Organic Madagascar 
Vanilla Beans
A+ Grade

The Vanilla Pod or Bean as we call them, grow on a vine which is why they are also known as a bean. Vanilla is a wonderfully spicy and sweet flavouring and is created from the vanilla orchid. The vanilla orchid is one of the only few edible orchids in the world.

Where are Vanilla pods from, you might ask? There are three main types of Vanilla that are produced commercially. This includes Vanilla Planifolia grown in Madagascar, Vanilla Tahitens is grown in the South Pacific and Vanilla Pompona found in the West Indies, Central America and South America. The majority of the World's Vanilla is Vanilla Planifolia. Due to its high Vanillin content, it is the most commonly used Vanilla in extract production. Vanillin is the primary compound that gives us the familiar aroma and flavour that we all associate with vanilla.

Vanilla extract makes a great substitute for Vanilla Pods when you haven’t got any available. It is difficult to say exactly how much to use, but a good guide is using 1 teaspoon in place of one Vanilla pod. However, at Vanilla etc we recommend going on taste. If you desire a stronger Vanilla flavour, you should increase the amount of Vanilla extract used to your own requirements.

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice available today (just after saffron). Each flower on the Vine is hand pollinated which takes many hours of work. Once the beans have reached the right time for picking, there is a lengthy process in preparation bringing it to what we know as a Vanilla Bean. After the various stages of processing the beans are finally left to mature. This develops that heavenly Vanilla flavour and Aroma that we are familiar with. A process which takes around 6 months. Another factor that has contributed to the high price is severe weather damaging the crop. Damage caused by weather can lead to a reduction in the harvest available to buy and therefore an increase in price to the consumer.