Dominican Andullo (plug)
Andullo is an old Dominican version of a sailor's perique carotte. Dominican tobacco varieties are hung to yellow and wilt for about two weeks, then frog-legged, laid-out and rolled into a tight cylinder, wrapped in canvas, then snugly wound with rope.
The carotte is unwound after about a month, then re-wound more tightly. This is repeated, like airing of perique, at monthly intervals over a period of at least 3 months. The product of this process is a solid plug of very dark or black tobacco that can then be shaved or sliced for use in a pipe, cigarettes or even in cigar filler.
I decided to try this using reasonably intact, relatively mature sucker leaf from Olor and Piloto Cubano. I was able to harvest 48 leaves of Olor, but only 10 leaves of Piloto Cubano.
These were strung, and hung in the shed to wilt for two weeks. After 8 days, I discovered two tiny hornworms in the hanging leaf, and dispatched them with prejudice. They hadn't eaten much. I carefully inspected the remainder of the hanging leaf, and found no other issues.
For my canvas, I cut the leg off an ancient pair of tan Dockers that had already spent some time in my scrap fabrics pile. The resulting piece is about 27" long.
At the end of two weeks in the shed, the leaf was well wilted, though not very yellowed.
I frog-legged the leaf. The pile of stems that were removed represent a fair amount of water that will not have to dry from within the plug.
That left me with a pile of frog-legged, wilted leaves.
These were laid out in layers onto the canvas, starting with a layer consisting of all the Piloto Cubano, so that it would end up surrounding the Olor in the finished plug.
The leaf pile was then firmly rolled, without the canvas.
I now wrapped the canvas tightly around the cylinder of leaf, and tied each end with string.
By attaching an 1/8" braided nylon rope (actually 3 ropes tied in series) to a clothesline pole, I was able to apply maximum traction to the rope as I wound it about the carotte. This required a little over 100 feet of rope.
The completed carotte was tagged, then hung in my enclosed back porch. I should know in a month, when it is unwrapped the first time, whether or not the leaf molded in the center. If not, then I will continue the process through the winter.
Bob
Andullo is an old Dominican version of a sailor's perique carotte. Dominican tobacco varieties are hung to yellow and wilt for about two weeks, then frog-legged, laid-out and rolled into a tight cylinder, wrapped in canvas, then snugly wound with rope.
The carotte is unwound after about a month, then re-wound more tightly. This is repeated, like airing of perique, at monthly intervals over a period of at least 3 months. The product of this process is a solid plug of very dark or black tobacco that can then be shaved or sliced for use in a pipe, cigarettes or even in cigar filler.
I decided to try this using reasonably intact, relatively mature sucker leaf from Olor and Piloto Cubano. I was able to harvest 48 leaves of Olor, but only 10 leaves of Piloto Cubano.
These were strung, and hung in the shed to wilt for two weeks. After 8 days, I discovered two tiny hornworms in the hanging leaf, and dispatched them with prejudice. They hadn't eaten much. I carefully inspected the remainder of the hanging leaf, and found no other issues.
For my canvas, I cut the leg off an ancient pair of tan Dockers that had already spent some time in my scrap fabrics pile. The resulting piece is about 27" long.
At the end of two weeks in the shed, the leaf was well wilted, though not very yellowed.
I frog-legged the leaf. The pile of stems that were removed represent a fair amount of water that will not have to dry from within the plug.
That left me with a pile of frog-legged, wilted leaves.
These were laid out in layers onto the canvas, starting with a layer consisting of all the Piloto Cubano, so that it would end up surrounding the Olor in the finished plug.
The leaf pile was then firmly rolled, without the canvas.
I now wrapped the canvas tightly around the cylinder of leaf, and tied each end with string.
By attaching an 1/8" braided nylon rope (actually 3 ropes tied in series) to a clothesline pole, I was able to apply maximum traction to the rope as I wound it about the carotte. This required a little over 100 feet of rope.
The completed carotte was tagged, then hung in my enclosed back porch. I should know in a month, when it is unwrapped the first time, whether or not the leaf molded in the center. If not, then I will continue the process through the winter.
Bob
