Reliable Sources of Vanilla Beans

[fanny_the_fairy]

I've bought tahitiensis beans off of Ebay that were moist, plump and smelled wonderful -- but had an incredibly mild flavor, and seemed to have almost no vanillin. I don't know if this is typical of tahitiensis beans or not.  The Nielsen Massey beans (the planifolia variety) you see in many stores in the US are crazy overpriced, but they have always been good.

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I've never came across strongly flavoured tahitian beans.

It's true that they have robust flower smell but definitely not a strong vanilla flavour.

It's funny to see how two species from one genus can be so different.

- fanny

[pkeibel]

The Spice House (store in Milwaukee - http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-cat.../vanilla-beans) sells all three types and a vanilla paste. I've only tried the Madagascar and Tahiti. We use the Madagascar for baking and the Tahitian in ice cream

[annachan]

I haven't used Vanilla a lot, but will have to since I got a bunch at home. I got 4 oz (about 20+ beans) of bourbon vanilla for $22 to make truffles and caramels with. So far, I think I've only gone through about 5. The ones I got have a nice flavor that stands out in the caramels.

[McAuliflower]

I received half a pound of Organic Tahitians that I've gifted out to friends this holiday season.: 15 beans or so in a jar filled with coffee beans or sugar.

I've enjoyed grinding the whole bean and adding to my cookies or waffles.

Have noticed that steeping a split bean produces a sticky mucilage like property. First noticed this property when making hot buttered rum batter. Very similar to when one heats up flax seeds in water: gel producing.

[schneich]

we usually buy the vanilla by the kilo. i normally pay around 60€ per 1000 gram for the very long plump bourbon beans and around 40€ per 1000 gram for the tahiti stuff...

cheers

t.

[paulraphael]

I used to work at a homemade ice cream store, where we took our vanilla pretty seriously. We made it in quantities that were too large to make using the beans practical, but we used expensive, single origin extracts.

We had been told that vanilla lovers usually prefer mexican vanilla. but in side by side taste tests of the ice cream, the owner and I consistently liked the big, round flavor of the madagascar vanilla better. The tahitian vanilla was at the bottom of our list.

I don't know if you can generalize anything about this (we were only tasting ice cream, and only comparing a handful of diifferent extracts) but i thought it was interesting.

[melkor]

In general I've found that Tahitian vanilla smells better and Madagascar vanilla tastes better so it really depends on what you're making.

[CanadianBakin']

Madagascar are definitely my favourite. I've tried Tahitian beans and extract and really wasn't fond of them. A pastry chef I took a short course with said they were good to use with chocolate though.

[CharlotteM]

Alton Brown (in the vanilla bean episode) says that Tahitian vanilla is fragrant, and he describes them as very "vanilla"; he prefers the Mexican vanilla, but most of the vanilla comes from Madagascar. The tahitian bean is a different variety from the Mexican bean, more commonly grown.

[GTO]

The pastry section seemed the most appropriate place to share a fantastic site I found, detailing one of the cook's best friends, Vanilla.

It has some background on Vanilla, from the bean to grounds, flavourings and essences, along with some recipes.

I just thought you might want to have a look, it's always very humbling to explore in detail, an ingredient such as Vanilla, which is so often used but seldom looked at closely.

[alanamoana]

thanks for the link GTO.

the "vanilla queen" is a close friend of two colleagues. i have heard only good things about her.

[GTO]

That's such a useful contact.

I was aware that vanilla had a few savoury applications but wow, not as many as I've seen on there.

Edited January 3, 2007 by GTO (log)

[sanrensho]

Bumping this thread to ask specifically about Ebay sources for vanilla beans. There are quite a few companies selling vanilla beans on Ebay.

Which sellers have you bought from, and were you pleased with the quality? Which sellers are offering better quality beans? Are there non-Ebay (mail order) sources that are competitive in terms of price/quality ratio?

Thanks in advance.

Edited March 5, 2007 by sanrensho (log)

[MattJohnson]

I recently purchased some from www.bulkfoods.com. I'm no expert, but they seemed really good. Packed with seeds and not dry at all.

[RDaneel]

I have some from Penzeys and been happy with them for ice cream.

Guess the one that's been in my fridge for a year might be past its prime! D'oh! The top of the door seemed like a good place for that glass vial of goodness...

[Marigene]

I know several people have ordered from here and been very happy with them. I have a few left and then will be giving these a try.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002PHEZC/?tag=s...tag2=slickdeals

[annachan]

This is my source for Vanilla Bean: Marque Foods

I can't remember the exact price, but I think I paid about $22 for a pack, which had about 20-25 bourbon beans. This was in December last year.

[Beanie]

I like this place: Vanilla, saffron imports

I've purchased vanilla beans, extracts, and saffron. Excellent quality, great service, reasonable price, free samples. What more could you ask for?

Here's the link for their various beans.

[tafkap4d]

http://www.vanillabeans.com/

http://www.nielsenmassey.com/vanillainformation.htm - they sell the beans by the pound. I really like them.

good luck and please keep us posted.

[shelby'smom]

We went to Mexico recently and also saw "interesting" types of vanilla. We were in search of the brand "Martha's" which is clear and exceptionally fragrant. A friend brought some back from Mazatlan last year, but we couldn't find it. All other pale in comparison. I've had more compliments in sugar cookies, cakes than ever before and the clarity doesn't compromise the color of vanilla buttercreams, mints, etc. Anyone know a source for Martha's? (Not Stewart!)

[merstar]

I need a good source for vanilla beans - my source has closed shop. Thanks.

[sct4a]

I need a good source for vanilla beans - my source has closed shop. Thanks.

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I use L'epicerie www.lepicerie.com. They have always been pretty good and not excessively expensive.

[Octaveman]

This is where I get mine. Very nice beans and wide variety.

http://www.arizonavanilla.com/

[merstar]

I need a good source for vanilla beans - my source has closed shop. Thanks.

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I use L'epicerie www.lepicerie.com. They have always been pretty good and not excessively expensive.

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Thank you!

[merstar]

This is where I get mine.  Very nice beans and wide variety.

http://www.arizonavanilla.com/

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You know, I was checking on Amazon for vanilla beans earlier today, and saw this company listed - Both the beans and the company itself had high ratings and great reviews. Thanks so much for your recommendation!