Vanilla Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What exactly is Bourbon vanilla?
A: Originating on Bourbon Island (now called Reunion Island) in the Indian Ocean off the East Coast of Africa, the process for producing the best vanilla beans in the world now refers to beans grown and cured in the nearby islands: Madagascar, the Comoros Islands and Reunion.
By far the most important of these is Madagascar, which produces more than 60% of the world's vanilla, and where these finest of vanilla beans, known as Bourbon beans come from.
Q: How does Bourbon vanilla differ from Tahitian vanilla?
A: Bourbon vanilla beans come from the fruit of an orchid plant of the variety, vanilla planifolia, and are rich in the chemical compound vanillin, which, along with more than a hundred other organic compounds, contributes to its unique flavor profile. It's the flavor most associated with vanilla, that is used in ice creams and vanilla desserts.
Tahitian vanilla beans actually come from a completely different plant variety, called vanilla tahitensis which has very little vanillin content - but are high in certain "anisyl" compounds. Many pastry chefs like to use Tahitian vanilla because of its lively, fruity flavor.
Q: What is single fold vanilla extract vs. double fold vanilla extract?
A: The vanilla extract that can be bought on the supermarket shelf is called single fold extract. The government (through the FDA) actually regulates the amount of vanilla beans that must be used in order for a product to be labeled as Pure Vanilla Extract.
In the case of single fold vanilla extract, it's a little more than 3/4 pound of vanilla beans per gallon of alcohol - that's right, vanilla extract is 35% alcohol, or 70 proof!
Double fold vanilla extract, used more by commercial bakeries, contains double the amount of vanilla beans per gallon of alcohol. It is more expensive, but you get more vanilla flavor for the amount used.
Q: How should I store my gourmet vanilla beans?
A: Vanilla beans should be stored in a closed, but not air-tight, container in a cool, dry, relatively dark place. Do not store vanilla beans in the refrigerator or freezer! (The cold will dry them out and may promote a particular type of vanilla mold.) The important thing is that the temperature be relatively constant and that air circulate a bit (unless they are vacuum packed, in which case you can keep them that way until use). If you do store them in an air tight, sealed container, we recommend opening it every couple of weeks or so to let the air circulate a bit.
Q: How long will gourmet vanilla beans remain fresh?
A: Stored properly, gourmet beans should remain moist and easy to work with for at least a year, many times quite a bit longer. If the beans do dry out a bit, you can place a half of a small potato in a jar with them to soften them for use. You can also soften them a bit by placing them in some warm water or milk just before use.
Q: What about vanilla extract? How long does that stay fresh?
A: Vanilla extract is actually like fine red wine, it gets better with age! So you can keep vanilla extract essentially indefinitely. Again, we suggest you keep it in a cool, dry, relatively dark place; like any other flavor product, the flavor will degrade if exposed to extreme or variant temperatures, moisture or direct sunlight. Remember pure vanilla extract is 35% alcohol (by FDA regulation), so treat it as you would a fine liqueur!
Q: Which beans are right for me?
A: We like all the vanilla beans we sell, or we wouldn't carry them. That being said, so-called "Bourbon" gourmet beans, from Madagascar and the nearby islands, have the best reputation for quality and flavor. But the Uganda beans we are seeing are beautiful, moist and flavorful. Our customers are raving about them, especially at the lower price!
Our Indonesia beans are some of the best from that area of the world that we've seen on the market in a long time. They are long, moist and plump. The flavor profile is a little different from the Bourbon and Uganda beans, but they are quite good, and we get a lot of demand for them.
The PNG planifolia beans we carry do not have quite the same reputation, but it is a very nice quality bean, even if a little shorter. They may not look cosmetically as nice, but they have a very nice flavor profile. The PNG tahitensis beans have a completely different flavor profile due to the distinct variety of chemical compounds found in the beans. Try our PNG tahitensis beans in your pastries and other baked goods for their unique, exotic flavor!
The longer beans may tend to have a slightly stronger flavor, since they have been on the vine a bit longer. You will get more beans per pound for the shorter beans, but may have to use fewer beans per recipe for the longer beans.
We suggest you try a few of each type and see which variety you prefer.
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Amadeus Vanilla Beans
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