Brent at Beanilla sent these samples a really long time ago, but because these kinds of products don’t fit within my normal vanilla evaluation procedure I took some extra time to consider them.

Tahitian Vanilla Sugar ($7.99/6 oz)

This product uses tahitensis vanilla from Tahiti and Papua New Guinea. I usually make vanilla sugar by exposing sugar to fresh or post-extract beans, and then removing the pods before use. In contrast, this vanilla sugar appears to be made by adding ground pods to sugar. This gives the sugar a light and dry texture, whereas homemade vanilla sugar can be dense and sticky. It has a light, fruity Tahitian vanilla flavor that doesn’t overwhelm.

In my experience, vanilla pulver becomes spongy and noticeable in baked goods such as cake, and can actually throw off the texture a bit. If you need instant vanilla sugar this may be good for you, but I recommend buying some of Beanilla’s excellent Tahitian vanilla beans and making your own.

Tahitian Vanilla fleur de sel (sea salt) ($9.25/2 oz)

I really enjoy trying different salts. This is a French fleur de sel mixed with ground tahitensis vanilla from Tahiti and Papua New Guinea. The salt is very moist and has a gray-brown color. It smells strongly of vanilla and has a piquant, mineral quality. The taste of the salt itself is very clean and strong, without any lingering mineral flavor. The vanilla flavor is well-balanced and not overwhelming, but I find the fruitiness of Tahitian vanilla to be an odd pairing with such a strong salt.

This is an interesting product because might not be something easily done at home.  The delicate structure of sea salt might not hold up to the moisture and stickiness of post-extract beans. I’m not sure if you can simply extract the vanilla flavor into salt by leaving some beans in the bag, the way you can with sugar.

I had a hard time thinking of how to use this in the Vanilla Review test kitchen. I asked Brent at Beanilla for some advice, and he said:

The salt is used by professional chocolate makers and pastry chefs. Because both salt and vanilla beans are often used to bring out the flavor of savory dishes, our tahitian vanilla Fleur De Sel can be used in a large variety of dishes. I have also used the salt on meats like pork tenderloin.

The best use I’ve found so far is in Rosemary Sea Salt truffles. The vanilla melds nicely with the chocolate, and the salt brings out the savory flavor of the rosemary. Lining cocktail or margarita glasses also sounds like a good idea.

Salsamentum recommended this peppercorn when I bought more of my favorite Portuguese fleur de sel. These are single-estate peppercorns, which I’ve never seen before. According to the marketing on the bag, they’re grown organically by Parameswaran on his small estate on the Wynad plateau in India. The bag I bought was labeled by Halen Môn, a British sea salt company, but it isn’t currently available at the Halen Môn website.

This Indian peppercorn is extremely aromatic, with a lingering, slow-burning heat. It has an herby scent, a rich texture, and isn’t overly bitter. The heat is relatively gentle, but it has a strong Tellicherry-like flavor that really stands out. I don’t normally buy such expensive peppercorns because a bag his size is only about a week’s supply, but it was definitely worth trying once. For me, this peppercorn is just too expensive for everyday use.

When a representative of Rodelle Vanilla contacted the site, I was excited about the opportunity to compare professionally-made extract to homemade. Rodelle sent an 8 oz bottle of their standard-quality pure vanilla extract (they also make a gourmet-quality).

The first thing that I looked for was the origin of the beans used, but this isn’t listed on the bottle. Rodelle’s website says that they use a custom blend of beans “from the top growing regions throughout the world”, but not a lot of additional detail is provided. The vanilla comes from several different growing regions, and might even be a mix of planifolia and tahetensis beans. Update: according to Rodelle’s comment below, this is 100% Madagascar grown vanilla (planifolia).

This is single-fold extract that, unlike homemade extract, provides standardized doses. Rodelle uses a heat percolation extraction method. There is an intense debate in the vanilla world over the use of heat. Opinions are split between those who say that higher temperatures bring out flavors that aren’t possible with cold extraction methods, and those who claim that heat destroys the more delicate flavors or brings out undesirable ones.

It was a surprise to see sugar listed on the ingredients in a upscale-marketed vanilla like Rodelle. Rodelle mentions the sugar several times on their site as an example of the organic ingredients used in the extract. Sugar reduces the alcohol nose, and is an FDA-permitted additive for vanilla extract, but many gourmet manufacturers now choose to leave it out.

The extract is reddish-brown in color and has a light viscosity. The aroma is dark and rich, and more like a whole vanilla bean than many commercial extracts. My best guess, based on the aroma, would be that this is a mixture of Madagascar- and PNG-sourced beans. The sugar indeed cuts the sharp alcohol smell, but there is still a sense of it in the mouth when exhaling after smelling the aroma.

Three different tests help get a sense of the different qualities of this vanilla extract. In a sugar icing test, it has good richness and depth, with strong tobacco overtones and the flavor of real beans. Mixing it into warmed milk brings out custard overtones, and also enhances the rich flavors of the milk. In a practical use scenario — the oatmeal cookie test — the vanilla extract comes across as very sweet, with a light flavor.  This is an extract that I would use for everyday cooking, but I prefer something a little more robust to for use as a feature flavor in something like ice cream or crème brûlée.

Beanilla’s excellent Madagascar, Tonga, Mexico, and Papua New Guinea vanilla beans are already featured on this site. Recently, they added India and Indonesia grown planifolia pods. Brent at Beanilla sent these vacuum-packed samples for review. Rarely do you find two beans with such different and distinct aromas, it’s an exciting and obvious contrast.

