Vanilla Beans

Discover my different vanilla beans "off the beaten track"

Starred chefs do not compromise on quality, their trust honours me and motivates me to always go the extra mile to find exceptional spices to share with you. When a great chef chooses my vanilla, I am certain that its quality is exemplary.

My passion for vanilla drives me to choose different vanillas. This product is extraordinary. Depending on the country it comes from, it offers a new experience every time. With fruity, musky, woody and cocoa notes, each vanilla bean offers a unique taste journey. During my travels in vanilla and spice producing countries, I have set up partnerships with producers-collectors. You can discover that each vanilla bean has a unique nose and aromatic amplitude depending on its region of production, its maturation or its variety. The respect of a long traditional mat uring process is also one of my signatures. The result: a black Bourbon Gold vanilla with full-bodied cocoa notes, a drier Ugandan vanilla with wild notes or a very floral Papua vanilla. Every year, I do my utmost so that you can discover new aromatic vanilla palettes. My ambition: to make my clients understand that the scent of a real vanilla can be very different from what you might imagine. It's often a discovery when you first receive my selections. I am looking for aromatic intensity, power, feminine or wild notes that will make me "vibrate" and make my customers happy. My objective: to discover year after year new harvests, superb vanilla with exotic notes that make you travel just by smelling them. And when you taste them, you will be able to enjoy an explosion of flavours. Here are the vanillas that I offer on my website. The one from Guadeloupe being on the way out, you won't find it here anymore (for the moment), but I wanted to pay a tribute to it anyway.

The vanilla of Mexico

Mexico is the original land of vanilla. Not everyone knows this, as Madagascar now produces most of the world's vanilla. For the record, the Totonaques cultivated vanilla long before being colonized by the Spaniards. The latter discovered Mexican vanilla in the 16th century and decided to produce some. But what they didn't know was that in Mexico, an endemic bee was responsible for naturally pollinating the flowers of the vanilla tree. It wasn't until the 19th century and the intervention of Edmond Albius, a slave from Reunion Island, that they understood the principle of pollination and managed to produce vanilla in the Indian Ocean for the first time. It is since this time that Bourbon vanilla has been cultivated. Vanilla from Mexico is therefore a rarer product. It does not lack subtlety with its cocoa, spicy and sweet notes that are not without reminding us of the red fruit. You will appreciate its powerful flavours in the mouth to sublimate all your recipes.

Bourbon Gold vanilla from Madagascar

Madagascar today produces 80% of the world's vanilla. We discover there fleshy pods with magnificent black beans. Bourbon vanilla takes its name from a family of kings of France. It is produced in only 5 countries: Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion Island, Seychelles and Comoros. No other vanilla can obtain this appellation. Thus, as for the great vintages, Bourbon vanilla is a geographical appellation. I wanted to offer you a Bourbon vanilla that can surprise you with its intensity. Every year, it is important that my Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar keeps beautiful warm and cocoa notes. When I received my first batch in 2019, I was surprised to discover bottom notes that tended towards caramel. In the Sava region, there are many producers, each one putting forward their know-how. Mastering the cultivation of vanilla requires a perfect knowledge of all the stages of production, from cultivation to shipping. Planting, climatic hazards, harvesting at full maturity or not, maturing in wooden trunks, everything must be mastered to perfection. Of course, this has an impact on the price, but you only have to taste a low-range vanilla to understand that vanilla, like wine, is a noble product that takes time to reach maturity to satisfy your taste buds. What I offer and strive to find is a Bourbon vanilla that reflects my signature with a Bourbon vanilla maturation that goes off the beaten track. I want my customers, when they smell my vanilla, to understand by breathing it all my work. Do you really want to discover a Bourbon vanilla with a different nose and intensity? Trust David Vanille. My favorite: Bourbon Gold vanilla, a vanilla with cocoa, buttery and caramelized notes. Long maturing in a trunk for a singular aromatic precision. Moisture content 28-35%.

