Why is the origin where your vanilla beans come from so important in your vanilla extract?
Vanilla common as an extract, powder, or paste, is the second-most expensive spice after saffron. This is because it’s grown in very unprofitable conditions and has a very short growing season. Vanilla needs humid conditions and needs to be pollinated by hand where the Melipona bees are NOT present.
Does it matter what country or region our vanilla beans come from? Do they come from a certain region that produces the best vanilla beans? What sort of soil and climate do these regions need? Are there other factors that affect the quality of your vanilla beans? Let’s take a look at where you get your vanilla beans from and why this is important.
The quality of your vanilla beans is closely linked to their origins. Let’s start by defining what “good quality” vanilla beans mean. Vanilla is graded on a scale. Grade A is the best quality. Grade B is the standard grade and Grade C is the lowest quality. The grading scale is based on the length, color, plumpness, fullness of caviar (seeds), and the natural oil.
Grade A vanilla beans are the longest and darkest. These have the strongest flavor and are used for gourmet purposes. Grade B vanilla beans are shorter and thin. These are used for “homemade” lower cost vanilla. Grade C vanilla beans are the shortest and lightest in color. These are great for flavoring a drink. And this grade is the most common in commercial extracts to keep cost down.
What does good quality vanilla bean actually mean?
A good quality vanilla bean means that it’s grown in favorable conditions and has been carefully harvested and cured. This means that you’ll get the best flavor out of your vanilla beans. A good quality bean is also ethically produced and has been cultivated without harming the environment or the people who work in the farming industry. Ethical vanilla production is a very low-yield process that requires lots of time and effort. It’s a sustainable farming method that doesn’t harm the soil or the people cultivating the vanilla.
The importance of climate and soil for growing vanilla beans
For example, Tahitian vanilla is grown in a warm tropical environment with high humidity. Mexican vanilla is grown in dry areas with low humidity. Both types of vanilla need warm and humid conditions, and they need to be pollinated by hand. The vanilla plant is a perennial tropical or subtropical orchid vine, and it lives for more than two years.
There are about 110 species of orchids that produce vanilla beans. Yes, those beautiful delicate orchids are what produce vanilla beans. These grow about 15 degrees north and south of the Equator and no other areas of the world. Gourmet Vanilla ‘n Spice has sourced vanilla beans from 34 countries through brokers.
Which countries grow the best vanilla?
Generally, about 80% of the world’s commercial vanilla is from Madagascar. Bourbon is not the alcohol, but the name of an island that grows these vanilla beans. For American’s, special vanilla may be from Mexico, simply because it’s the nearest source and easiest access, however, regardless of its label claiming pure vanilla, it’s more likely to be artificial and not safe. Generally, people are not aware of all the locations and types of vanilla available, or the difference in marketing claims of other countries. Mexican vanilla beans are a good quality bean, not the same as Mexican extracts. With vanilla beans being very high in price, obtaining a large bottle of extract at a low price would be your first indication it’s NOT pure vanilla. Most of the bottled vanilla extract from Mexico isn’t even made from vanilla beans, but actually from Tonka beans, and has a Carsen agentic which the FDA is working on banning from coming into the USA.
Does it matter what country or region the vanilla bean comes from? The top 3 countries for growing vanilla are Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Mexico. The reason these countries produce the best vanilla is because of their climate, they have a longer growing season, which gives the vanilla vines plenty of time to grow and develop their flavor, and the farmers use traditional methods. They have the knowledge and experience to grow the best vanilla beans. However, the majority of the world’s vanilla is imported from other tropical countries.
So, is there even a difference between these vanilla bean sources?
Yes, there is. Some will have a floral, fruity, sweet aroma and taste while others will be a hold, smoky aroma and taste, and some have hints of fruits to hints of chocolate.
So now what? Choosing special vanilla to enhance the flavor of your recipes could be your “secret ingredient”. A sweet vanilla is great for dessert or ice cream, a fruity vanilla for a smoothie bowl, a bold vanilla in your BBQ sauce or chili or stew, and a smoky vanilla in your marinate. Maybe a fruity vanilla in your glaze for chicken or salmon. You have more than just cinnamon, salt and pepper in your kitchen spices, so why not have more than just common vanilla? We at Gourmet Vanilla ‘n Spice offer a smaller size bottle so you can have a collection of vanillas to complement your various recipes. You may also notice that many bottles have a small piece of vanilla bean in the bottom, keeping the flavor, as well as specks (seeds/caviar) that add a beautiful touch to your vanilla ice cream or cake. Simply shake your bottle before pouring out your measure of vanilla.
You are the judge (insert photo of Grade A & B, thick and thin beans)
So, which would you choose, the thin dried vanilla bean? Or the plump, natural oils, full of caviar (seeds) vanilla bean? So why would you accept vanilla extract made from Grade B beans? This is why I only use Gourmet Grade A highest quality, full, large, plump, oils & full of caviar, vanilla beans in making my extracts. Yes, some are expensive. But you’ve heard of “you get what you pay for, cheep is low quality”, right?
What about the alcohol used? Do you want bottom barrel, bottom shelf, essentially moonshine alcohol? Or even any alcohol you wouldn’t drink yourself? We choose only top shelf brands, for the best quality, flavor balance experience. Example, some alcohols create a better flavor profile such as a Rum or Bourbon, adds a sweeter vanilla without adding sugars or anything artificial. The delicate balance between the alcohol and vanilla, create the best vanilla’s. We at Gourmet Vanilla ‘n Spice, have gone a step further, to accept the testing that was done, with several brands of the same alcohol (for example Vodka), and which one produced the most pleasing vanilla extract using the same beans and same method to process and same steeping time. These brands were graded A – F, and I only use the A+ brands, as they’ve been proven to produce the very best extract experience.
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