India planifolia (Grade A – $36.50 for 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)

More and more India vanilla is coming on the market. Two years ago it was difficult to track down, but in the past six months I’ve evaluated several samples.

Beanilla’s India vanilla beans are dark brown in color. The skins have a beautiful texture, the smoothness and sheen of the pods are evidence of expert curing. The pods are well-shaped and very flexible.  These vanilla beans are turgid with caviar.

Inside, the vanilla pods are oily and gooey. Sticky strings form as the bean is pulled apart. The aroma is dark and rich, with strong overtones of chocolate and prune. There’s a large yield of thick, moldable, and very oily caviar in each bean.

 

Indonesia planifolia (Grade A – $35.98 for 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)

Indonesia vanilla beans are often picked too early, and the curing process is typically hasty and unrefined. Gourmet Indonesia vanilla is rare; there’s only one other example on this site.

Beanilla’s Indonesia grown beans are black in color. The pods are flexible, but flat and not plump. The skins are moderately oily and only moderately supple, but these are still among the best cured Indonesia beans I’ve evaluated.

The caviar is pillowy and light. It has plenty of moisture, but isn’t especially sticky. Caviar yield is moderate. The beans have a spicy, cinnamon aroma that is a noticeable contrast to the India beans’ chocolate notes.

 

Vanilla bean with frost

Happy Vanilla season! Winter is vanilla time, and I look forward to posting a few new reviews and notes over the coming cold months.

It seems homemade vanilla extract has a new fan. Regular reader G. writes:

In the newest issue of [Cook's Illustrated] magazine (Sept./Oct, 2009), at page 31, the following short article was featured.

From Cook’s Illustrated, A Better Brand of Vanilla Extract: Your Own, September 1, 2009.

Could our homemade vanilla extract beat out the store-bought brands? Most of vanilla’s flavor compounds are soluble in either water or alcohol, so the most shelf-stable form of vanilla is vanilla extract, produced by soaking vanilla beans in a solution of 65 percent water and at least 35 percent alcohol. We wondered if we could make our own vanilla extract by soaking a split vanilla bean in heated vodka (which would contribute very little of its own flavor). After testing several ratios of vanilla beans to vodka, we arrived at 1 bean per ¾ cup of vodka as the proportion most closely resembling the potency of our recommended store-bought brand, McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract. We then tested our homemade extract against this supermarket product in sugar cookies, crème brûlée, and vanilla buttercream frosting. In each case, our extract outperformed the commercial version, boasting cleaner, more intense vanilla flavor.

Cooks illustrated offers their own variation of a hot-soak recipe:

To make vanilla extract, split a fresh bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds and split pod in a 1-cup sealable container. Add ¾ cup hot vodka (we used Smirnoff—a premium brand is not necessary) and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Seal the container and store at room temperature for one week, shaking gently every day. Strain the extract, if desired, and store in a cool, dark place. The extract should keep indefinitely.

Hot extraction vs cold extraction is an intense debate in the vanilla extract world. Some feel hot extraction gets flavor components that stay in the beans without the heat to dislodge them. Others feel that natural, ‘cold-pressed’ vanilla extract is the most pure because even mild heat destroys some of the delicate aromatics in the beans.

Thanks G!

It’s always nice to see another vendor of India-sourced vanilla beans. India vanilla is not yet widely marketed, but the industry in south India continues to grow. This is a European vendor, selling vanilla beans from the United Kingdom.

VanillaMart’s vanilla beans are grown by a group of farmers’ co-operatives in South India (Malnad region of Karnataka). Pods are intercropped with coffee, cardamom, black pepper, and other spices. VanillaMart has been selling these vanilla beans in the UK for over a year, and has found wide acceptance of non-Madagascar vanilla.

The samples arrived loosely packed, instead of vacuum packed. The pod texture is supple and has a nice, matte sheen. Not overly-greasy, like some vacuum packed beans can be. All have a wonderful, spicy aroma.

12-15cm India planifolia (Regular – no longer sold)

Since I started the review, these vanilla beans are no longer for sale, but VanillaMart sent some as a comparison sample. The regular beans are not as moist as the two gourmet-length varieties, but they have plenty of flexibility. The skin is a bit dry, though, with some light brown streaks.  They have a good aroma and are moderately plump.

The last picture (below) shows the regular-length vanilla.

15-17cm India planifolia (Gourmet – £24.00 per 500 grams)

The gourmet-length variety is my favorite. The skin is supple and dark brown. The pods are flexible and oily. They have an average plumpness. The caviar is also quite oily, and there are some pools of oil left on the plate after cutting. There is an average yield of caviar. Its texture is very nice, quite moist and shapes well.

The first picture (below) shows the gourmet-length beans. The remainder of the photos show the premium gourmet beans because, apart from the length, they are comparable in quality.

18-21cm India planifolia (Premium Gourmet – £27.00 per 500 grams)

These vanilla pods have an average plumpness, a bit more than the Gourmet, but are also very wide. The skin is dark brown in color, flexible and oily. The caviar is slightly oily and has a beautiful texture. There is an above-average caviar yield, due to the size of these vanilla beans.

 

We have started our vanilla nursery and we will be a vanilla nursery provider. We are representing Orchids Asia. Beside nursery we are setting up a vanilla sample plot for public to view in Kuching.

Attached pictures show vanilla and myself, 1 meter vanilla cuttings inside our quarantine shade, watering of the cuttings, putting the 1 meter cuttings upright.

