Who's smoking the latest Dunhill tobaccos?

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Puff Daddy

Puff Daddy

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My recent forray into Mcclelland orientals had me searching through the cellar for something similar. Rejecting several lat forward blends and losing hope I happily scrounged out a small jar with less than an ounce of Murrays era EMP. It was wonderful, just finished a bowl. Got me wondering about the present Scandinavian Tobacco versions of EMP, Aperitif and Durbar. Anyone enjoy these? Comparisons to older versions? Is this the same Orlik manufacture under a new moniker? (Didn't ST buy Orlik?)
 
Most of the Orlik/Dunhill stuff I've tried has been quite good, and not that far off from what I remember before the hiatus. EMP is just a classic in any of the iterations, and prolly my fave of all things Dunhill. Apertif I haven't tried yet, but Durbar is quite good.The Standard Medium is not as Lat forward as you might think, and might be one to try. I find it more Va. sweet than Latty. Iknow you're thinking English/Oriental, but the Elizabethan is really good. Not as Perique forward I remember it, but so damn close, you'd just be splitting hairs.

IMHO, don't get too turned off by the "it ain't what it used to be" crowd. It's closer than anything you'll find in match, and still good. Great in some cases.
 
MisterE":w1khleh4 said:
Most of the Orlik/Dunhill stuff I've tried has been quite good, and not that far off from what I remember before the hiatus. EMP is just a classic in any of the iterations, and prolly my fave of all things Dunhill. Apertif I haven't tried yet, but Durbar is quite good.The Standard Medium is not as Lat forward as you might think, and might be one to try. I find it more Va. sweet than Latty. Iknow you're thinking English/Oriental, but the Elizabethan is really good. Not as Perique forward I remember it, but so damn close, you'd just be splitting hairs.

IMHO, don't get too turned off by the "it ain't what it used to be" crowd. It's closer than anything you'll find in match, and still good. Great in some cases.
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This 100%! I never was an EMP smoker but did smoke the Durbar and Aperitif and Royal Yacht as well as the Three Year Matured when  they were produced by Murray's and have to say that IMHO STG/Orlik has done a good job with their production now, As was always the case, these blends went through changes from Dunhill's production day through McConell's and then Murrays but STG/Orlik has done an EXCELLENT job of maintaining the essence of these blend/mixtures qualities. I would not hesitate recommending ANY of them to folks!! :twisted:
 
In the past I really didn't get on well with Dunhill blends, none of them really, but am fairly addicted these days to the Aperitif and I'm slowly being drawn in by Royal Yacht. I really want to revisit a few more that I tried and rejected many years ago. Tastes do indeed change.



 
I found STG's version of EMP to be rather underwhelming, also it had a bit more nicotine than I prefer.

I do enjoy STG's rendition of London Mixture.

Durbar and Aperitif I am still waiting to try.
 
MM965 is my daily staple. I just opened a tin of Durbar and while it is OK, I'll stick with MM965. I guess it must be the Brown Cavendish that makes the difference.
 
Been smoking DH 'baccy's for 51 years. I have some really old stuff from the DH store, plus the later McConnell, Murray's, Orlik, STG versions. Durbar, EMP, Elizabethan, Light Flake, London Mixture, the new Baby's Bottom, Nightcap, Standard Full (yep from the old old days!!), Std. Medium, and one tin of Std. Mild (not Mellow). Gotta' pop some of the really old stuff before I croak and leave it for someone else!!!!! At the render age of 69, I can't remember what these tasted like 5 decades ago and truly don't care. They are just superb to me right now and that's all that matters :D I can't comment much on the other DH 'baccy's, I tried 965; didn't care for it. The rest I've never ventured to try. I do heartily recommend the ones I listed previously. :cheers: FTRPLT
 
I only have good things to say about the new Dunhills. I have stocked up on Flake, Navy Rolls, Nightcap, MM 965, Elizabethan, Three Year Matured, Durbar, London Mixture, Baby's Bottom, Ready-Rubbed, EMP, The Apéritif and Royal Yacht. That must mean something. ;)
 
I've been enjoying the current Dunhill Flake. Not sure how this compares to the older versions but it does it for me. Also have had the new Navy Rolls and like that just fine.

Probably the only older Dunny blend I used to smoke with regularity was London Mixture from '00/'01. Went through many tins of that back then. Yet I'm pretty much off Lat blends these days so haven't had the current iteration

So I'm of little help!

:oops: 


Cheers,

RR
 
I regularly enjoy the current Royal Yacht, but don't value the previous versions, due to the fact that this one is an aromatic.

