Dunhill - Durbar pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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Pipepundit	05/27/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I have been conserving my stocks of Durbar. I have not tasted all the Dunhill blends listed, but of the ones that I have tasted, Nightcap and Durbar are absolutely the best, in their different traditions. Davidoff`s Royalty and Red Rapparee are two other favourite oriental blends. Royalty and Durbar have similarities, but RR is totally distinct. What a pity that Durbar will no longer be available: a great loss to lovers of oriental blends. As favourite blends continue to disappear more and more requiems will need to be composed.
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drainpipe	04/16/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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theworldover	02/26/2007	Very Strong	None detected	Very Full	Tolerable
As with my review of Elizabethan Mix, I'm not old enough to have experienced any older versions of Durbar. Regardless, this is a tobacco that is not for the faint of heart. If you are an aromatic smoker who is thinking of making the transition to English blends, don't go for this one for some time. It has a great deal of flavor, and the Latakia does most of the talking. This is a very heady blend that punches fast and hard, sometimes too fast and too hard, which is why I'm only giving it 2 stars. It has very smoky, woodsy, musty sort of flavor; I seem to reach for it nights in the dead of January when it is cold, dark, and stormy. Durbar is a blend that belongs with a fire and smoking jacket.
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constantsmoker	01/16/2007	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
A so-so blend that was discontinued by Dunhill very recently. If you are a devotee of this blend, I recommend that you start stocking up, if you can find it. Alternatively, try Dunhill's excellent Mixture 965 or London Mixture. While neither of the aforementioned contain Oriental, IMHO I never noticed the presence in Durbar.
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Maimonides	10/26/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
VERY TYPICAL TO ALL DUNHILLS, LEATHER, SOUR, SOMEWHAT SWEET Dunhill is quality, not my favorite, with skill and/or imagination this can have a sweet side. I still prefer EMP.
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tacoeatingzebra	10/25/2006	Strong	None detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
This stuff is manna as far as I am concerned. Along with Balkan Sasieni, this one has upped my appreciation for Orientals. By appreciation, I mean I understand a little more their role in making a good blend whole. In a lot of English blends the latakia walks all over the Orientals, and that's not to say that I dislike Latakia, for I would eat it if it were feasible and it remains my single favorite leaf. In Durbar, however, the Oriental leaf really gets its chance to solo at certain points. Durbar is also one of the coolest burning smokes I've encountered, though it seems to burn rather quickly, which is something I've noticed consistantly over the course of several tins.
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fatherDougal	09/21/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
I really thought I wouldn't add to the already mile-high pile of Dunhill reviews,(even though I've tried some of the usual blends, with the usual results). But I do partially enjoy this pipeful, only because it IS cut with Orientals. It allows changes and mellowness throughout the smoke, keeping some of the hide-tanning solution in the distance. It does finish rather rough, but some folks go for that kinda ride. I still have yet to find better than Pres. Mix. for my Brit fix.
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loosewatches	08/20/2006	Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
It's been a while since I've lit this one up, but I remember it well. One of the best Dunhill blends. Stronger than Nightcap or Royal Yacht in nicotine. That may have been a fluke since I only smoked 50 grams of it and there's no telling who the blender was. Anyway, the oriental tilt of this blend is great. It's got a lot going on as the bowl burns. This blend does require careful attention, just because, as far a Dunhill blends go, it's very active. (is there a better word than 'complex'?) good stuff.
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sonoma	08/13/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
One thing?s for sure, Dunhill tobaccos provide that nicotine kick one usually counts on when taking a dip from this distinguished blender, and Durbar does not disappoint. This is without a doubt one of the most visually attractive blends produced by any manufacturer. There?s red leaf, orange peal, lemon yellow, dishwater blonde, and the occasional latakia black all neatly configured in a tightly packed tin. The aroma is a mix of fermented fig and citrus. I think of Squadron Leader when I smoke this blend only it?s cranked-up a few notches, and I LIKE THAT. The tin I opened 30 minutes ago has the perfect moisture content, and is burning evenly and completely as I?m currently reaching the bottom third of the bowl. No tongue bite here, definitely quality leaf. However, the latakia is subdued. I?ve tried two other Dunhill offerings; Night Cap (an evening disappointment) and Royal Yacht (another tin needs consuming before a conclusion is rendered). Durbar is in my rotation for good. I enjoy it after a jigger or two of Cognac or Straight Vodka.
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hoo-boy	07/26/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
A blend of orientals. virginias and latakia. If you like the taste of Latakias you will be disapointed as this in my opinion is one of the blends that should have more of a percentage. The more I smoke Alfreds blends the more I am disapointed in them. I guess I started pipeing too late to try the old blends that everone thought were great. One day maybe I will find an aged tin and I will sing its praises. Untill then I will look at the modern blends and say ho-hum! hoo-boy
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raadman	06/05/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Mild to Medium	Very Strong
Very nice flavor. Room note is very strong, best to smoke this on hunting trips with Dick Cheyney. smoking a dunhill grp three in an air tight room...
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D'Jullius	05/28/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
suede, raisin, ashey, like every other Dunhill.