Tanny Lee
tuntanny@gmail.com
phone +6 012 8834466
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

 

Mr. Daudi’s Tanzania Vanilla Planifolia
Mwanza, Tanzania

It’s very difficult to find single-source, farm-direct vanilla beans — that’s what makes these Tanzanian vanilla beans extra special. I first met Mr. Daudi (photo, left) through Kim, a U.S. Peace Corps worker in Tanzania. Mr. Daudi wants to produce Grade A vanilla and sell it directly to consumers, bypassing the local vanilla consolidation houses. To help him produce even better vanilla, I sent Mr. Daudi a vanilla growing handbook, which he compared to his methods. These are the first vanilla beans that he’s cured since reading the book.

The six beans range from plump to thin. They are brown in color, with lighter streaks. The skin is a bit leathery, but still flexible. The beans are flexible and don’t break when bent. They are a bit on the dry side, however, as evidenced by the vanillin crystals that have formed on the skin. The aroma is creamy, rich, and strong. There are pleasing overtones of raisin and pipe tobacco.

The beans are fairly woody and dry when cut open. They leave a bit of brown-yellow oil on my knife.

The caviar yield is excellent for only six beans. It has a fluffy, pillowy texture. The caviar isn’t especially moist or oily; you can form it with your fingers but it won’t stick together.

These vanilla beans are somewhere between Grade A and B quality. They aren’t as dry or as tough as B-grade beans would be, but they’re a bit too dry to be Grade-A gourmet quality. They are exceptional extract beans. Mr. Daudi is still working to perfect his curing methods, and I’ll keep you updated on his progress.

Right now, Mr Daudi is the world’s only source for farm-direct, Tanzanian vanilla. If you’d like to order Mr. Daudi’s vanilla beans, please contact me, or contact Mr. Daudi directly at the address below:

Henerico Daud Buberwa
c/o Meleki Emanuel Kaishozi
PO BOX 11849
Mwanza, Tanzania

 

If you’re only buying one bottle of vanilla for cooking, baking, and making cold and creamy desserts, our top choice is a real extract. If you only use vanilla for baking, we have to admit there’s not much difference between a well-made synthetic vanilla and the real thing. Speaking to pastry chefs, we learned that many buy an arsenal of vanilla extracts, using cheaper imitation for baking and pure for confections made with moderate or no heat, such as puddings, pastry cream, and buttercream frosting.

All three of The Spice House black peppercorn varieties are top quality, Grade A peppercorns. The peppercorns are nicely shaped, none are broken, and there’s no dust or plant debris.

Indian Tellicherry black peppercorns ($2.99 /4oz)

India Tellicherry

The Indian Tellicherry are very large, brown-to-black peppercorns.  The aroma of a ground peppercorn is boldly fruity and floral. They have the most pungent, fruity peppercorn taste among the three samples, but are the least hot and spicy. The heat is lingering and warm, but not biting.  These are the perfect everyday peppercorn.

Ecuador black peppercorns ($5.29/4oz)

Ecuador organic

This is an interesting peppercorn with an unusual flavor profile. The medium-large peppercorns fall somewhere between Tellicherry and Lampong in size. They are a unique greyish-brown color. Each peppercorn has a nib where it was attached to the spike, something I’ve never seen on other types. The aroma is sharp, spicy, and somewhat vegetal.  They have a ton of fantastic peppery heat, with a planty, tangy, slightly bitter flavor. The taste has an almost fertilizer-like overtone that is unique to this peppercorn terroir; the organic growing methods and location of the plantation close to the equator may account for the interesting flavor characteristics. I really love the heat of this peppercorn, but the flavor is not my favorite. Try these peppercorns for a unique flavor that tastes very different than other varieties.

Indonesian Lampong black peppercorns ($2.79/4oz)

Indonesian Lampong

Indonesian Lampong peppercorns are small, and dark brown-to-black in color. The aroma is sharper, hotter, and less fruity than a typical Indian Tellicherry peppercorn. Lampong peppercorns are picked while very immature, which gives them extra heat. They also have distinct sassafras overtones, similar to Madagascar peppercorns. These are the first Lampong peppercorns I’ve tried, and they’ve replaced Tellicherry as my standard kitchen peppercorns. This is a must-try peppercorn.

The story of The Spice House and Tom and Patty Erd begins with the national Penzey’s Spices retail chain; Patty is the daughter of the Penzey’s  founders. I really like The Spice House website because it’s thorough, informative, and user-friendly. Most of the reviews seem to be written personally by Patty.

Ceylon

Ceylon “true cinnamon” ($7.99/4oz)

Ceylon cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon has a bright, citrus flavor that’s different than the cassia typically found in American stores.  The Spice House’s Ceylon cinnamon has a very light, yellow-tan color.  The taste is very sweet on the tongue. The Ceylon cinnamon “soft-sticks” are made of flaky, light, fragile layers that are easy to grind at home. Use Ceylon cinnamon where it’s culturally appropriate, such as Mexican food. I also like a 50%/50% blend with Vietnamese cinnamon for exciting, unique cinnamon rolls.

Cassia

Cassia is the typical American baking cinnamon, with a darker, more robust flavor than Ceylon cinnamon. I made a batch of oatmeal cookies with each cassia cinnamon from The Spice House. The ingredients and amounts are equal except the type of cinnamon used. The three batches were taste-tested by a large group of colleagues, and the comments are summarized in each description. This is only an evaluation of the flavor of each cinnamon in oatmeal cookies, the results would no doubt be drastically different in another dish.

