Dunhill Durbar

Full disclosure: I love everything Dunhill, including pipes, cigars, accessories, tobacco, and fountain pens. With 53 years of pipe smoking, I have smoked all versions of Dunhill tobaccos. IMHO, the Orlik versions are better than the Murray.

Visually, the tobacco is composed of the familiar Dunhill ribbon cut Virginias and Latakia, mixed with larger chunks of Latakia, Orientals, and some intact dark Virginia flake. Three (3) stems were removed from the tin. The name "Durbar" and the visual inspection promised an Oriental forward smoke.

The smoke reminded me of Balkan Sobranie White, but the Durbar had less edge. The Latakia played a supporting role. The first half of the bowl was surprisingly smooth, almost creamy.

The second half produced more nicotine and strength than I had expected, but not in an unpleasant way. Thankfully, the tobacco didn't taste like charcoal at the bottom of the bowl.

The current Durbar is composed of quality leaf, is thoughtfully blended, is Oriental forward, is different in different parts of the bowl, and will be favored by those who enjoy Balkans.

I reserve four stars for the very best. On a one (1) to ten (10) scale, this is a 9.

I have to admit that I never smoked the previous incarnations of this blend before. I was always satisfied with Standard Mixture Medium and 965 with the occasional tin of London Mixture. I had tried all of the Dunhill blends in production and this was not one of them. Even Elizabethan was good.

I was in my local B&M here in Germany the other day and noticed that they had re-released Durbar. I did not hesitate in buying a tin to try. I am always on the lookout for Oriental/Turkish forward blends. I like Latakia, but prefer it to play second fiddle in a Balkan/English blend. And in the reviews of this blend, I was assured that this would be the case.

The tin presentation is pure Dunhill. High quality leaf in a somewhat fine to medium ribbon cut. The tin aroma was spectacular! The Turkish and Orientals sang to me. The moisture content is fine out of the tin, although I always decant the tobacco into a glass bail top jar and let it sit for a couple of days absorbing a little oxygen in the sealed jar. The aerobic organisms in the tobacco start to work their magic after being tin dumb on the shelf after production.

The packing is easy as with any Dunhill product. The light was one match after char. One relight due to my own negligence about halfway through the bowl. The flavor was as promised. Oriental/Turkish up front with the Virginia and Latakia playing a supporting role. The balance for me is almost perfect. Very nice dark coffee, bitter chocolate, fresh baked toasted bread, light floral, warm spices and smoked flavors. Not sweet in the true sense of the word, but gives the impression of sweetness in the nose. The bowl never burned hot and no bite was registered. The bowl burned to the bottom with no dampness noted. Nicotine was a solid medium, nothing dramatic. But I must say that I like heavier blends in that department. Lady N and I get along well!

This is a perfect last pipe of the evening before turning in. And my experience is that it pairs well with any good peat heavy Scotch Whisky or a good Cognac. The flavor profile of this blend will stand up to a beverage of strong character.

You can rest assured that I will be putting up many tins to enjoy later. I think this one will age well. The Virginia content is more than adequate to believe that to be the case. I hope that this review will encourage my experienced pipe brothers and sisters to give it a try if this kind of blend falls in your wheelhouse. I'm not sure if a novice would get much out of it.

Cheers!

The dry, floral, woody, herbal, earthy, lightly spicy and buttery sweet, and more sour Orientals takes the lead, though it doesn’t drown out the other components. The tangy ripe dark fruity, earthy, woody dark Virginia is the base of the blend. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is mostly a background player, though there are times it does a little more than that. The yellow Virginia is in the background, and offers some tart citrus, a touch of spice, and a little grass. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste level is a step past that mark. Won’t bite, or get harsh even when pushed. Has no dull or weak spots, but there are a few rough notes. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent, mildly sweet, floral, savory campfire flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste and stronger room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not quite an all day smoke.

In comparison to the Murray’s version, I found this a little less potent with a little less spice.

-JimInks

This has just been distributed in Germany, so I suppose it will be available in other countries soon. Was very excited to find this on the shelves again. Unfortunately, it is quite a disappointment. The 'old' Durbar was a distinctive broad cut blend with wonderful qualities. This is a mixed cut with finer ribbons that does not hold up in comparison. I guess it is hardly possible to produce enough tins for today's larger market with the high standard of leaf that was used 'back in the day.' When I have gotten over my initial disappointment I will try to post a review of it on its own merits. For now, smoke it if you've got it, but, if you remember Durbar of old, don't get your hopes up too high.

I purchased this largely bc of the advertising campaign that accompanied the recent re-release of this blend after some years it has been unavailable. Also, I have come to enjoy dunhill English/ Scottish mixtures a great deal. I read some of the reviews written on the previously available mixture I never tried, which were largely raving. I read some of the reviews on the new release, which were raving of a different sort. I think in that way this site can be helpful. So, here goes a first timers try on this mixture.

