McClelland Deep Hollow

I did a smoking comparison of Deep Hollow, Virginia Woods, and Grey Havens. This is definitely the most aromatic of all three, and yes that means this one has the most amount of casing/topping.

Opening the tin one can see red and light brown ribbons mixed with sparse black ribbons. It seems hayish with lots of fruit and a bit of vanilla or caramel.

Loads easy, but is difficult to keep lit. A bit of drying time resolves this issue. Light tamping is required here and there. Not much bite for being quite a sweet aromatic.

The flavor of the smoke is very sweet with lots of caramel, vanilla, and some type of tangy fruit. There is some tobacco flavor, that the nice quality virginias provide, on the backbone as well. The flavors seem more natural than most aromatics that I have tried before...quite impressive. The smoke is creamy, light, and cool/smooth. I actually enjoyed it more than I had expected. It actually has a bit of strength as well, at least for an aromatic, which I was not expecting. If I am in the mood for something sweet that will please a crowd, this blend would be it.

I am not sure how helpful a review will be from me as the tin I smoked was 16 years old and presumably, much different than that of a fresh tin. I will list my impressions on this one and will revisit this review once I have a chance to try a newer tin.

I was lucky to secure a tin of this from 1998 on ebay for a good price. I popped the tin as a treat for the 2015 Chicago show. As this is a lightly topped Virginia blend two things should have happened over those 16 years in the tin. The Virginias should have got sweeter and smoother and the topping should have started to lessen. I would say both these things did happen as I was hard pressed to really identify a topping, but knew there was something there giving it a bit of a honey taste.

The Virginias did age well and were a real treat as they smoked easy and the sweetness from fermentation was more than evident. Everyone with whom I shared with gave me a thumbs up and were appreciative to have a bowl full.

So with that said, it is hard for me to give an objective review on what a new tin would be like. Because of this I am giving it three stars now, but have a feeling this will be a two star blend when I try it fresh.

Deep hollow … An attractive mahogany and black cut tobacco mixture, with a tin aroma of slightly soured pumpkin spices, kind of pleasant.

Of the McC Virginia blends I've tried, this one is not my favorite, maybe it's the topping, maybe it's the lack of strength, I'm not sure, but I found DH lacking. You can kick up the taste a notch by drying this stuff to almost crispy, but that did nothing for its “n” strength. I would call this blend a fantastic cigarette tobacco, but I prefer a bit more stand alone tobacco punch in my pipe.

I'm on a McClelland Tolkien kick lately. Frogs, Grey Havens, and this...

This is barely an aromatic. Others have debated the flavor; I get a hint apple. To me it's very pleasant, subtle, and goes beautifully with the Virginias. In fact, sweet Virginia is mostly what you get.

I'd describe this as "unchallenging" in the best sense of the word. Maybe it's not robust enough to cap off a meal with a glass of port. Instead, take a stroll, read a book, take a break when the fish aren't biting. (Speaking of which, it doesn't bite easily but it will if you puff too fast.)

This may be too mild an not complex enough for seasoned smokers. For those like me who like light sweet Viginias, it's a winner. If your are a new smoker I especially recommend this.

This is one of those unusual crossover blends between the world of mature Virginias for which McClelland is justly famous, and an aromatic that may cause you to ask 'why bother?' The tin indicates that this will transport you deep into the woods away from the urban cacophony, and yet, the not unpleasant, though somewhat cloying vanilla casing seems to direct the palate straight out of the woods and deep into an urban headshop replete with black lights & Gonesh incense sticks. It's better than the pecan flavored Mellow Mack, which is a blend I sort of cared for but now shy away from. It's not as good as the nougat luciousness of Best of Show by the same maker. However, my mouth watered upon opening the tin. It's a cross between a fine shag & a cavendish with some quality Virginias as the backbone. It doesn't sear but it nips the back of the tongue. The scent is pleasant enough. Reminds me a bit of aromatics ala Tinder Box. It can smoke rather musky, leaving the heel with wet dottle. It's really not bad, though I'll stick with McC's Frog Mortons & their Personal Reserve series. In the world of aromatic crossovers, there's a lot better stuff out there worthy of your time & consideration. For example, see my review on Iwan Ries's King's Oriental or Wilke's Bohemian. Now those are aromatics!