Chinese cinnamon “China Tung Hing Cassia” ($4.49/4oz)

Chinese cassia cinnamon

The Chinese cassia from The Spice House is the lightest and sweetest of the three cassia varieties. It actually seems to enhance the inherent sweetness of foods, so use with caution when baking. The color is tan, with light red tones. It is a simpler, smoother cinnamon, the flavor doesn’t really stand out on its own. It would be appropriate for everyday use in spice blends or dishes where cinnamon is a background flavor. It was my least favorite of The Spice House cassias.

Taste test notes: light taste, too sweet, sweeter, weaker, one-dimensional, simpler, lighter, insignificant flavor

Indonesian cinnamon “Korintje cassia” ($3.59/4oz)

Indonesian cassia cinnamon

Indonesian Korintje is the most common variety of cassia; grade B and C are typically sold at supermarkets. The Grade-A Korintje cassia from The Spice House is higher quality than the stuff you can buy in the grocery store. The color is a bright, rusty orange. The general taste of Korintje is best-described as “traditional”, and brings to mind spice cookies and cakes. The Korintje from The Spice House is very fresh, and has a fantastic piney, effervescent quality that distinguishes it from other sources. I also find it fresher than Penzey’s jars of Korintje (this could be due to packaging differences, though). The pungency is somewhere in between Chinese and Vietnamese, and people who find Vietnamese cinnamon too strong may prefer Indonesian Korintje.

Taste test: traditional, medium, in between others; brings out saltiness in cookies; good for food, not too sweet, soft, balanced, subtle; tastes like gingersnaps

Vietnamese cinnamon “Saigon cassia” ($5.29/4oz)

Vietnamese cassia cinnamon

Vietnamese cinnamon is always a favorite here in the VanillaReview test kitchen. The sample from The Spice House is dark brown in color, with deep red tones. The aroma of is overwhelming and rich; it’s definitely the strongest of the three cassia samples that I received. The flavor is deep and heavy. It has some heat, and is the only of the three samples that really makes your tongue tingle. Use in dishes where cinnamon is a feature flavor; voted best for oatmeal cookies in the taste test.

Taste test: sparkling, tangy, fuller flavor, smoky/woody/humid aroma, heavier, strongest flavor

We traveled there in our Mini Moke, just Ken and moi after a few great days at Pacific Harbour. The adventure to find them was a lot of fun! Although it is off the beaten track there are plenty of friendly faces around who are more than willing to offer help. Most of them are there  because Dr Gatty has generously sub-divided some of his land, giving the locals an opportunity to purchase their own properties. The whole area felt wonderful. I hope one day you can come to Fiji and see the Spice Gardens.

To get there drive about 15mins Sth of Navua (town) or 15mins Nth of Lami (town) both on the Queens Highway to a gravel road turning inland close to the Wainaidoi Police Depot. Heading inland take the 1st road on your left, drive a couple of mins and turn down the 2nd road on your right. Travel inland again about 15mins, to a pole-gate which is un-locked during business hours. Let your self in and continue up the road  turning left at the fork. Follow signs up a step hill and park on the grass in front of the big farm barns. There is a concrete pathway and stairs leading up to a pretty little air-conditioned cottage scented with the most heavenly smells imaginable!

The staff gave us a warm welcome and offered us chilled purified water and umbrellas for our incredibly informative tour. It was fantastic!!! I was expecting to enter deep into a tropical rainforest to view the vanilla flowers. Instead we strolled down a lovely path of lilac orchids and onto a track through tidy paddocks divided into groups of support trees covered in lush vines laden with long plump green vanilla pods. There are many other tree varieties, some held cocoa pods shaped like large melons, others ripening coffee beans or tiny bunches of green grapes that will mature into black-pepper. The most impressive though would have to be the curling bark of the cinnamon tree although the nutmeg was also amazing!

Thanks! Reader reports are always welcome, just share them through the contact form.

This fancy chicken is a winner of the Concours Général Agricole, the super-fancy Paris food show (winners lists).

Everything you need to know about “Le poulet fermier jaune d’Ancenis” is in the name: Poulet d’ Ancenis means a chicken raised around the town of Ancenis, France. Fermier denotes a small farm production with unique characteristics. Jaune means yellow, and distinguishes it from blanc (white) and noir (black) varieties.

The chicken is certified by Label Rouge, an organization that monitors livestock conditions. Label Rouge chickens are fed fancy, nutritious food, and mature up to twice as long as standard chickens. This chicken was raised Élevé en plein air (traditional free-range).  Élevé en liberté is an even more liberated chicken that has total, open-air freedom throughout its life.

I bought a mid-sized chicken at the Albret Cuyp Markt in Amsterdam, they ranged from 1.2 to 1.8 kilos. The first thing of note is that the breasts are long, rather than plump; the breast meat runs the whole length of the bird. The skin is mildly yellow, though not as intensely yellow as a corn-fed chicken.

The roasted meat is juicy and rich. The chicken flavor is more concentrated than a coop-raised bird,  but not at all gamey as that might imply. It might be described as a somewhat darker taste. Both light and dark cuts have a layered, flaky texture that is easily cut with a fork. The roast breast melts into threads in the mouth.

Normal, coop-raised chickens are injected with salt water to make them larger, diluting the flavor and giving the meat a wet, rubbery texture.  This bird has a really pleasing texture and savory flavor compared to the sometimes watery meat of a store-bought chicken.

I rendered the meat from the bird and made a stock from the bones. I found meat in places I didn’t know chickens can have meat. This fancy chicken has a surprising amount of usable, white breast meat that continued to the underside of the bird. If you have the opportunity, it’s definitely worth a try.

 

Do you know the difference between sea salt and fleur de sel? Learn about 15 types of gourmet salt on the new salt varieties page.

