Dunhill Durbar

I don't know about this one...

Quite strong in taste, almost tongue biting because of the strength, despite the fact that there was not that much Latakia. Huge nicotine kick.

Very high quality leaf, of course - it's Dunhill!

Just felt like there was a shitload of Périque in there, cause I can't see where the strength would come from.

If you like very strong English mixtures, knock yourself out!

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.

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.

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.

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

[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.

Cut/Appearance: Pressed, ribbon cut, moist Latakia, Orientals and strands of lovely yellow exotics.

Casing/Aromatics: very little if any detected. Pure tobacco pleasure for which Dunhill is justly famous.

Tin notes: Deep and rich. More aggressive and smoky than Aperitif. A latakia lover?s delight. Stronger than Aperitif, milder & more complex than Nightcap. Best sniffed a few inches away from the nose.

Room/Burn notes: A great English standby that fills the room with rich, spicy aromas quickly dissipating soon after smoking.

Taste: If Aperitif is the appetizer, this is the entrée. Taste is immense and powerful. High quality latakias are most pronounced, with hints of spicy Balkan. One of the greats. Best in a small bent briar or a meerschaum, which bring out the natural flavors and aromas.

Comments: This is an evening, after dinner or bedtime blend. It?s more complex and well rounded than Nightcap. The nicotine doesn?t knock me over like Elizabethan or Royal Yacht, which is a good thing. This shouldn?t be smoked all day due to its fullness, but rather, enjoyed after other tobaccos, such as Aperitif has been taken to prepare the palate. Musically speaking, Aperitif may serve as the crescendo to the fortissimo arrived at in this exuberant blend. After two to three weeks of the tin vacuum being broken, the flavors take on greater depth and complexity. The bowl is left clean and dry. Easy to smoke right down to the end until all that?s left is a fine, gray ash.

Four and a half of five stars

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update 4/19 - Sorry to say, but after the 3rd tin of this stuff, i'm downgrading, and big time. Dunhill has taken a turn for the worse. Durbar is largely flat, insipid and tar-laden. There's no complexity to the blend; it's merely hot and smokey. Were it not for the dunhill name on the tin, you probably wouldn't buy it. I heard that their factory has been relocated once again, and obviously, signs of decline are starkly evident. Nightcap and 957 are also big disappointments. I have an unopened tin of Apertif that I'm aging. If that turns out to be a bust, I'm finished with Dunhill. There's too many other wonderful products out there to waste time and money with what used to be the most venerable name in pipes & tobacciana. I hate dramatic changes, and I hate seeing great institutions fall by the wayside, but I suppose, as with all things, it's inevitable. too bad!

Two of five stars

This tobacco was a bit of a disappointment for me. I had high hopes after reading some of the reviews, and have been on a bit of a quest to find an English blend that I could work into a semi-regular rotation.

I will be brief. First half of bowl = boring and unimaginative. Second half = much more deep and flavorful. The virginia and oriental really didnt assert themselves until the latter parts of the bowl.

Yawn. Sigh. Shrug.

I found this to be a passable English, but not much else. This is comparable to 965, with more oriental and no frou frou. After trying London Blend and EMP recently, there is just no reason to buy more. But still, it is a Dunhill tobac, which means high quality.