Dunhill Durbar

Just like The Apéritif, this recreation of a legendary blend is a huge succes. I have had the chance to try the Murray version in the '90s and, besides the cut being less coarse in Orlik's version, the composition and aroma look very similar. The ORs dominate completely; rich and spicy, almost sweet, they are creamy; the LA and VAs play in the background, contributing some smokiness and sweetness. Orlik's version burns much better than Murray's and Orlik's ORs, in my memory, seem to be better balanced than Murray's. The Vitamin N is just right. For those considering venturing into "English" blends dominated by ORs but are afraid of LAs, Durbar is a perfect introduction to the genre. Durbar is probably one of the top VA/OR I've smoked so far.

Another great Dunhill mixture.

Everything here melds together into a wonderful, bold collection of spicey, full flavored deliciousness. With just a touch of sweetness to keep you wanting the next puff.

Burns well and steadily without having to work at it.

A perfect companion to enjoy by the fire on a cold and snowy day.

Back when Andrew Lipiansky used to smoke, this was the finer tobacco he and his friends splurged on from time to time. He certainly didn't smoke it all the time, but that was, if anything, a trick to add to what a treat it was when he did buy it. Full flavored, tasteful, and tied to great memories and special occasions, anyone who appreciates tobacco should give this classic a shot.

I used to smoke Durbar released in the 90's, and I remember very well the density and brightness that the taste and smell of the old release of this blend had. Perhaps for me it was even a little bit too much and I smoked it in smaller pipes. Durbar of the latest release has lost a little in density and brightness.

Appearance: The 50-gram tin had a release date of "February 2015." During that time, even the light Virginia has darkened to a milk chocolate color, and the rest of the tobacco has taken on the color of light roasted coffee. The tobacco was cut in a perfect ribbon, without any of the slivers from the latakia stems that are sometimes found in American-made blends. It turned out to be a little dry, but quite suitable for smoking out of a tin.

Flavor: a complex, almost monolithic, aroma consisting of notes of oak, sandalwood, tanned leather, a few spices (I recognized sweetish paprika, badjan, allspice and some cinnamon, but there are more), walnut, and a very slight hint of tar. If you let the tobacco sit in the air for a while, you can catch a note of sweet wildflowers, which, however, wears off quickly.

Taste: Oriental, with its complex spice bouquet, woody note, a light walnut flavor, and the same light acidity, definitely leads the taste. A nice blend of different Virginia varieties adds a slight fruity sweetness and an even lighter herbal note, staying in the shadow of the orientals. The latakia in the flavor bouquet is subdued to the point where it only brings in a bit of leather and wood smoke. The overall bouquet quickly merges into one complex flavor, quite dense and bright, dominated by spicy and woody notes. Nevertheless, this flavor is very mild, the blend has no sharp edges, doesn't bind or bite your tongue. The flavor of the blend has absolutely no rush, it smokes cool and dry, burning out into a light gray dust and leaving no moisture in the pipe. The strength of the tobacco is medium, in a very large pipe a slight nicotine hit is possible. The aftertaste is soft, woody, persistent.

The smoke from the tobacco has a woody-spicy aroma with a slight hint of sandalwood. It is not too thick, but fairly persistent.

What's the bottom line? Dunhill once again sets an almost unattainable height of standards, reminding all pipe-smokers what great blend recipes we've lost in the battle with globalization. So if you get a chance to buy a tin or two of this no doubt legendary blend, by all means try it. But knowing its current price,

This is a wonderful oriental forward English Blend (I hesitate to call it Balkan, because I don't know if it actually contains Yenidze and Macedonian leaf).

The main character for me is "oily" in a good sense, like a good olive oil. The latakia plays it's role quite well and is the counterpart to the oily taste, which gives overall not only a smoky campfire but also a nice incence like aroma. In the background there is a Virginia orchestra from sweet to earthy, grassy to musky, which keeps the smoke always interesting.

The smoke is round and mellow, medium in strength, and more on the full side borderline medium in the aroma / taste profile.

This is just wonderful, and I am so sad, that I discovered it so late, It would have pushed the 965 from it's throne. Sadly, it is no longer produced.