McClelland Deep Hollow

You might like this if you smoke aromatics, but I can't stand it. Smokes hot, tastes like chemicals, leaves a goopy mess in your pipe. I left the tobacco spread out on a tray, in a draft, for 3 days. Wasn't any drier than when I first bought it. Smoked a bowl of this every once in a while the past 4 months to see if it would get better, but it didn't.

Don't waste your time with this blend.

A tasty, light, sweet, and sometimes tangy virginia concoction with a hint of perhaps a mild vanilla or maple casing, and likely a smidge of orientals as well. Lights and smokes easily, with plenty of thick, fragrant smoke, down to a light gray ash, with no re-lights. A great introduction to mild, sugary, smooth virginias. A touch of hay, cut grass, and green apple can be detected mid-bowl. A well done blend! I keep some on hand for a lighter, mellow smoke in the rotation that simply won't bite or overpower in any way, no matter how enthusiastically you rail away at it. Has real virginia flavor despite bordering on a light aromatic, yet without any of the heavy, sweet perfumed gurgling downsides. Great stuff! The more I smoke it, the more I enjoy it. Three and a half stars.

This is a mild, mostly virginia tobacco. In my mind, it has some virginia sweetness, but it doesn't stand out that much. It smokes easily, it doesn't bite, but it doesn't have enough flavor to really keep my attention or for me to consider returning to it anytime soon. You might consider it a candidate to smoke while going for a walk or while working in the yard, or as an all-day smoke if that's your thing.

What a wonderful smoke. Great virginia taste. Getting a little up the nose adds to the flavor. Sweet, maybe with a hint of vanilla. McClelland virginia's are rapidly becoming my favorite smoke.

******ON A PERSONAL NOTE IF YOU ARE A ENGLISH SMOKER AND OLNY LIKE ENGLISH THEN PLEASE DONT RIP APART STRAIGHTS OR AROMATICS THIS CAN BE VERY MISLEADING TO THE NEW PIPE SMOKERS*********

THIS IS A VERY NICE MILD BLEND, IN WHICH I WAS ALITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT TRYING AFTER I OPENED IT UP. AT FIRST HAS THAT MCCELLAND KETCHUP SMELL. BUT AFTER LETTING SIT OPEN FOR A WEEK AND THEMN SMOKING A PIPE FULL, YOU DONT EVEN NOTICE IT. JUST A NICE RELAXING SMOKE W/ NO BITE AT ALL.I WOULD RECOMMEND TO THE NEW AND OLD SMOKER.

I'm get alot of bite outta this but it is a bit too dry, I think (a tin from '04). It's all sizzle to start off but after a rest and about halfway down it's mellowed a bit. I'm sure I could use some practice on my virginia technique but I don't have this problem with Old Gowrie or Reiner LGF. Might be good for someone looking for a bridge from aromatics to virginias.

Another one that I find I can smoke on any occasion. Compared to say, Frog Morton, or Grey Havens, it is milder and in my opinion, cooler. I like to smoke it from a deep, tall bowl, so I usually pair it with my billiard, even though I tend to have to relight halfway through it seems. Its not a blend for everyone, it might be a great one to keep around for curious friends to try as an entry to the hobby. I acutally married this with a tin of British Woods pretty effectively. It could be used well to mellow out stronger offerings.

Not one I will buy often, but it has its place.

Update, I am lowering the rating, I got tired of too many bowls of this being hard to keep lit, you have to overpuff at times to keep it together, makes for too much work. When right, flavors are good, but its hard to keep together through an entire bowl.

Deep Hollow is just not my cup of tea. I just finished an '03 tin which has been open for about 18 months but the tobacco is still sticky to the touch, which, I have to admit, puts me off. While the tin note is pleasing, DH smokes with a sense of the casing that subtracts from the fine Virginians used. Despite the stickiness, it does burn well and to a clean gray ash. It also does not smoke particularly hot. Despite those positives, for Virginia flavor, I'd go with Christmas Cheer or one of MeCelland's straight Virginias such as #27.

I found Deep Hollow a great blend. It taste great, smokes cool and has room note that is enjoyed even by the nonsmokers. In some ways the taste and aroma reminds me of a blend I used to smoke called Black and Gold, but the tobacco blend in Deep Hollow is quite different. The red and black stoved Virginias in Deep Hollow are of the highest quality. Great job McClelland!