Dunhill Durbar

While the quality of this blend is unquestionable, there are two factors that keep this off of my daily rotation. First, there is something in it that irritates my throat. Second, I find the nicotine kick too high for my taste, this is definitely a sit down, go nowhere for a while blend. Apart from these, this is definitely a tasty blend. It packs easily, it is at the right moisture level, is complex, and smokes to the bottom of the bowl with no fuss. Of the Dunhill blends that I smoke, I find this one to require more attention to keep the tongue-bite demons away.

Durbar- for years I'd heard about the dunhill blend but avoided it because of a bad experience with 3 year matured which was obviously heavily cased. I thought to myself, if that is how they make their tobacco then I want nothing of it! But time got the better of me and I ordered a few tins. I love this type of tin- the coin insert and that wonderful sound when you break the vaccuum. The initial smell was wonderful- very much like Peases Renaissance- definitely the same style here. I was initially facinated with the delicacy of the leaf employed. After working a small amount out of it's high pressured home, I noticed the light fluffiness that is to me unusual. I dropped the pieces- some stringly lengths other bit chopped, into my peterson churchwarden- did the gentle pat and continued till it was full to the brim. The tobacco burned very well- 2 relights. It was soft in my mouth and to me an exquisite balance of latakia- enough for me to appreciate it but not so much that the other leafs felt left out. the ash was a mottled grey and I felt- contrary to the previous taster- that the flavourness wasn't an ugly sort of stiffling experience afterwards. It seemed normal in that respect. Again the experience was a mellow and languid sort of affair and I thought- for the price who could go wrong? try it. not the three year matured.

I really wanted to like Durbar. Everyone else seems to love it and I love full English tobaccos (e.g, 965, Penzance, Nightcap). But I have to say this was not good. Tin aroma was promising and the appearance of the tobacco led me to believe I would like it. Not a chance. The phrases "rough hewn" and "raw" comes to mind. Nothing refined here.

The taste of Durbar lingered in my mouth for hours. It also left a strong smell in my pipe bowl for some time. Perhaps it is because this tobacco seems to be all Turkish and Latakia with nothing to round it out. Whatever the reason, I am not putting this in my pipe again.

Sorry but I can't give this high marks.

Dunhill's strength is their ability to blend tobaccos, and to my way of thinking a good blend is characterized by the difficulty in trying to separate the parts rather than how quickly they stand out.

That being said, this is a fine Dunhill English blend. The tobaccos compliment rather than overpower each other. The Latakia, Virginia and Oriental tobaccos are all represented in the smoke, but none jump out and scream at any particular time.

The blend packs easily and burns smoothly. Overall a nice cool smoke with enough of a unique taste to make me come back again.

Dunhill's Jan Brady. Sandwiched between the powerful Nightcap and the charismatic 965, the subtle and elegant middle child, Durbar, is a blend I have neglected far too long! Upon lighting, the Orientals are at the fore, doing a sweet and sour dance I won't soon forget. The smoke settles down to such a cool and silky smoothness, I was kicking myself for not trying this sooner. Durbar is refinement itself. Penzance junkies will find a close cousin here (imho) as far as the flavour profile goes. And it's a Dunhill, so you know what comes next: top-shelf leaf that smells and tastes great, packs easily, stays lit and doesn't bite. Definitely at the top of the class. Where English is concerned, I think I've found a new go-to blend!

This is a medium to full flavor blend that is well behaved. It produces a dense and rich smoke immediately upon lighting (the type of which I favor). Tobacco burns clean with no noticable gurgle. My only problem with this blend is a very distinct bitterness. The bitterness is noticable immediately and continues throughout the bowl. I am unable to give four stars due to this bothersome trait. My lack of experience does not allow me to determine what should be removed for my taste.

There have been plenty of reviews of this blend, so I'll be brief. While it is not described as such, I would call this a Balkan blend. The range of flavors as you go down the bowl indicate a balanced blend that is, IMHO, one of the better such blends available. Like most Dunhills, it is at the right humidity right out of the tin. Also, like most Dunhills, there are some longer ribbons that I usually break out somewhat. My only problem with Durbar, and I have this problem with most of the Dunhills I've tried, is that it is harsh on my throat, so while I smoke this regularly, I have to reserve it for my smaller pipes. An excellent player in the Balkan field.

This is a tobacco that I cellar . It is tasty and satisfies my moods that require latakia but something different . I usually find myself in a dilemma as to whether to smoke this or Aperitif when I'm in the mood for a latakia change .

This is a Dunhill English blend that was recommended to me as a good beginning smoke. It has a very sweet aroma in the tin. It's definitely heavier on Virginia than Latakia. The color is very dark with just a scattering of lighter tobaccos.

The charring light brings out the sweetness of the full Virginias immediately and the taste is pretty consistent throughout the bowl. Only at the very bottom do you get to the Orientals and Latakia. It's strong enough for me but lighter than Nightcap due to the lesser amount of Latakia. It does seem to get a bit hot for me even after drying it out and trying to smoke it as carefully as possible. It's probably just my chemistry. And it's something I'm willing to deal with on this small scale, especially for a quality tobacco like this.

This is a great English blend I place up there with Nightcap and Early Morning Pipe of the Dunhill line.