Durbar is considered as one of Alfred Dunhill’s finest creations, we were not lucky enough to smoke this before Murrays wound up and we lost the Dunhill tobaccos. Originally created in 1912 with a quantity of “eastern tobaccos”, the blend did change a few times over the years and eventually consisted of more “contemporary orientals”. With these changes the name changed too, from Durbar to #1066-store and then back to Durbar again.
The Murrays version, which we expect the new Orlik creation to carry on the tradition. Was a rich and complex blend, based on those who remember it well. The latakia brings the typical smoky woody flavours and the Virginia adds a delicate sweetness and grassy side. The main player in this blend is the Orientals, these bring a delightful spicy and woody core to the smoke. A rich and powerful tobacco, think of Nightcap and add some extra dimensions of complexity and we have something like Durbar (or so we have been told, we have not smoked any of the previous incarnations or had sample of these yet!)
Extracts from Catalogues**
- 1917 : The rare Eastern tobaccos of which this mixture is composed impart a subtle charm which soothes, mystifies and fascinates, extremely mild, extremely cool, qualities rarely found in combination
- 1920: Entirely free from strong tobaccos
- 1970: high proportion of Oriental leaf, Virginia and Latakia, now known as #1066-Store
- 1980 : Sold as Durbar again, with #1066 remaining as the in-house reference for this blend only
All tasting notes and information on the blend has been taken from speaking to smokers, old catalogues and details of the Old Murrays and Dunhill (original) versions. We have no concise details and will update as we get the information.
Composition
Blend - Virginia, Latakia & Turkish
Casings - None
Cut - Ribbon
Blended in - Denmark
Ratings from TobaccoReviews.com
Strength - Medium - Strong
Added Flavours - None
Taste - Medium - Full
Overall - 3.2/4
** http://loringpage.com/pipearticles/duntob2chart.htm