The tin presentation is as always for dunhill, perfect. The tin aroma is very welcoming to my nose. Woody, smokey and with a good whiff of leather. The packing is easy, as the ribbons are fairly uniform. On the charring light it forms a nice white ash fairly quickly, with all the pieces burning together. The flavor is very much like the tin aroma. This flavor carries on steadfastly over the duration of the smoke. It picks up a bit toward the end, and rallies in strength a bit. Also, I notice that slight sourness I would normally describe as green olives. It burns very well and has no unpleasant changes in its draw throughout the course of the bowl.

It is not overly strong insofar as nicotine. It is perhaps a bit less than the 965 mixture, and definitely far less than the nightcap in overall power. However, what it lacks in nic hit it makes up in flavor. It is a very tasty mixture. I would say that this may become one of my favorites and have a place with the night cap and the 965 that are staples of my daily rotation. It may not be what it was in the past but, I wouldn't know that without trying a vintage tin that would most likely be well past its prime in age.

The new Durbar is very nice, I raced through a tin of it, and have stockpiled a good supply. It is my new, go to all day Oriental. In fact, I found myself reaching for Durbar to the exclusion of all my other blends. Durbar starts out piquant and creamy, with the Orientals and darker Virginia flavors dominating, taste changing from sweet and sour to spicy. The Latakia, peeks in now and again, but stays reserved. Through the bowl, the Orientals stay in the main, and the flavor warms with some almost ginger/clove tastes. It seems to have a little more nicotine than other blends of this type, but it is by no means a heavy hitter. The comparisons to Sobranie White are close, this is a good Balkan, much better than the Balkan Sobranie rerelease.

As I was commenting onto to a friend my new purchase, he replied "...and yet, another Balkan mixture." They don't tell you what's in the tin-it just reads "blended for the more experienced and mature pipe tobacco smoker," but I can tell this is blend of Turkish and Virginia tobaccos-not to mention the Latakia bit in it. As I went past the first quarter of the bowl, a hint of perique hit me, if ever so more slightly, so perhaps this is due to the pipe I am smoking it in (I am a regular with VaPers) and not so more because of the blend itself. Very nutty and leathery, indeed. As I opened the tin I was surprised by the gold and black ribbons, finely cut (I guess I was expecting something somewhat coarser) and the lack of that pungent Latakia aroma which is so overwhelmingly present in other blends of this sort, but once I lit up my first bowl all my doubts dissipated. You cannot smoke this mixture straight out of the tin. Instead, open it up and let it dry for 24 hours inside of a wooden cabinet (a drawer will do the trick too). Just make sure it is not too dry before filling up your pipe.

This mixture really builds up in strength and aroma as you go past every quarter of the bowl, but it does not get sour in the end. It hasn't got the nicotine kick of, let's say Royal Yacht, but it is a late afternoon blend anyway. Balkan Sobranie is still my favourite in this range, but I'll choose it any time over Standard Mixture or The Early Morning Pipe. I don't know anything about the former Durbar as I have only tried the 2014 remake, but this mixture does it for me. I am not sure this tobacco will only satisfy the more mature and experienced smoker, for it is a very easy smoke. I guess this blend will smoke best outdoors because of its room note, but I have only tried it indoors so far. It does not seem to condensate that much, so you can smoke it in any regular pipe (with or without a filter).

Another masterpiece from Dunhill!when you crack the tin you smell the fruity and citrusy virginias combining with the woodsy,spicy orientals and latakias.the moisture level is perfect,lights easy and some relights are needed.while burning the flavours are great.sourness,dark fruits,citruses from the virginias are combined with spices ,woods and deep flavours from the orientals.the latakias also offer some flavours in the backround.the flavours are mostly from the orientals and the virginias.burns cool,never bit me even if i went hard on that.the nicotine level is medium.leaves no moisture at the end of the bowl.not an all day smoke though it is perfect to end your day after a nice dinner.definitelly a must try blend!

Close to the original in presentation, now the blend is more of a ribbon than broad cut and a lot more Virginia and less Oriental and Latakia. And, of course, the leaf employed is still quite pleasant.

Pipestud

Overwhelmingly well balanced, honest English-Oriental mixture! A very pleasant buttery sweetness from the Virginias underlines the incredibly well chosen Orientals. After the first third of the bowl a nice oak note comes along. The added Latakia does not cover up this blend at all. No flavour peaks, just marvellously balanced. DURBAR’S sibling, the LONDON MIXTURE, emphasises on spicy Orientals. Since I bought this tin a fortnight ago, it must be the new release of Dunhill by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group. I am not familiar with the former one by Murray.