It’s been a bit of a hunt to find vanilla grown in Fiji. Veronica Hazelman is the current Operations Manager of Spices of Fiji. According to an e-mail I received from Veronica:

Spices of Fiji still grows vanilla and also has a group of out-growers scattered throughout Fiji. We are currently selling vanilla AA Long Grade at FJ$120 per kilo. We do sell a package of 250g at FJ$50 and also glass tube pack with two vanilla beans. Shipping through DHL courier would probably be the best but expensive (FJ$100).
–Veronica Hazelman, April 1&16, 2008.

Veronica is available to accept orders by e-mail, but I considered it pretty impractical. Eventually, a kind reader visited Spices of Fiji and sent me some vanilla beans to photograph.

The vanilla beans are brown-to-black in color, with a slightly sticky skin. They have a sturdy build, and are fairly thin instead of plump.

The beans show good flexibility when bent, but have dry tips. They were mailed in plastic wrap, however, and they may have dried a bit in transit.

Although these vanilla beans aren’t the plumpest or prettiest, the aroma more than makes up for it. The main words that come to mind are creamy, sweet, rich, floral, and fruity. They are more floral and less dark than Madagascar-grown vanilla beans. The aroma of Fiji vanilla beans is one of my new favorites.

Cutting the beans left a small amount of dark, red-brown oil on the knife. The caviar is fairly dry, and comes out as strings, as shown in the pictures. There was a moderate caviar yield, but more than expected upon first glance.

I can’t wait to try the extract from these beans, the aroma was so fantastic! Currently, these vanilla beans are pretty much only available if you actually visit Fiji, but I hope they find wider distribution.

 

There is a for-sale ads on the internet through FTIB, but so far Dr Ronald Gatty has not found the right person with whom he would like to buy the farm. I have been with the farm since the year 2000.

Dr Ronald Gatty know as the Spice Man is the father Fiji’s Spice Industry. He is a Tasmanian, raised in Fiji. He is a son of the Famous flyer Mr Harold Gatty, first man to fly an aeroplane around The world in 1931, with Wiley Pos, a a Lockheed Vega. It was Ron’s Father who founded what became Air Pacific.

But Dr Gatty struck out on his own. Dr Gatty studied botany at Cornell University and served as a professor over a couple of decades at City University of New York. He became for a time Plant Explorer for medicinal plants in the South Seas for a subsidiary for Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company. And he returned frequently to Fiji. Some twenty Year ago, he settled to pioneer the land at Wainadoi. This was the origin Of Wainadoi Spice Gardens, born of the jungle and bushland of costal Namosi Rainforest. Now he carries on as a volunteer consultant in the Gardens, Still helping to take care of the plants.

SPICES OF FIJI VANILLA
Spices of Fiji is just west of Suva, a twenty minute drive from the capital city, is a 90 hectore paradice of jungle, waterfalls, streams and rivers and The unique Organic Spice gardens of Fiji. With a network of village outgrowers, this plantation has made Fiji known as the Spice Islands of the South Seas. The spice gardens and vanilla outgrowers are certified under Eco-cert, (Spice organic identification no. – SA, F-32600)

Tourist come from afar to visit and see how some of the best organic vanilla in the world are planted, cultivated and cured to make gourmet flavourings appreciated by connoisseurs.

Most visitors have never seen a vanilla orchid, and some of them ask for advise on how vanilla can be used in cooking. Vanilla is sold to the Individual local visitors or tourist that visit the Spice Gardens.

EXPORTS & LOCAL MARKETS:
The overseas health-food market appreciates the organic certification and the Fiji Fresh feature, with shipment direct from the Spice gardens Plantation. Vanilla is exported to New Zealand, Australia and Germany. Vanilla is also sold right here in Fiji in all major supermarkets, and in All major gift shops, in special gift packaging. Food Service for Restaurants, hotels and five star resorts.
–email, April 10, 2008.

It’s a year since we were there (with my wife, her brother and his wife who live there). We were there in late Jan/08.

Overall my memory is of a pleasant experience-the plantation tour was really an eye-opener! We got a lot of information we’d never have got otherwise. The origin of his vanilla plants was a surprise, and the fact that the cinnamon he grows is the true species (the taste and aroma are really distinct from the species commonly sold [in Canada]). His farming techniques are organic and truly sustainable.

The degree of hospitality was also a pleasant experience. We were given as close to a red carpet treatment as possible in an essentially agricultural environment, and that put the icing on the cake. I have no problem recommending Villa Vanilla as a destination. The only negative was that the sign on the road was not easy to find; he said he was doing something about it [ed: see the picture of the new sign above].

James plans to order more vanilla, peppercorns, and cinnamon from Vanilla Vanilla’s online store.

Thanks for the report James. Reader reports are always welcome, just share them through the contact form.

I just got back from my day trip to the Big Island. I’ll give you a recap of what I learned…

Huahua Farms

Clare was a very gracious and sharing host while we visited her farm. She has a number of vines, but recently had to destroy some plants due to a disease of some kind. The vines that remain are healthy and doing well. I believe some of the photos you have on your site show the trellises she uses to train the vines where to grow. They are under about a 50% shade cloth. At the time of our visit, there weren’t any flowers, but Clare said that they typically start to appear in January for her. She did have some nice looking pods maturing on the vine though…some of which have been on the vine almost a year. Clare thinks it’s because of the amount of vog (volcanic haze created by the volcano) that’s been generated recently. She’s also tried incorporating some of the techniques in the Vanilla Growing Manual from Venui Vanilla (speaking of which, I ordered a copy about a month ago, so hopefully it arrives soon).

