Manufacturer Description:
A high proportion of mature, dark and yellow Virginias, together with Latakia and Oriental leaf. Wonderful balance, mellow taste, with floral and subtle smoky note.
Characterisation:
When you open the can of Durbar one sees the almost black Latakia and the dark brown Oriental dominate. In between is spread fairly evenly brighter Virginia. The tobacco seems to be very moist and slightly sticky, the average width is about 2 mm and of medium length. The moisture remains in the open can for a long time, but this must not be a disadvantage. Like the look suggests there is also the smell of intense smoky Oriental and Latakia.
Plugging:
Because of the humidity, it is recommended to rub out the tobacco a little and allow it to dry short before bringing it into the pipe. Otherwise it could choke the pipe. Thereafter it can be stuffed in a normal way, not too loose, as loose tobacco does not burn well and this tempts to smoke too hard on the pipe, and this harms the taste.
Light up:
The Durbar is very easy to burn with a flame. In order to achieve a more even burn, you can smooth the resulting glow gently with the pusher.
Smoking properties:
The Durbar can be smoked easily. Just put the ashes gently down with the tamper sometimes. It shows tart and aromatic, as it should be for an english mixture. The Virginia occurs in the background, complementing, while soft and smoky Latakia and Oriental are playing the leading roles. There is some harshness and strength to taste, but this is mitigated by the generous creaminess of the smoke and the ever-present, pleasant floral incense note.
Smoked normal, no excessive heat will develop and relighting should not have to be necessary, even if the tobacco will tolerate that. Based on the medium cutting width of the tobacco it burns evenly and slowly, remaining only pale gray ash powder in the end. Due to the relatively high moisture content of the tobacco, some condensate remains.
Redolency:
The Durbar is a classic English with Latakia and Oriental and therefore also its room note is strong and tart, which recommends the tobacco for single connoisseurs or groups in which friends of english mixtures are welcome.
Conclusion:
In aroma, appearance and taste of the Durbar the Oriental and Latakia are dominating. It´s a real, strong English and rather less suitable for beginners in this direction, because of its strength and intensity. Although slightly moist, even after prolonged opening time (also an advantage, because this prevents drying out), it can be plugged easy and the burn hardly requires attention. Only for cleaning it needs maybe one cleaner more. Who estimates sturdy english mixtures will welcome this new edition of a old classic tobacco!
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with friendly support of Dennis Hübel