Dunhill Durbar

Murray tin, tobacco in perfect condition for smoking right away. Sublime, pungent and incense like smell off the tin, broad and fine ribbon cut on the dark side tobacco.

Slow burning and to a white ash, you're in for an old school, luxurious pipe smoking experience. The smoke reminds me more of church incense than tobacco. As if smoking a full bodied cigar instead of a cigarette. A pure expression of what a "Balkan" mixture would have been then, according to my limited knowledge.

The Orientals dominate, the Latakia is of quality and the Virginias balance the whole act. I get a leathery, nutty, slightly sweet, incense like "did I just say incense in my description for the third time?", flavor that is superbly blended into Nirvana.

A mixture suited for special occasions since it's produced no more but hey, smoking this "Balkan" is a special occasion, so do you see my dilemma?

Virginia lover

This is a review of the Murray's version. The Cyprian latakia was the usual smokey, woodsy type, but plays a supporting role, as do the Virginias. The dark and light Virginias were ripe fruit and tart citrus sweet, with some earth and hay/grass, and basically laid a foundation for the other components. The major player was the Orientals, which were mildly spicy, a little floral, dry and sour with some buttery sweetness, and fairly woodsy. I also got a cigar note or two along the way. Had a mild to medium nic-hit. Always burned cool and dry at a moderate pace, though sometimes, it seemed spicier near the finish, which is not a complaint. Needed few relights, and left little moisture in the bowl. No bite, no harsh or dull spots. Had a pleasant after taste. Certainly not an all day smoke. It was very filling, more of an after dinner evening smoke.

-JimInks

This is indeed one of Alfred's best lighter English blends with layers of flavor that can't be beat. It is very smooth and has a complexity of flavors I enjoy. I am not much of a heavy latakia fan, and was rewarded nicely by the delicate use of that leaf in this tobacco while allowing the steep and ripe Virginias and the multitude of exotic Orientals to take front and center.

If you want an evening of luxury, please put this in your pipe.

God I miss Durbar! I didn't realize how good my pipesmoking life was when this was available and in my ignorance I took it for granted. A ten minute drive from home and it was there for the taking. I bought it one tin at a time not understanding that the world was changing and it would not always be around. My memory is it was RICH, RICH, RICH in flavor! To me more so than Nightcap or 965. To me those two did not keep their flavor to the bottom of the bowl, but Durbar did. They would start out with a spicy, salty bang then they would quickly fade, but Durbar didn't. It along with The Aperritif (sp?) were the only dunhill mixtures I really loved. This all took place in the late 90's early 2000's. Had I known then like I know now, I would have taken out a second mortgage and bought a lifetime supply. Ooh the regrets!!!!!!

Dunhill's Durbar is aptly named after the durbars of old, the solemn assemblies of British authorities and native nobility held in British India and marked with unimaginable Oriental exuberance and grandeur (think of the Imperial Durbar of 1911, which George V, the King of Great Britain and the Emperor of India, was attending in person). If that was the picture Dunhill wanted to convey in this choice of the name, they managed to do so just perfectly.

Durbar is a rare bouquet of fragrant, mysterious, exquisite Orientals. It packs a lot of incense and fragrant exotic wood aromas. Even the Latakia itself, sparsely measured, behaves here more like a flavoursome Oriental (I just imagine what a delight would this have been if Latakia in Durbar was of the Syrian variety!). I know no better Orientals than in Durbar. Other Dunhill's popular mild Balkans (like London Mixture f. ex.) are IMHO way behind Durbar with their simpler and harsher Orientals.

Generally, I'm not a big fan of light Englishes and Balkans as I find most of them a bit too sour and harsh. But this one is a masterpiece.

Truly, a Grand Smoke. Highly Recommended.

Appearance: A slighly broad ribbon cut, about equal parts medium and dark colors. Ribbons are quite uniform, typical Dunhill attention to detail

Aroma: Good Virginia base with lots of Latakia and Turkish evident. Promises to be rich and smooth.

Packing: Packs easily in most pipes, group 3 and up.

Lighting: Typical lighting procedure, not too quick or too slow.

Initial flavor: All the components kick in right away. Its almost overwhelming in intensity. Calms down by the time you?ve gotten a good burn going, but it is RICH in flavor.

Mid-bowl: A very complex blend with good layering of the components. My tongue thought it had died and gone to heaven. No heat and no gurgle present.

Finish: Well behaved right to the end, leaves a gray ash and nothing else.

Summary: A wonderfully rich and complex mixture, perfect for relaxing moments. Not at all suited for an all day smoke, as it will grab your attention from any task you try to perform. Not that you need to be passive, just able to concentrate on the smoke

Dunhill's Grand Oriental Mix, one of the great classic English blends.

I have always preferred it to My Mixture 965, probably because there is no cavendish leaf in Durbar. (I find the creamy ghost of cavendish filler somewhat disconcerting, in an English blend. Danish blenders like to throw some cavendish frou-frou into an English blend, and call it a Scottish blend. I say, stick to pastry and butter cookies.)

There is quite a bit of Latakia here, and I find the taste of this mélange unquestionably full?an evening smoke for me. Not so enormous in taste as Nightcap, this belongs to the same school, carefully "married" to a grand full finish, not bloated, like the old Balkan Sobranie, but far, far from macrobiotic.

A fine gift for the true Latakia lover.

Dunhill Durbar.

The first thing I'll comment on is the sensational pre-light aroma of the mix, a sort of smoky and leathery combination that is very intriguing. The ribbons are mainly medium brown in colour, all about 3 quarters of a centimeter in length with a superb moisture amount.

It takes to the flame brilliantly , not necessitating many re-lights and giving an even burn which is steady in its speed, leaving a white ash. The tobacco flavours are nicely balanced without any being too prominent in the mix or un-noticeable . The Virginia provides a good base flavour with the Smokiness from the Latakia and the sourness of the Orientals being equally discernible. The nicotine level is also a good one, enough to satisfy yet not unrecognizable. The room note is fairly pleasant with this one as it is very classic but not one you would call heavy so it's a smoke that can be enjoyed without impeding upon other people too much.

This one would be a great tobacco to keep in stock for regular use!

I guess this review is just to relate what a good tobacco this was, for one cannot find this again. The tobacco I smoked was from 2000. I have had it sealed and resting in a mason jar since that time. The only way I can describe this old friend is, slightly burned toast with lots of real butter spread on it. Durbar really does remind me of that. It's smokey and buttery,not sweet at all but slightly savory. A real tobacco of yore.

Wow, this stuff certainly sorts the men from the boys.

I wanted to try an English mixture (coming from an aro background), and saw this at my local tobacconist. Knowing that Dunhill produce some of the best pipe tobacco on the planet, I thought I'd give this a go.

This is very good tobacco; lovely rich, oaky, smokey and leathery flavour from the tin. Smoking it, I imagined that this is the sort of stuff people used to smoke in Georgian times. It's strong ... pretty strong! You can tell this has been expertly blended and is of high quality, so no TB or any of that nonsense. However, personally it's not my cup of tea.

Tobacco (as many other things as well) is a matter of taste and personal preference: either you like it or you don't, and I'm not all that keen on this one. I find it difficult to enjoy it, largely because of its strength. Nonetheless, it's very good tobacco and therefore most definitely recommended!