Dunhill Durbar

Kind of a darker mix overall, and nicely ribboned for easy packing. One of the things I enjoy about Dunhill oriental blends is their tin aroma. This was like EMP in that the orientals are some of the juiciest, most pungent around and emit a kind of sour but tantalizing aroma. Unlike EMP, this delivered more in the taste department. This blend wasn't around when I first started smoking. Apparently, Murrays hadn't picked it up or The Aperatif, either. In their places were Gold Blend and Golden Hours, two pseudo-aromatic affronts to a pipesmokers sensibilities. Glad those are gone and these are back!

Probably a mid-point blend between EMP and Nightcap. The orientals were front and center with the Virginia and latakia to the rear. Sounds like a recipe for success to my tastebuds, and it mostly was. The orientals had a nice incense quality but were more robust than wispy and aromatic. The Virginias were sweet but not so sweet as to upset the balance, and the latakia lent its usual smokiness and color. All good so far. Except there was a strange bitter quality that came along somewhere around mid-bowl. Now, bitter isn't always a bad thing - some of my favorite Balkans have bitter and even sour notes. But in this one, I found it just a bit offputting. Not sure what caused it but it appeared consistently throughout the tin. Still, I find this a better blend than EMP, which is too wimpy and Nightcap which is too inelegant. But as with most Dunhill blends not named 965 these days, they fall short of the best available in their respective genres. Worth a try for anyone interested in oriental-forward blends, but definitely not destined for another spin in my bowl.

Let me start by saying: I did not know the "real" Durbar, so I cannot compare to memories of yesteryear. Saw Durbar on the shelf and bought it, tried it the same afternoon fresh out of the newly opened tin. While it did not blow me away, it was certainly not really bad, either. The Latakia could be more noticeable, the Virginias dominated too much for my taste. Yet, midway through the bowl the balance seemed to shift towards my preferences. Still I do not think I will add this to the tobaccos I store regularly, but if you crave light English tobaccos with just a tiny note of Latakia, you should definitely give this new release a chance.

Update: Smoked a couple more bowls 2 or 3 weeks after I opened the tin. It did feel more rounded, but no reason (yet) for a third star.

Fields of flowers, essential oils of etherealness... Durbar is an unique and delicious Oriental blend. I get virtually no Latakia aroma out of it at all, but a lot, a lot(!) of fine Oriental aroma. To me this is an Oriental-Blend!

In the classy tin there are mostly ribbons of yellow and brown colors, few black spots and some dark brown flake pieces. The tin-note is very flowery, slightly sweet and somewhat woodsy and nutty.

Having Durbar in the pipe is magical. It's like a journey through exotic fields of trees, flowers and herbs, whilst absorbing all the bewitching, natural aromas surrounding you. The very exotic, rich and spicy Oriental is very dry, somewhat woodsy (cedarwood comes to my mind f.e.) and ethereal-flowery, whilst the Virginias sport some mild sweetness. The spicy, tangy aroma dominates though! Very rarely I pick up a hint of Latakia. The Orientals are clearly prevailing in this blend and this is what I love about it.

One of the very few with such a high amount of Oriental/Turkish, and I admire its simply unique an exotic aroma! The only other blends thats so rich in Orientals I know of is Motzeks Highland Balls, yet Highlad Balls have more sweetness and a distinctive fruitiness to them, which sets them apart from the very spicy and dry Oriental varietals use in here. They are like soul mates though!

A must-try for Oriental-Lovers. Gonna stock up on this as long as Dunhill is still around, 4/4 stars! Wicked blend!

I've been on a Orlick made Durbar binge (2016) lately, smoking up a tin in nearly record time.

This is not the first time I've encountered this blend, but it's the first time it's really clicked with me and it's my go to English now. Possibly before I did not give it a fair shake (letting the tin breathe for a while, and being patient for the smoke to develop).

I find it the smoothest of all the Dunhill Englishes, while still retaining the flavor depth and pungency that Dunhill does so well. And it has a good enough N kick for me.

It is so well balanced and smooth that I can see...how it could fly under the radar for some. Latakia does not dominate but is definitely present and the Orientals are rich and less "zingy" than in LM, but still slightly to the fore.

I would say it is overall as rich a blend as 965 (not in Latakia but in overall body) but of course without the Cavendish, and without ANY harshness.

The lack of harshness, balance, and rich Orientals push it to the top of the heap for me.

It is, overall, better than earlier iterations (Murray's and early Orlick) imo, which were both "too much".

Summary: sublime 🙂 Balanced English mixture with no specific front-end. Tin smell: dry plum. When smoked cycles through: cream/butter (casing?), herby (virginia), sweety (oriental), nutty/burnt malt (burley? latakia?), a bit of bitter think dark ale. No dominant note, but all come and go through smoke. Nicotine: medium to strong (builds up). Toungue bite: zero. Burn: cool, even, slow. Room note - good pipe tobacco, but not a crowd pleaser. Aftertaste - herby, buttery, light sugar. Ash - white-grey. Need to relight - 2-3 times if your pipe is on the large side and you're not focusing on it. Goop zero. Leaves the pipe pretty clean. Repurchase value - 100%.

Dunhill - Durbar.

I think it's pretty hard to get something anymore satisfying than a good English and that is exactly what this is; a rich tasting, satisfying smoke.

Just the aroma from the un-lit blend fills me with alacrity. It's English (obviously), smoky, and slightly tangy. Although it's listed as a mixture it's more like a straight ribbon; there aren't any pieces of flake or plug in there, it's prominently medium ribbons.

This was from a loose pouch so any reduction in moisture that's occurred (if any) has benefited the lighting. Once it's lit it takes me straight back onto my first point: satisfying. It just ticks every box that's required for contentment (to me). It's smoky enough to identify the Latakia but nowhere near enough to take over. The Virginia and Oriental's are well balanced with one another; the both of them are much stronger than the Latakia giving the blend a lighter taste instead of the MASSIVE amount of smokiness that can often come from an English. On the 'not so good' side it does burn a bit fast. Very even, very steady, but quick if pressured; take this easy! The nicotine's a little below medium, not leagues below but mild to medium nonetheless. Room note; English and great!

Four stars for this great blend.

Foie-gras like texture- exotic, creamy, textures but balanced.

No one thing sticks out, no one chord out of place.

Not an over-the top oriental, but that even new pipe smokers or aromatic smokers can get into. Give it a try.

I am afraid that I am with CoolPilot on this one. After being blown away by the re-introduced Aperitif I anticipated a stellar blend. The best I got out of this was the charring light; after that it goes downhill quickly for me. Repeatedly I found myself digging out the last half or two-thirds bowl and dumping the load.

What is wrong for me? The blend fights itself: too sweet, a tang approaching bitterness, and a taste which mimics some cavendish or treatment of the Virginias, perhaps. I sometimes smoke straight Izmir and rather enjoy it. I have smoked many of the McClellend Grand Orientals which showcase many Oriental varieties on a Virgina base and enjoyed them all, but not this.

Those who enjoy it may rejoice that I will not be competing with them to get Durbar.

I finally had to deal with the half tin I had left by adding a good bit of perique and as much as 25% blending burley. At the least I can smoke that.

In the tin, I was greeted with a clear cocoa (roasted) and woody aroma with some light floral notes.tobacco review of dunhill durbar

Lighting the bowl presented with a nice clean tobacco flavour on the tongue – well balanced. The flowery notes was present with woody notes from the Latakia. A really nice tobacco for an all-day smoke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOOo4TqoaCw