Clare was also kind enough to share her curing methods with me, which are typical to the Bourbon style (i.e., blanching, sunning, sweating). The beans were coming along nicely from what I could tell. The amount she has available for sale is limited, so if anyone was thinking about ordering some, they should contact her soon. Maybe when her vines begin flowering, I’ll try and pay her a visit.

Hawaiian Vanilla Company

I attended HVC’s lunch and tour event among a small group of “tourists”. We were served a nice lunch with each element incorporating some form of vanilla. Our host for the day was Dave, one of the small number of employees on the farm. We learned about the Redenkopp family through a video and also had a quick demonstration about making extract. I was told that they produce only about 500 lbs. per year, but due to a recent outbreak of some disease, their entire plant stock had to be replaced from Costa Rican material. Their vines were in the early stages of growth and they don’t expect any beans until at least 2010. Their growing medium of choice is CHC (coconut husk chips) imported from Sri Lanka (I think). Whatever beans they are currently selling is from older stock. I believe they had another growing area apart from what we were shown.

That’s what I can recall right now…if you had specific questions just let me know.

Thanks for the detailed report. Reader reports are always welcome, just share them through the contact form.

Pimentón Dulce, Csemege, Csípős Csemege, and Rózsa paprikas

Do you know the difference between Hungarian, Spanish, and Turkish paprika? Check out my new paprika page.

Peppercorn "spike"

Check out this new page all about peppercorns. Learn more about the peppercorn varieties available, and check out the peppercorn reviews.

More peppercorns reviews are on the way.

Penzey’s Spices, a spice outlet with stores and mail order, carries three varieties of cassia cinnamon, as well as a ceylon cinnamon. I bought the three cassia varieties because multiple cinnamon terroirs are really difficult to find. You can check out all Penzey’s cinnamon products here. I tried each type in a batch of oatmeal cookies, my favorite cinnamon vehicle.

Korintje (Indonesia) cassia cinnamon ($4.15/4oz)

This is a high-quality version of the cassia you buy in a supermarket. Its taste and smell are stronger and fresher than the typical, store-bought stuff. The color is vibrant orange, with tinges of cayenne red. Its flavor is clean, soft, classic, and sweet – especially in baked goods. It’s “simply cinnamon”, with very few unique characteristics of its own. In the oatmeal cookie test, this cinnamon was too sweet and one-dimensional to carry the cookie by itself. It would be perfect for spice blends where cinnamon isn’t a feature flavor, such as curries, gingerbread, or spice cakes.

Chinese cassia cinnamon ($4.45/4oz)

This is my least favorite of Penzey’s cassia varieties. The color is rustier and browner than the Korintje cassia, and it doesn’t have a very strong cinnamon aroma. There are dusty, musty overtones that remind me of a used bookstore. It gives me an “old forest” kind of feeling. Fortunately, the cookies didn’t taste musty. This cassia has slightly more personality than Korintje, but in my opinion, not enough to stand on its own as a feature flavor. The cinnamon taste is less pungent and spicy than the other types, and leaves the palate quickly. Another good candidate for blending, or perhaps delicately-flavored cinnamon treats.

Vietnamese (Saigon) cassia cinnamon ($7.65/4oz)

Which cinnamon is the “best” is a matter of taste. Vietnamese cassia has a bad reputation with some, but it’s my personal favorite. I find it to have the most exciting flavor and aroma of the three Penzey’s products, and it really motivated me to learn more about cinnamon.  The color is a golden brown with some orange hues. The smell is spicy hot, sharp, and overwhelming. This is a strong, pungent, smack-you-in-the-face cassia! It isn’t as sweet-tasting as the others, but rather has a dark, bold quality that makes it great as a feature flavor. If you don’t intend for cinnamon to be a stand-out flavor, use something else. The bottle from Penzey’s recommends using 1/3rd less than your recipes call for, but I usually use the full amount because I really enjoy it. It made fantastic oatmeal cookies with a rich, complex taste.

Madagascar cumin, SA.VA. Import – Export, 5€ for 30grams.

Cumin is a favorite ingredient in my kitchen, and a key spice in Mexico, India, and many other food cultures. To satisfy my need for bulk cumin, I usually buy a 1kg (2.2lbs) bag that lasts about a year. I compared SA.VA.’s cumin to my usual stuff, and found a huge difference in quality. SA.VA.’s spices are transported by plane, rather than hot containers on a ship, to ensure maximum taste and freshness.

SA.VA.’s Madagascar cumin is an earthy tan color, and has a rich, even floral, cumin aroma.  I ate a bit of SA.VA.’s Madagascar cumin and compared it to my bulk cumin. Raw, SA.VA’s cumin has a pleasant taste. In comparison, the bulk cumin is dry, bitter, and has a carroty vegital flavor.

I evaluated it further in chili powder, some Mexican dishes, and chicken Andoulle sausage. All had a nice flavor, though it really shines where cumin is a feature flavor. SA.VA.’s cumin is by far the best I’ve ever sampled.  In a side-by-side comparison, the sharp contrast with my usual cumin really surprised me. Try the comparison for yourself.

Check out this new page all about cinnamon. Cinnamon is an ancient and important spice. Learn more about the cinnamon varieties available, and check out the cinnamon reviews.

I’ll add some more cinnamon reviews in the next few weeks.

Madagascar cinnamon sticks, SA.VA. Import – Export, 3€ per 3 sticks.