I will jump on an opportunity to score a tin of Murrays Nightcap when the opportunity presents itself, but I have seen this one go for outlandish prices in some online auctions. Makes me wonder sometimes, if they thought they were bidding on a tin of Penzance.
 
I smoke Royal Yacht and Dunhill Flake on occasion and I like them pretty well but Dunhill's Durbar is the blend that I compare all other English tobacco. If the blend isn't as good or if it is no better that Durbar then I don't buy it. If the blend happens to be better then you can be assured it is a spectacular tobacco. Arango Balkan Supreme and PS #306 English Oriental Supreme fit this catagory. In my opinion Durbar is Dunhill's best blend by far. :)

AJ
 
Thanks for the tip AJ, I don't believe I ever tried Durbar but it sounds like a blend I'd enjoy.

:cheers:
 
Since I've only came to the pipe since retirement I have no idea if any of the blends are as good or better then back in the day.. I'm quite happy with the current Dunhills. Nightcap, Deluxe Navy, London Mix and Royal Yacht are well represented in my cellar
 
I very much like the current Flake, Royal Yacht, and Three Year Matured Virginia. The MM965 seems to be very close to the Murray's version that used to be my daily smoke back in the 1990s.

Now if only they'll bring back the Black Aromatic.
 
After going through my last little bit of Murrays era EMP I was left wanting more. Unfortunately the prices I see on the Bay for the Murrays Dunhill blends are (of course) ridiculously overblown, so I broke down and ordered a couple of fresh tins, just to give the newest Dunhill iteration a go. Just recieved EMP, London Mixture and Aperitif. After rummaging through my stash I had located a tin of 965 that I believe I got when you dirty rotten scoundrels bombed me, and judging by the label and the condition of the tobacco when opened, I'm sure it is also an Orlik version.

Starting with EMP. I recall feeling so-so about EMP back in the Murray era. I never got to try anything earler than Murrays. I recall thinking the tinned version was OK, kind of fleeting, the bulk was not so good. I didn't really enjoy the stuff until the sealed tins I had left for dead had several years of age on them and suddenly they were a lot more flavorful, a lot smoother. Obviously this was both the magic of age and the fact that I had progressed a lot as a pipe smoker. The tobacco in those aged tins got nice and dark and rich smelling, and the edge was completely off when smoking. Nice and smooth and quite rich tasting.

The Orlik tin I cracked yesterday smelled quite good, better than I thought it would. The tobacco is pretty light in color, the ribbon cut is pretty fine, the moisture was slightly on the damp side but not too bad. After a bit of drying I filled a Stanwell Nanna N3 and lit up. The initial flavor is very good, better than I expected. It's definitely EMP, though not surprisingly a couple notches below the aged stuff. That's not a knock on Orlik, as age is obviously what darkens and smooths out this blend. There is a slight unmarried edge in this new stuff which suggests the components could use a couple of years in the tin, but the overall flavor is very good. The one thing I did notice that I don't recall ever tasting in the Murray EMP is a crisp, citrus/grassy virginia note that would pop up for a brief moment here and there. Again, I think this stuff just needs time to meld. All in all, I like it and look forward to seeing how it ages (As fate would have it, I got an email from P&C last night for buy 3 get 1 free on dunhill tins so I grabbed some for the cellar).

I tried the 965 a few days ago. It's not bad, a bit more latakia than I like, but I like the pungeant sour edge it has. I won't cellar any of this but I will jar it and revisit it after a while.

Did try one bowl of London Mixture last night. I don't believe I allowed it to dry enough as it was a bit steamy and hard to keep lit and the flavor wasn't there at all. Will dry some out today and give it another go.

Have not cracked the Aperitif yet.
 
Interesting observations, much appreciated. I'm looking forward to your impressions of Aperitif, I really love the stuff and probably smoke more of it than anything else these days. I've dedicated my Guildhall smooth Billiard to it, so I'm pretty much consistently guaranteed an excellent smoke.

 
OK, so I cracked the Aperitif and dried a little out. The freshly cracked tin note was distinctly Dunhill, but also distinctly latakia. I was apprehensive. Upon lighting I was quite stunned that the smoke tasted light and savory with virginia and herbal notes. Very nice. This is even lighter than EMP and quite enjoyable. The latakia waited to the last 1/3 to make itself known, and there it pretty much took over. I smoked this in a Pete xl90, perhaps a shallower pipe like a prince would keep the latakia finish in check.

Smoked another bowl of London mixture that was much drier than the first bowl and the spice came alive! Thankfully the latakia is way back in the background. A really nice smoke!

I may have to buy a tin of Durbar now..... :eek:
 
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