Source: La Aurora

Andullo tobacco, pronounced an-doo-yaw, is a centuries-old form produced by Dominican ancestors and natives. Handcrafted to be potent, and aromatic, it’s aged, more than many other tobaccos and there’s a specific process followed to create it. Andullo is very dark, almost black. The dried tobacco leaves have a delightful aroma, best described as dried fruits. When smoked, you’ll taste notes of spice, wood, and tons of sweetness and creaminess.

It tastes a lot like pipe tobacco, which is why it’s used in many forms of tobacco products, including cigarettes, pipe tobacco, and cigars. One of the best cigars on the market that uses Andullo is the La Aurora ADN Dominicano — which stands for Dominican DNA.

Today, some of the more prominent Andullo tobacco is cultivated and aged by La Aurora in the Dominican Republic.

How is Andullo tobacco made?

Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge

According to La Aurora, Dominican variety tobacco seeds are grown to the appropriate size and then the Andullo process starts, taking about one full year to complete:

• When ready, the bottom leaves of the plant are culled. Leaves from the upper middle of the plant continue to grow, or the Ligero. The key is to select leaves with excess strength, flavor, and aromas.
• Next, the leaves are plucked and bundled for curing — stored in gavillas or sartas. They hang for two weeks allowing the leaves to become more flexible.
• After curing, the bundles or sartas are removed and the leaves are cleared of their midrib, a course central vein that runs through the bulk of the leaf.
• The tobacco is rolled inside pods called yagua. These pods are made of the Palma Real, a native palm tree. Once inside, the tobacco continues its curing process but also undergoes fermentation. This is possible because the yagua are organic and so they allow the tobacco leaves to breathe.
• Still inside the yagua, the tobacco is pressed in several stages, with a period of rest in between. Ropes around the yagua are used to compress the pod, helping dry out the tobacco faster. This is done about five times. The tobacco is checked in between presses to gauge its progress and ensure no damage has occurred to the leaves. What’s most interesting about this phase is there’s no heat introduced to the tobacco, it’s an entirely ‘cold’ process.
• Finally, the tobacco is aged for one to two years to allow for it to dry up almost completely. This is where most of its flavor and strength are improved.

What is Andullo tobacco like?

Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge

The best way to describe the smell is as a dry fruit, similar to apricots, dates, or even cherries. The aroma is pungent yet pleasant, and you can almost taste the leaves when you smell it, it’s that strong. As for what it tastes like when you smoke, let’s just say it’s very aromatic. That’s an experience I don’t want to ruin for anyone who wants to try it.

Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge

In a cigar, it’s definitely sweet, creamy, and delicious but it’s not quite as sweet as something like a Fat Bottom Betty, which likely uses a small amount of Perique tobacco and a proprietary blend to gain its extra flavoring.

In other words, it’s sweet, but not too sweet, if you catch my drift.

I recommend giving it a try even if you don’t typically like sweet cigars. I normally don’t and yet I thought it was a fantastic experience.

Some other cigars that use andullo tobacco are:

• Andullo by Simón Beltré — Not available in the U.S.
• CAO Arcana
• H Upmann Hispaniola by Jose Mendez
• VegaFina Fortaleza 2 Andullo
• Vivonte Andullo-X

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