McClelland Deep Hollow

A very good blend for McClelland. I personally am a Cornell&Diehl man and am not in love with most McClelland Products,but this is actually quite good. A very good Virginia flavor with some type of casing that lends a slightly sweet note to the blend. Not really a straight Virginia,nor an aromatic. It is what I would call an "in betweener".A good change of pace blend-kind of like "Valle Crucis"My big problem with this was it gets you in the back of the throat.You will need a lot of water to rehydrate after this one. Almost 3 stars.

The question rages, is it an aromatic, or is it not? The Deep Hollow I smoked was six years old at the time. There is nothing semi-aromatic about this stuff ? it is an aromatic all the way. The vanilla topping completely overshadowed the underlying Virginia leaf.

I think it is possible that the Va?s have mellowed with age, and that the topping was not this strong at first. I will let the rest of what I have sit in a baggie for a few months and see if time doesn?t mellow the Vanilla?

Not at all what I expected from a well-aged McClelland blend.

The tin aroma of this nicely prepared mixture of red and dark VAs + Black Cavendish was as inviting as the room aroma. If the taste was only as good, this would be an enjoyable smoke. From the tin, the tobacco was too moist for me and benefited from drying. However, in doing this, some of the casing disappeared and a rather bland taste remained. It was also well rubbed out and I still prefer tobacco in flake or plug form. If I was smoking more to please others with the aroma, this would be an ideal smoke. However, even McClelland has better bulk offerings where the sweetness is from natural tobacco rather than additives. This blend might be enjoyed by new pipe smokers but lacks the flavor and strength of my prefered VA flakes and Va/Perique blends.

Deep Hollow. Is this McClelland's tobacco an aromatic or not? You could probably ask 20 people and get 25 opinions on this subject. I am only decided that this is a fragrant tobacco, along the line of a couple of the Rattray's blends. Opening the tin of Deep Hollow presents a little of that usual McClelland smell as well as tobacco that gives a little vanilla-esque nose. This is another tobacco that can be a little moist in the can and some drying certainly doesn't hurt. The tobacco packs well and light easily if you have followed the slight drying process. Deep Hollow is a very nice tobacco to both the smoker and those around. The flavour is not what you expect from the smell in the can - instead it is that of excellent stoved Virginias, which to my palatte is more toward the black Virginia rather than red Virginias in this blend. The vanilla really doesn't come through that much in the smoke and is probably there for the spouse. This tobacco can bite, but only if you do you best impression of a Hoover on the pipe. Overall, this is a nice fragrant tobacco that burns clean to a grey ash.

I find this blend to be a very esquisite by McClelland and I generally do not care for the McClelland Tobaccos.

To the debate, is it or is it not an aromatic or is it or is it not a natural tobacco? Tough call, although being an aromatic connoisseur I would say this is a conflict between the aromatic and the natural arormas of the Red and Stoved Virginias.

I find Deep Hollow to be a very intriguing blend that has influenced a sensation of sweetness to my liking.

I also find that by leaving this tobacco for a few days in a jar increases the prodominate taste of the Virginias to their fullness. But... again there is that same old cnflict; Is it, or is it not?

Oh what the hell, I enjoy this tobacco in my Eric Neilsen and my Balleby and really that is all it really matters.

Not being a big fan of straight Virginia blends right now ( I prefer English / Oriental / Latakia ), I found that I do like Deep Hollow. Opening the tin reveals a mix of tan to black ribbon-cut tobacco with a sweet aroma very similiar to Captain Black ( re: raisins, vanilla and ketchup ). It's also pretty moist so I've found it best to dry out for awhile before loading in your pipe ... otherwise you will have frequent relights.

It burns well and to a grey ash, but can get hot and gurgly if smoked too fast. It has the typical tart and slightly sweet flavors I associate with Virgina tobacco. The smoking aroma is not overpowering, the nicotine level is fairly mild and it leaves a nice aftertaste.

Overall I enjoyed the bowls I've smoked and would recommend to those that already like this McClelland series and are looking for a mellow Virginia blend.

A non-aromatic that deserves high praise. Nutty, yet sweet. Perfectly moist right out of the tin. An excellent room note, but had the familiar McClelland "Heinz 57" tin note. I had moderate expectations, but was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this wonderful addition to my rotation.

Deep Hollow is a mild virginia blend that makes for a very nice smoke when you don't want anything complicated. I find it to be a mildly sweet blend that has potential to bite if pushed to hard. I do detect a funky vanilla topping in the tin but it doesn't translate into the flavor.

This is kind of a cross-over. It has more strength and less flavor to be a straight aromatic. However, there are better blends out there. It is smokeable though.