixture. The virginias are the base but the rest of the tobaccos come through nicely.

My advice is to buy a tin, pop the top and let it sit (with the plastic top on it) for a couple of weeks. There's something about letting certain tobaccos breathe and this is one of the mixtures that benefits from breathing.

Steady and complex to the bottom of the bowl, I prefer this in larger pipes. A very nice tobacco for the sippers among us. The oriental tobacco mixed with the perique really does the trick. Well done.

Some of the reviewers here keep trying to hold this tobacco up beside it's brother and expect the same thing. This tobacco is not Bombay Court,it's Bombay Extra, a whole different person.

This blend is just right for me.. The Latakia I do not find too overpowering but bold and well stated. The toasted Virginia components that play along sweetly with the Perique makes this a tasty smoke. The Perique adds it's stewed fruit background,and the smoke is thick,and curly smokey sweet.

I did play with this blend trying to figure out how to help you guys who have a tin of this now and don't like it too much. Here it goes: Add two chopped up level tablespoons of Dark Star to Bombay Extra. You'll be sending me Christmas Cards after you try that!

Thoughts from my tobacco log dated 2003 and to this day I stand by what I thought then! Well I went to visit Dick at the tobacco shop and I went to find some Bombay Court only to find none on the shelf. Dick comes over and hands me a 50g tin of this and tells me to try this one out. So after grabbing a tin of a Peterson aromatic and some Lane bulks and an inexpensive church warden I walk to my Brat and load up the pipe. Whoa!!!! What is this??? Spice....pepper maybe?? Whatever is in this tobacco made the hair on neck stand up and want more!! It is very much like the other Bombay but is very spicy and I want more more MORE!!!