Vanilla from Papua New Guinea

When you begin to discover something other than the Bourbon Vanilla of Madagascar, you quickly become interested in the vanilla of Papua New Guinea. Papua offers two varieties: Planifolia van illa (the most common) and Tahitensis vanilla, which is the same variety found in Tahiti. If the maturing of Tahitensis in Papua is identical to that of Planifolia, the difference lies in the fact that the former is not scalded. We find sweet and very exotic notes on this origin. The intensity of its aromatic palette offers characteristic notes of flowers, leather, sometimes slightly roasted. This vanilla touches me particularly. The work of the Papuan communities over the last twenty years or so has been remarkable in promoting this singularity. It remains a great challenge to train producers and collectors to offer a vanilla that is properly refined without developing germs. Too often, the samples do not meet my requirements: the moisture content is too high and the vanilla is badly ripened, without power. My goal is to offer you a much higher quality with a long maturation and notes that are faithful to the typicality of a Wild Papua New Guinea vanilla. If you wish to discover a vanilla from far away lands with "fireworks" notes, discover David Vanille's Gourmet Gourmet Refined Papua New Guinea Wild Vanilla.

Tahitian Vanilla - Black Pearl

A fleshy bean, floral notes, a unique caramel-speculoos aroma, this is what Tahitian vanilla offers you. Once again, I took the time to search for the best vanilla from French Polynesia to offer you a little gustatory jewel. This full-flavoured vanilla has nothing to envy to the Bourbon vanilla that is mostly found. Vanilla tahitenis, vanilla planifolia, these two vanillas are produced in Tahiti to vary the pleasures. Much rarer than the vanilla of Madagascar, this product is to be discovered imperatively. Great chefs such as Guy Savoie have adopted this vanilla. And you, are you ready to taste it?

Ugandan Vanilla - Grand Cru

Are you looking for rarer origins? Uganda is a country that has been struggling to make a name for itself in the vanilla industry for some years now. It's very difficult for me to find a black vanilla of excellent quality in this area at the moment. The last batch I received was re-refined and sorted by myself, because the humidity level and the quality received did not correspond to my specifications. The result is a refined vanilla with wild notes that will find its recognition in macerations. I have a particular requirement regarding the quality of my vanilla. An exceptional product must be treated in the best possible way and my customers also have a high demand that I must meet. Would you like to get off the beaten track and treat yourself to a refined vanilla that stands out from the crowd? Ugandan vanilla will sublimate your arranged rums and your homemade vanilla extracts.

The vanilla Pompona "GRANDIOSE" Black Gold Tsy Taitry from Madagascar

Another vanilla to discover: the Pompona "GRANDIOSE" Black Gold vanilla. This one is produced in Madagascar near Andapa, Sambava and Antalaha. This vanilla benefits from a long refining process and offers long, fleshy beans. The quality of this little-known vanilla is exceptional. It presents fruity and caramelized notes that are simply bewitching. If you are looking for a very rare product, this vanilla is for you.

Pompona vanilla from Guadeloupe: a vanilla on the verge of extinction

Guadeloupe used to be a vanilla-producing region, but the industry has almost disappeared. Of course, there are still many vanilla producers in Guadeloupe, remnants of an era when the island's vanilla was renowned in Europe. Some lovers and enthusiasts continue to develop agroforestry projects, vanilla under shade or in the undergrowth. The majority of the Planifolia vanilla harvested undergoes a transformation with the Bourbon technique (scalding, steaming, maturing), a minority scarifies "combing" the vanilla like the one I love and select exclusively. The vanilla producers of Guadeloupe who perpetuate a refining process by "scarifying" the vanilla preserve a unique know-how in the French West Indies. I can only encourage this approach which allows vanilla to develop exceptional and singular notes. Scarified Guadeloupe planifolia vanilla will develop musky, woody and deep notes. The Pompona vanilla from Guadeloupe scarified will offer balsamic, floral, full-bodied notes that no other vanilla can match. The latter is a variety that has almost disappeared from the world. It is rarer than a diamond.

Buy your vanilla by the kilo

At David Vanille's, it's to each his own. While some people order one or two beans, others buy vanilla by the kilo. I chose to make this offer for two reasons. One kilo of vanilla is more than 300 beans depending on the size, the calibre. Vanilla lovers who cook a lot with this spice choose to place group orders. Sold by the kilo, my vanilla is less expensive. If you wish to discover the best vanilla in the world at the best price, it is only on David Vanille.