McClelland Deep Hollow

Deep Hollow is a nice, light, vanilla-flavored aromatic mixture. McClelland is very good at doing this type of very mild, smooth, and tongue-bite-free aromatic. Like Captain Cool, Mellow Mac, or their Evening Stroll (under the Benjamin Hartwell label), Deep Hollow avoids the numerous pitfalls endemic to aromatics; it is sweet yet not cloying, moist yet not ?gloopy,? tasty yet without a lingering aftertaste, and allows you to taste the Virginias without torching your tongue. I?m not a huge aromatic fan anymore, but when I get a craving, these light McClelland blends hit the spot like no other aromatics can. If I smoked aromatics more regularly, this would get an ?I smoke this on occasion? rating for sure. And as I have found with every other member of the Craftsbury Collection, this makes a great blend for pipe smokers making their first foray into the realm of better-quality, tinned tobaccos.

I picked up a year old can of this based on my tobacconist's recommendation about five months ago and finally opened it. I did not notice the standard "McClelland odor", which threw me after reading all the reviews, but I wrote it off as the additional aging. After letting it dry for five days I loaded a pipe and sat down to relax after work. WOW! I enjoyed it so much I used it to break in a new piece I had recently added to my collection. Deep Hollow smoked cool and to a nice grey ash with little to no tounge bite, no matter how furiously I puffed. It definitely is not your standard cased aromatic, but it had enough flavor to keep me guessing, and enough tobacco flavor and nicotine strength to keep me interested. The Latakia smokers out there will probably not enjoy this blend but the aromatic smokers will find it a nice foray into straight Virginia territory and it could satisfy the Virginia lover's sweet tooth. After a minimum of one years additional aging, Deep Hollow will definitely become a regular in my rotation.

Today I purchased a tin of this that was five years old, and have smoked a couple of bowls already. I'm not sure how this blend would have been when it was new.It is an aromatic with valilla flavoring. The tobacco envolved is good Virginia leaf and smells good in the tin. When smoked it is most uneventful,and bland.This tobacco is way to mild.

Deep Hollow, natural or aromatic? It appears that the majority consider this an aromatic. Well, if so, it's sure not a goopy Lane (ever notice how well those two words go together?) type aromatic. As a matter of fact this is the kind of blend that die hard English/ Va smokers will nod and say, " Ahh yes, a crossover blend." Well maybe it is but it's a very relaxing pleasant blend just as is. Although a bit too sweet for an all day smoke this one does indeed make a nice change of pace for those times when something gentler is desired.

If you're just getting started in the wide world of Virginias this might be a good one to try, never mind the labels. If you seldom smoke anything but "pure" tobaccos this might be an eye opening change of pace.

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I recently opened another tin of this a year or so later than when I did this review. What a difference a year makes. While I still stand by most of the earlier review it's plain to me that this stuff is certainly an aromatic.... and I just don't care that much for aromatics any more. That being said I still think it would make a good starter blend for someone moving away from Lane type aromatics and looking for a more real tobacco.

This is another one of McClelland's semi-aromatic blends with names from Tolkien's Ring series, the best known of which is probably Frogmorton.



Deep Hollow is basically blend of stoved Virginias and some vanilla essence. The essence isn't overdone like an actual vanilla aromatic, its mostly present in the aroma and only slightly in the taste, which is primarily of the virginias (although the vanilla does build up a bit after a few bowls in the same pipe).



I'm primarily an English smoker, but this blend is a surprisingly good change-of-pace smoke, and it comes in handy if you want to smoke around non-smokers without ruining a perfectly good pipe with propylene glycol.

Well, this is McClelland blend that does not get me excited in any way. After significant drying and about 6 months of aging, I can see little improvement.

Nothing here offends, but nothing really grabs me about it either. Dark Star it is not. In my mind, a good virginia builds to a crescendo, but DH plods along... and then the show is over. The end of the bowl also tends to be a bit harsh, not a worthy price to pay for a 10% or so strengthening of taste.

Maybe I will try this againg after a year or two more aging, which can work wonders on even the most mundane of virginias. I prefer my virginias, if at all, in the flake form.

This is alright, but for a lightly aromatic Virginia blend, I prefer Two Friends' "Heritage." Deep Hollow just doesn't smoke all that well, and it doesn't amaze me enough to put up with the constant relighting. It tastes good, though, and definitely smells good...Heritage just tastes and smells better.

Deep Hollow was something of a disappointment. To start with, I detected a slight vanilla like casing, which somehow diminishes the tobacco?s natural flavour. Then, there is a hint of that vinegar smell, present in many McClelland blends.

It was easy to pack, but not that easy to light. Perhaps too much moisture. Once it got going, I never really felt the presence of tobacco flavour at all. It produced a nice room aroma, but it was very frustrating in terms of a good smoke (even by mild standards). I let my pipe rest for a while, relit, but nothing doing. A bland, lacklustre smoke, which I would only recommend to beginners.

If you're an avid English smoker like myself, Deep Hollow offers a nice change of pace. But like any vacation: it's nice to visit, but wouldn't want to live there.

I find straight Virginas too sweet to smoke regularly. It is pleasingly aromatic, but not annoyingly so.

Like all McClelland blends, it is extremely moist upon opening...and I'll be damned if they don't put ketchup or vinegar in it! (for those who don't know about this urban legend, buy a can and you'll understand)