Cinnamon is a favorite holiday spice, perfect for Santa’s cookies and Christmas morning sticky rolls. SA.VA.’s Madagascar cinnamon is different from the bland, ground powder at the local market. The ground sticks have a bright, hot, citrus aroma. It makes me think of cinnamon bears or red hots. The sticks are made of thin layers, and I can crush them with my fingers and grind them in a coffee grinder — something I can’t normally do with cassia cinnamon sticks.

This cinnamon has a yellow-tan color that is lighter than the usual, rusty-red hues of traditional cassia. Its bright aroma also  stands in contrast to the typically warmer, darker smell of cassia. Because of these qualities, I initially thought this was ceylon (true) cinnamon, and not the cassia cinnamon I’m used to buying in European and American supermarkets. Ceylon cinnamon is the cinnamon of choice in Mexico, and perhaps the UK.  I wrote to Edith at SA.VA. to ask if this was ceylon cinnamon. According to Edith, I’m completely wrong:

All the cinnamon from Madagascar is regarded as cassia, although very different from the cassia usually sold in the European supermarket. So this cassia classification does not make happy the Madagascar cinnamon producers,  that would prefer another denomination, as for instance the “Madagascar cinnamon” that we’re using in our technical schedule.

Our cinnamon comes from a family farm production in the region of Tamatave (east coast of Madagascar), as I know this family very well for a long time I’ve started to cooperate with them here in Europe.

With a citrus aroma and delicate layers, this Madagascar strain is a cassia that shares many characteristics with ceylon cinnamon. It is unique in the world, and will surely add a personal signature to your baked goods.

“Broken Nose Vanilla – a real mean bean!”, how cool is that? This vanilla is grown and then cured on the same farm — a real rarity in the modern vanilla trade that usually uses centralized curing facilities. Fiona first told us about her vanilla plantation about a year ago. At the time they were still anticipating the first beans. As promised, Fiona sent along several vanilla beans from the first harvest.

Australia Planifolia, Grade “A”

Broken Nose Vanilla sent two Grade “A” vanilla beans from their first harvest. The vanilla is flexible and long. The skin is supple and black. One bean is round and packed firm with caviar, the other wide and flatter in shape.

The aroma is sweet and unctuous. Overall, it’s brighter and fruitier than traditional Madagascar-grown planifolia. They smell really fantastic.

Inside, the beans are surprisingly wet with a rich red/brown oil. The caviar is extremely oily, yield is slightly above average for two vanilla beans.

 

Australia Planifolia, Grade “B”

Broken Nose Vanilla grades beans by length, grade “B” are shorter gourmet vanilla beans, and not extract grade as the name suggests.

Compared to the grade “A” vanilla, these beans are lighter in color and a bit dryer.  They are supple, soft, and flexible.  All the beans are round and plump.

These shorter beans have a beautifully moist and oily interior. Note the beautiful pools of goop and moisture in the bisection images (click any picture to enlarge). Nice yield of caviar for beans this size. The caviar is firm and moldable.

 

Vanilla is making inroads in Australia, and farm-grown and cured vanilla is still a real rarity anywhere in the world. Congratulations to Broken Nose Vanilla on a fantastic first harvest and cure. I wish them the best of luck for their second and future harvests.

If you have any questions about Australian vanilla, or growing vanilla in Australia, Fiona is generally available to answer questions via e-mail or the comments below.

Here’s some info from Fiona about the plantation:

The property is around 12 acres, mostly hilly, that borders the Russell River and overlooks the Russell River valley towards the mountains. Although only slightly elevated, it is a bit cooler than the rest of the coastal plain – breezes funnel through the valley and the cool air falls off the mountain at night, taking the edge of the tropical summer heat.

The surrounding country grows mostly rainforest, sugar cane and bananas – a palette of greens. We enjoy the ‘dragon breath’ mists that rise from the valley and the mountain rifts in wisps and drifts, and we have wonderful sunsets.

One of the mountain peaks is called Broken Nose – hence our name: Broken Nose Vanilla.

The vanilla (V. planifolia) grows under 50% shade amongst patches of revegetating rainforest (it used to be sugar cane). It grows in pure mulch, supplied from mulching fallen rainforest timber from the recent cyclone (March 2006), and from local council prunings and roadside maintenance etc. The cyclone provided the area with about 10 years worth of mulch!

We can get up to 6metres (=240inches!) of rain a year, so being on hills has its pros and cons – good drainage but we need to be careful of erosion in disturbed areas. We seldom have to irrigate. Temperatures range from around 12degrees C minimum (54deg F) in the dry season (June-October) to 35degrees C (95deg F) in the wet season. Humidity seldom drops below 70% even in the Dry. Summer is usually 90% plus.

We use NO chemicals or fertilisers except the occasional fish emulsion foliar spray once or twice a year to guard against winter fungi on the leaves. We are in the process of organic certification through Biological Farmers Australia.

The first useable crop will be picked in July-Sept 2008, with products available by Christmas.

Check out the full Broken Nose Vanilla plantation gallery. Fiona provided some of the most dramatic and professional vanilla plantation shots I’ve ever seen — beautiful and amazing, check it out!

 

Red chilis, SA.VA. Import – Export, 5€ per 18grams.

These beautiful, bright red peppers are a type of Thai Chili grown in Madagascar. I use a lot of dried chili peppers, usually from Indonesia, Thailand, and Mexico. SA.VA. Import – Export’s Pili Pili peppers are the freshest I’ve ever worked with. Most dried chilis have a typical dusty, dry pepper aroma. These peppers smell spicy and hot, and have the fresh aroma of sun dried tomatoes! This is a different class of chili than I usually work with; fresh, rich, and surprising.