Two and a half of five stars

Update 01/06/03 Having been in the world of the pipe for much longer now, I felt obligated to update this review. Maybe I was more patient, or luckier with my first purchase of Deep Hollow - but a can I've been nursing for months is not worth the dreamy room note and Tolkien nostalgia.
Still tasting alright, when I can taste something. The scents are warm and hearth like. Reminiscient of the best of autumn. Keeping it lit and getting a clean burn is a chore. I could smoke it as a mindless "candy" tobacco if not for the constant effort of keeping it lit.

The Plus side - whatever chemistry is in this stuff leaves a very nice coat which helps to break in a pipe. IF you plan to use it for aromatics that is.

Unfortunately - a downgrade in rating.


Original Review:
It should be noted that I am a fairly new pipe smoker and am still refining some basics (such as my tamping and puffing skills) but felt it was time to offer another review or two (also see my Frog Morton review).

I jumped right from drugstore stuff (which I now *do* see as evidence of the devil on earth)to some of the more refined Rattrays and Esoterica blends. After a few weeks of hitting "the hard stuff" and thinking "this is what pipe smoking *really* tastes like" I decided to pull back and try out some sweeter, lighter blends. Being a Tolkien fan, the McClellands were for me a natural and good starting point.

Deep Hollow - alright, so the name and package sold me. And I hadn't tried a "higher end" VA yet or aromatic yet.

The can and room aroma are wonderful. Light, earthy and sweet all at the same time. I will take more experienced smokers word for it that the casing is Vanilla, but it is subtle and smooth. The taste is fairly mild to the point of being flat at times. I feel like I am smoking this more to smell it, than to get a strong and depthful taste.

The tobacco - as I gather all McClellands are - was very wet upon arrival. It took about a week of being opened and shelved for it to dry out to an even smoke. Until then - lots of gurgle and a bit of bite...much wetness at the bowl bottom and many relights.

Now about 2 weeks later I get a fairly even smoke and air drying out the tobacco further kills some of the casing and has resulted in a bit of a painful smoke. Straight out of the can at this point it leaves me with a relaxing and sense pleasing smoke that requires minimal effort: perhaps a relight or two through out the bowl but nothing disruptive to the enjoyment. I am breaking in a new handmade briar with it and as long as I cooperate with the pipe and tobacco, it cooperates with me. Smoking too fast or too thickly packed still results in gurgle and sourness.

I see this as a very pleasant "relaxation" smoke. Perhaps I'm just easy to please. It doesn't give me a deep, potent experience (such as some of the more potent latakia/VAs do) but it has kept me interested enough to go back and will probably convince me to keep some of this on hand. I'd say this wouldn't be for everyone, but would recommend it to those wanting to bridge the gap between aromatic/sweets and some of the strong stuff. The step of flavored schnapps between table wine and Wild Turkey? Perhaps, but I can be a girly drink drunk on occasion so that analogy makes sense in my case.

Delightful aromatic. Highly recommended for those who have a fondness to indulge in aromatics as a staple, or as a change of pace. No trouble keeping this one lit, and no moisture at all in the bottom of the bowl (note: I smoke slowly and use a decent sized bowl). I can readily taste the vanilla-apple flavor identified in other reviews. The topping (or casing) is not heavy; in fact, I no longer care for heavy aromatics. Rather, the Virginias really take center stage, and the topping simply adds another dimension. A fine introduction to Virginias for someone who regularly smokes aromatics but is looking to try Virginias.

Sip it slowly and envision yourself on the banks of the Brandywine River.

I'm fairly new to the hobby and picked this blend up on a recommendation. I was not disappointed. It has burns cool yet has a warm earthy sweetness to it. My only complaint is the after taste can be rather stale. Otherwise, its a lovely smoke indeed.

McClelland's Craftsbury Series is a favorite so keep that in mind.

Sweet and honey like Virginia dominates the flavor. It smokes and tastes like a light Virginia blend. The topping is only somewhat evident in the smoke. It serves more to sweeten the blend than it does to add other flavor. I don't pick up apple in the smoke, carmel flavors are faint and serve to highlight the natural honey notes of the Virginia tobacco.

Room not is not too great. This blend is not too heavily cased. But, while it is hard to judge while I am smoking, I would bet that the room note is better than the almost cigarette smell of straight Virginia blends.

Deep hollow is a great blend. A lot like Gray Havens and Virginia Woods. It has been a couple of years since I have had those blends, but from memory I remember Virginia Woods being my favorite of the three. Deep Hollow is probably the mildest blend in the series, but enjoyable nonetheless.

The