Dunhill Durbar

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

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.

(This review moved from the other Dunhill Durbar listing to the new)

Please don't be scared away by my low rating , for me, this blend is just too mild in all categories ( I know , I don't match many of the other reviews, maybe a bad tin ?) . This just might be what you are looking for? I find Dunhill "ribbon" cuts very easy to work with . Easy to pack, light, stay lit and no problems with embers falling all over.

This particular blend is smooth, creamy, and maybe even on the slightly nutty side. I wouldn't say it has burley in it ,but, it does have that minor touch of nuttiness and is woodsy . I don't really know how to classify this one, probably more Balkan than English as the Orientals play the major role over the light latakia and with hardly any Virginia support or sweetness . The flavor seems to remind me of a milder Dunhill's London Mixture with less latakia.

You can smoke this all day and don't be afraid to stoke it up, as this doesn't bite , get bitter, isn't spicy and won't get hot or ashy. I can't say I would buy this again as I like my blends with more flavor and sweetness, this is a little bland for me . That said, it's still a good blend. 2 1/2 star.

Upon hearing that Dunhill stopped production (on the re-release to?), I ordered up some of the blends I've yet to try. Durbar is the second Balkan I have ever smoked since tasting STG's Sasieni, and I would say they were each a 2 star for me, though for different reasons. Both command nicotine respect and will knock you down if not careful. Sasieni had more depth from the virginia coming through (there was more of that wet hay taste), while Durbar was more aligned with it's English sister blends (more of that charcoal taste).

I guess I'm not entirely sure what a Balkan blend is, but as far as my nose can tell, Durbar smelled something English with a peppery Oriental mixed in. Comprised of a thin cut with enough thickness and moisture to pack and fire hassle free.

The smoke became a bit one note as I soldiered on to the bottom of the heart-palpitating bowl, the act - reminding me of the addicting power of smoking.

I find it difficult to find much nuance between Dunhill products, as they all perform much the same. They are a great reminder of why a pipe can take you to heights a cigarette can never achieve, but lack the browsing excitement of an aromatic.

I don't see the attraction here unless you want a Latakia blast, which I think dominates the aroma profile. All its other tobacco components take a back seat.

Not a bad smoke, just a very one dimensional "Latakia heavy" blend.

I'm surprised by the many 4 star-reviews, I tend to agree more with what I read in the 1 star reviews. The tobacco lights and burns fine, keeps dry, leaving a white ash. But IMHO, the taste of this blend is unbalanced and does not develop as it should. The first half of the bowl might be ok, but the second half tends to be too harsh with a bad aftertaste that irritates the throat. Ideally, this tobacco offers some enjoyable floral flavours of orientals in the foreground and latakia in the background. But for my taste, the virginia in this blend is too robust. And the more the bowl progresses the more it develops into a foul and acrid taste that overpowers all the flavours, leaving a bad aftertaste (like ashes in the mouth) which has a nauseating effect. Impossible to smoke without a glass of water or two by the side to clear the throut. For me, Durbar gives the promise of a full balkan that can be appetizing at first. But it does not deliver, which makes it overall a dissapointing smoking experience. If you like a strong and full balkan, this one would seem just right, but on the other hand, what value is there to a tobacco that start ok only to develop into an overwhelmingly harsch an nausiating smoking experience. Only reason I give this Janus-faced tobacco a week 2 star is because there is an alluring quality in the taste that I like, but unfortunately overpowered by its less sympathetic darker side.

Update: After experimenting with packing I learned that it smokes better if packed tight using the air-pocket method.

Durbar in its latest incarnation is a definite Turkish-forward English blend, with a little bit of Latakia to round out the condiments and a Virginia base. There is a lot of yellow leaf in the mix, not much black, and plenty of lemon and red VA. It’s got the Orlik ketchup smell on opening, but it fades quickly. Durbar doesn’t have the same week-long “sick” period that current production 965 does, just air it out a bit and smoke it. It does improve the longer the tin has been open.

Construction is typical Dunhill quality - maybe I’ve had too many C&D-made tins lately, it’s super nice to get a good, clean cut at proper moisture, ready to burn.

Strength and flavor are light to midrange. It’s a step up from EMP in how punchy the Turkish leaf is, but the richness and body are lacking. Generally it needs better Virginias. The Latakia is fine, I’d take a little more personally but it’s been thoughtfully blended in. I suspect I’ll end up mixing 10% Full Virginia Flake in here at some point to see if it adds enough richness.

I am a Dunhill fan, but this one just didn’t do it for me. It’s a good blend, an all day smoke, but for me, certainly not one of my favorites and not one I would hunt for again.

So, my tin is from June 2017. Opened it this month, August 2020.

Tin note is decent, has some leathery smell but also some stingy notes, similar to those I found in Nightcap’s US version.

Presents itself in an interesting balance of colors with dark yellow, brown and black leaves.

The cut isn’t the perfect “Dunhill” cut we’re all used to. I guess it was not intended to be the case at this blend. This one seems to be irregular, and has smaller cuts. Of course, that’s not a problem at all.

Very good moisture.

https://i.postimg.cc/k42hpbk2/196-17-August-2020.jpg

Sweet and soft at times, spicy and harsh other times. Buttery sweetness like I found in Margate, but it doesn’t have the complexity of Margate, nor the taste strength of London Mixture (I will try Standard Mixture and Standard Mixture Mellow soon, though). At times, it has a nutty taste (hazelnut?) and a bit of a dark chocolate taste, but they are mild. I found that this blend goes great with the morning coffee, at least for me, but it goes well with just about anything, including beer, cognac, whisky.

The oriental is in front for sure, but there’s also room for some sweet latakia with little smoky notes. However, it is mild in taste, not very complex in flavors. Definitely an oriental blend, since I can mostly feel a leathery taste which I always associate with the oriental leaf, and it’s the first thing that comes to my mind when smoking a balkan/oriental blend.

To get the best out of it, requires small, short puffs, with patience. But there’s a downside to that, as it requires too many relights. Not a great burner, even if it’s dried more.

The room note is great, though! That elegant, classic pipe tobacco smell. I don’t know if this smell could “offend” anyone. Definitely better than a cigarette or cigar smoke, and better than other oriental or english blends.