I sampled these chilis raw, and in several spicy dishes. They impart a fresh tomato richness I’ve never tasted from a chili before. Don’t be fooled by their size and tomato aromas, these little chilis are are fiery hot. Four chilis made a pound of very spicy Andouille sausage. If you’re a chili lover, like me, you’ve got try these amazing chilis.

Vanilla is grown commercially in very small quantities on the Big Island of Hawaii. You can buy expensive bottles containing one ($10) or three ($25) vanilla beans from the Hawaiian Vanilla Company.

A reader took a tour of the Hawaiian Vanilla Company, and was kind enough to send a range of vanilla and macadamia nut products.

The vanilla is somewhat-to-very plump, with dark, matte skins. The pods are flexible with a beautiful, sweet aroma. The aroma is rich, and sweeter than traditional Madagascar grown vanilla.

Yield of caviar is average for vanilla this size. The caviar is brown, thick, and formable, but not especially oily. These beans come from old stock, prior to a viral outbreak of the vanilla vines at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company. A reader reports that their new vines are doing well.

Three vanilla beans were packaged in a very heavy glass bottle. One bean was too long to fit in the bottle and was damaged by being bent. Instructions on the bottle recommend slicing one bean and filling the bottle with alcohol, but at ~1cup, this extract would be eight times weaker than normal. The vanilla beans are wonderful, but the bottle is  expensive, fragile, and heavy to ship; I hope they consider an alternate package when the new crop is finished curing.

Be sure to visit the Hawaiian Vanilla Company the next time you’re on the Big Island of Hawaii.

 

Jim Reddekopp at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company says that their vanilla sells to local restaurants and hotels so fast that there’s no bulk beans left for me (or you!). I recommend that you contact Clare at Huahua Farm, also on the Big Island. If the timing is right, you might be able to buy some vanilla beans from her.

Thanks to Hawaiian Vanilla Company for providing some photos of their vanilla plantation.

A bit of information from the Hawaiian Vanilla Company website:

[Our] vanilla beans are graded by their length. Our beans come in two grades: Grade A, which is more than 6” long and costs $190/pound; and Grade B, which is less than 6” long and costs $175/pound. We also sell individual beans for $10, and a pack of 3 beans for $25.

Tracy and I both pollinate the orchids, along with our three oldest children – Ian (11), Emma (10) and Isaac (8). Additionally, we bring in 4-6 other pollinators during this busy period.

Gale writes:

I was recently in Hawaii and bought a 3-bean bottle from Hawaiian Vanilla Company for $25 and added Absolut vodka to the bottle. I have to tell you that the Hawaiian Vanilla Company beans were absolutely luscious — long (about 8″ long), extremely plump and with a great smell.

 

Black peppercorns, SA.VA. Import – Export, 5€ per 30grams.

Black peppercorns are one of my favorite spices. When Edith at SA.VA. Import – Export asked if I would evaluate some fresh spices flown in from Madagascar, I jumped at the chance. SA.VA.’s spices are transported by plane, rather than shipping container. Most spices lose flavor during transit through tropical areas in metal shipping containers.  SA.VA.’s spices are flow in to preserve the intense flavors and freshness.

SA.VA.’s peppercorns are the most aromatic and fruity I’ve ever tried. It’s not as hot or ’spicy’ as an Indian ‘extra bold’, but it’s significantly more pungent and flavorful. Fresh ground, they have the strong pungent aroma of sassafras oil, probably from a high concentration of  the chemical that makes black pepper tasty, piperonal. Really incredible peppercorns, I can tell the difference that air transport makes. If you like black pepper, SA.VA’s fresh peppercorns are a surprising and unique treat. Highly recommended to any gourmands and foodies out there, this is a peppercorn you won’t soon forget.

My daughter and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company (HVC) on the Big Island of Hawaii. Reservations are required for their fixed menu lunch and for their afternoon tea. Their lunch featured the vanilla planifolia grown in their vineyard, which is what they call their farm. Dave, the business manager began with a short history of vanilla and a description of our lunch. When we were seated we were offered a choice of vanilla iced tea or their vanilla lemonade; I selected their iced tea. Our first course was a delectable chicken breast on focaccia with caramelized onions and garden greens; the chicken breast had been marinated in a vanilla-orange-bourbon sauce for a day. The sandwich was served with a dish of aioli sauce with vanilla and mango. The meal included a small salad of their own farm grown garden greens with feta cheese and caramelized pecans and their special HVC vanilla raspberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing; the salad was absolutely wonderful. The sandwich was also accompanied by crisp chips: taro chips, purple Okinawan sweet potato chips, and yellow sweet potato chips. Our meal ended with HVC vanilla ice cream; I selected just the plain vanilla ice cream, but many of the guests chose to have lilikoi (passion fruit) or chocolate sauce on their ice cream.

After the lunch we viewed a short video produced for public television by America’s Heartland about the Hawaiian Vanilla Company vineyard and their vanilla. Dave then walked us down to their “greenhouses” to view the vanilla plants. We were not able to see any plants with vanilla beans on them. According to Dave, disease hit about 60% of their plants two years ago and the owner, Jim Reddekopp, decided to destroy the entire crop to prevent a spread of the disease. Their oldest plants are now 3 years old and it will be another year before their vines will produce orchids, which can then be hand pollinated and result in the growth of vanilla beans. The vanilla beans will have to mature on the vines for 9 months and cure for another 9 months before HVC will be able to once again commercially sell their crop.

Aloha,
Gale