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aadelma	05/28/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Strong
A very nice change of pace smoke from Dunhill. As a long time fan of 965 and EMP, there are times when I want the Dunhill taste but a little different. Durbar fills the bill. There are lots of orientals to give it a pleasant bitterness. I enjoy the incense-like aroma of them, but I doubt a non-smoker would. It has the trademark Dunhill cut for easy packing and lighting and burns to a fine grey ash. It's nicotine content lies between 965 and Nightcap, so smoke it slowly and on a full stomach. I wouldn't want to smoke it every day, but again, when I want something different than usual, this is a great choice.
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CaptnDan	04/03/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
This is definitely one of the better offerings from Dunhill. If you like Nightcap, but want something a bit lighter, Durbar could be for you. That isn't to say it tastes like Nightcap Light - they're completely different. What I am saying here is that where Nightcap is a heavy flavor, Durbar is just a bit more reserved overall. It's nice to see a Dunhill English blend that doesn't taste like cavendish. Good quality Orientals and a healthy dose of quality VA mingle ahd give complexity with a Latakia backdrop.
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caddad	03/14/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I purchased a tin of Durbar a week ago to get me by till my next shipment from C&D arrived in the mail. Oh boy have I enjoyed this! The latakia is very flavourfull and there are lots of other more discrete componants popping up throughout the bowl. It is very smooth and as yet has not overpowered my senses once. I'm quite sure that I will buy this again.
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OPCguy	02/18/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Very Full	Tolerable
The can of Durbar I cracked opened today is over a year old and an original UK can. Tin Aroma: I have yet to develop a taste for really supreme tobacco tin aromas. They all still smell like medicated lubricant, ketchup, soil and mulch etc. However, I have come to realize that usually means I am in for a pleasant ride. Wonderfully, such is the case with this tin of Durbar. Start: Upon lighting, the first taste from this blend had me thinking that this could rise to be my favorite blend, which is a really rare and good feeling upon strike. As I progressed through the bowl I was enraptured with the full-bodied taste and aroma. Mid-Bowl: I'm gone! I am seduced by this smoky treat and am in the wonderful hazy tobacco trance. Durbar has, at this point, encased my thoughts and I can do nothing but puff as I am in a smoky comma. Delightful! Finish: Durbar smokes clean from start to finish. By the time I have set my pipe down my eyelids are pleasantly droopy but not overpowering. I am in full relaxing mode and pay my dues to the Durbar. Thank you Dunhill once again.
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Ducksbreath	10/27/2005	Strong	None detected	Full	Very Strong
Update Well I must agree the quality dropped on this both in the late tins from Murray and in the new stuff from Orlik. Both taste equally flat to me. It's still not bad, just not as described in most of these reviews (unless you get an older tin). Fickle as I am, I've now dropped LM in favor of Durbar in my ever changing rotation. Durbar stands out in the Dunhill lineup as the only Dunhill English which actually tastes sweet to me, (must be the use of a different kind of VA), and the other reviewer is spot on in comparing this to Penzance in flavor profile. I find it smoother and more complex than LM, sweeter and less dark and bitter than Nightcap, and less dark, but richer, than 965. It does pack a wallop, but again this depends on how it is smoked. It can be very gentle and nutty ( roasted cashews) and often reminds me of a very good Dominican Cigar with a CT wrapper. Like a box of Davidoff Super Rs crammed in 8 dollar tin. A super rich and nutty experience, it does leave an odd mouth coating as has also been mentioned. (Citrus fruit seems to take this away).
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jackhackett	10/08/2005	Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
[Review based on tins manufactured in 2004] A stout, well-balanced blend with considerable nicotine punch. Durbar has deep rounded notes and for the most part of the bowl rolls along pleasantly enough with little variation, but becomes almost on the verge of being overpowering (like 965 is to me). While I enjoy this blend, there are too many other blends that do what Durbar does better, with less harshness. Though I believe, of the current Dunhill blends, Durbar is among the top of the class.
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sasha	08/11/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I've tried both versions, the commercial one and the hand-blended in the London shop. The first is fuller, tastier, in the sense that after a bowl your tastebuds are really tired! But it's so good I'm glad they worked so much! It's really spicy, more turkish-oriented than any other Dunhill I've tried before. Excellent. The hand-blended version is slightly lighter in taste, but with a balance that verges on perfection. The great difference is into the Virginia used: Cavendish in the commercial version, straight VA in the hand blended one. This, together with the less amount of orientals, makes the second a sweeter and rounder tobacco.
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Old English	05/22/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
05/21/05 Update. Bought another tin of Durbar .. must have had a bad tin. No pepper at all and smoother than the other tin. This tin has been a delight. Changing my rating to 8/10. Also very fortunate to win an eBay auction for three 2 ounce tins of SUllivan & Powell "00" Oriental Mixture. Can't wait for it to arrive to see how it compares. ------------------------------------------------------ This tobacco would be the one for me if not for the peppery perique-like pop at about the middle of the bowl. I just don't like perique at all. I thought maybe I was having a bad day and the pop did not occur, so I waited a couple of days and packed a well broken in Savinelli Autograph with Durbar and again began to savor the wonderful taste and aroma. But mid-bowl, there it goes again, the perique pop. None of these reviews or the Dunhill blurb mentions perique, but it's got to be something grinding the pepper midbowl. Alas, I shall keep searching for a Sullivan's "00" replacment.
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