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- Vanilla Information: Bourbon Vanilla Beans - Vanilla Bean Origins
Vanilla Information: Bourbon Vanilla Beans - Vanilla Bean Origins
Featuring Gourmet Vanilla Beans from Around The World
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Amadeus vanilla beans are specially selected and supplied directly from the oldest and largest sources of vanilla beans in the world. Because we are actively involved with our vanilla suppliers, when you buy from Amadeus Vanilla Beans, you can be assured of a consistent, reliable source of supply of the highest quality gourmet Bourbon vanilla beans at the most advantageous price.
Amadeus features top quality Bourbon vanilla beans (vanilla planifolia) the most popular variety of vanilla beans commercially available in the United States. One of the main flavor components in Bourbon vanilla is “vanillin,” which imparts the bean with its distinctive vanilla flavor. Our bulk gourmet vanilla beans are so rich in vanillin that the vanillin often crystallizes out to the surface of the vanilla bean as shown in the picture below (white crystals on right).
Madagascar “Bourbon” Vanilla Beans
The traditional and best-known favorite are the “Bourbon” vanilla beans produced in Madagascar, the large tropical island off the east coast of Africa, which produces from 1,000 up to nearly 2,000 metric tons of vanilla beans per year. We have secured an arrangement with a small, family-owned company in a remote region of the island, where directing their own and neighboring partner farms they use traditional methods to grow, cure and dry their beans with special care, avoiding the sometimes shoddy, cartel-driven practices being used by major region growers/preparers due to the run-up in prices of recent years. Our Madagascar Super-Premium BLACK DIAMOND™ gourmet vanilla beans are the finest of the fine gourmet-grade vanilla beans for the discriminating restaurant chef, home cook or baker. We also offer the very highest quality “red split” extract-grade Bourbon vanilla beans for making homemade vanilla extract and for flavoring of brewed or distilled liquid spirits, among other uses.
Vanilla Beans from Uganda
That's right, Uganda! Located in the interior of the African continent, Uganda started producing some truly fine vanilla beans several years ago, using the same vanilla planifolia bean variety and drying/curing methods pioneered for Madagascar Bourbon vanilla over a hundred years ago. We now believe Ugandan vanilla beans have caught up with and even surpassed the finest quality of their Madagascar cousins.
Our Super-Premium UGANDA GOLDTM Bourbon-style vanilla planifolia beans are the pick of the crop! They are plump, pliable and, most importantly, succulent and flavorful. In fact, an independent testing lab reports our Uganda beans consistently have a higher vanillin content than traditional Madagascar gourmet beans. Try them in a recipe and we promise you will be delighted!
Vanilla Tahitensis Beans from Papua New Guinea
Another variety of vanilla is the very expensive and comparatively rare vanilla tahitensis bean, formerly found primarily on the tropical Island of Tahiti, as its name implies. These wonderful beans are low in vanillin content but high in certain “anisyl” compounds, flavor components that gourmet chefs prize for the fragrant, somewhat fruity flavor it imparts to pastries.
Located just south of the equator between Indonesia and Australia, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has for the last many years produced tahitensis vanilla beans in much more significant quantities than their original Tahitian origin, at significantly lower prices. Try our PNG tahitensis beans for a fabulous complement to your baking recipes, or mix with planifolia beans to make your own blended vanilla extracts or vanilla sugar -- they are incredible!
Vanilla Beans from Other Exotic Locations
Amadeus Vanilla Beans now provides premium, high quality gourmet vanilla beans from other country origins.
Vanilla Beans from Indonesia
Indonesia has long been in the business of growing vanilla planifolia beans, but for many years was in less favor as a source of fine quality beans. Although Indo beans were often cosmetically beautiful, they in the past tended to have a "smoky" smell and flavor, because of the Indonesians' practice of drying/curing their vanilla beans over wood-burning fire, rather than using the slower, sun-dried method employed in Madagascar.
Those practices were abandoned years ago, and the Indonesians have more recently used the better practices for drying/curing true Bourbon beans. As a result, their quality has improved to the point where Indo beans can now be found (if one is careful and selective!) that are of very high quality. Because they are still living down their past reputation, however, Indo growers are not able to fetch prices in quite the same range as true “Bourbon” (primarily Madagascar) beans.
We have been doing business for over a decade with a source of extremely nice, Bourbon-style Indo beans that are quite long and have outstanding flavor, with none of the unpleasant, smoky aroma or flavor notes that characterized Indo beans of the past.
Vanilla Beans from India
The subcontinent of India is composed of many regions and cultures, and is now the home of the largest population in the world (recently exceeding China‘s!). Vanilla beans have been grown in India for quite some time, and after a hiatus of several years, we are finally seeing good quality beans being exported at a price we find attractive.
The India beans we are importing are obtained by our local source directly from small farmers in Karnataka, the most popular vanilla growing region in southern India. Our source is one of India's largest processors and exporters of vanilla and allied products, with over a decade and a half of experience. They actively support the small, local farmers by sharing cultivation techniques to help them improve crop quality. Additionally, their processing facilities employ local women, empowering them through fair wages and skill development. The beans they export to us are long, plump, moist and beautiful! Give them a try for something different - we think you will like them!!
Vanilla Beans from Tanzania
From the volcanic mountains of Kagera in northwest Tanzania, a region just 1.3 degrees south of the equator, comes a vanilla of exceptional quality. In Kagera, a unique blend of climatic conditions and rich volcanic soil fosters the growth of Bourbon-style vanilla planifolia beans, known for their high vanillin content and rich, complex flavor profile.
The heart of this vanilla production is in the vibrant village of Kashasha, where a network of local farmers and members of the diaspora collaborate. This partnership not only ensures a consistent, high-quality crop but also stabilizes the supply in the often-volatile global vanilla market. Kagera's vanilla, once a hidden gem primarily exported to Uganda, is now directly available from Tanzania. Ideal for gourmet cooking, baking, and making aromatic extracts, these beans offer a depth of flavor that is both luxurious and authentically Tanzanian. We invite you to experience the distinct, luxurious taste of Kagera vanilla - a true Tanzanian treasure!
Buy Vanilla Beans in Bulk
- Buy Madagascar Vanilla Beans – BLACK DIAMOND™ Super Premium Gourmet
- Buy UGANDA GOLD™ Vanilla Beans – Super Premium Gourmet
- Buy Vanilla Beans for Making Homemade (DIY) Vanilla Extract
- Buy Tanzania Vanilla Beans
- Buy Tahitian Vanilla Beans
- Buy India Vanilla Beans
- Buy Pure Ground Vanilla Bean Powder
What Does Certified Organic Mean?
Certified Organic means that a non-profit, state or private certification organization, accredited by the United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA), has verified that products labeled as organic meet strictly defined organic standards under the National Organic Program (NOP). Our organic vanilla beans are certified by Ecocert ICO, which also meets international (IFOAM) standards of organic accreditation.
Kosher
Vanilla beans, an agricultural product, are Generally Recognized as Kosher (GRAK) and need no Kosher certification.
Contact us for volume purchases, contracts, and long term commitments.
