Vanilla beans

Discover my different vanilla beans "off the beaten track

Star chefs do not compromise on quality, their trust honors me and motivates me to go further and further 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. Fruity, musky, woody, cocoa notes, each vanilla pod offers a unique taste journey. During my travels in the countries where vanilla and spices are produced, I have set up partnerships with producers and collectors. You will discover that each vanilla bean has a unique nose and aromatic amplitude depending on its production region, its maturation or its variety. The respect of a long traditional maturation is also one of my signatures. The result: a black Bourbon Gold vanilla with full-bodied cocoa notes, a drier Uganda vanilla with wild notes, or a very floral Papua vanilla. Every year, I do my best to help you discover new vanilla flavour palettes. My ambition is to make my customers understand that the fragrance of a real vanilla can be very different from what we imagine. It is often a discovery when you receive my selections for the first time. I am looking for aromatic intensity, power, feminine or wild notes that will make me "vibrate" and make my customers happy. My goal: to discover year after year new harvests, superb vanillas with exotic notes that make you travel just by smelling them. And when you taste them, you will appreciate an explosion of flavours. Here are the vanillas that I propose on my site. The one from Guadeloupe is endangered, so you won't find it here (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 it, since Madagascar produces most of the world's vanilla today. 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 it. But what they didn't know was that in Mexico, an endemic bee was responsible for naturally pollinating the vanilla flowers. It was not until the 19th century and the intervention of Edmond Albius, a slave from Reunion, that the principle of pollination was understood and vanilla was produced for the first time in the Indian Ocean. Since then, Bourbon vanilla has been cultivated. The vanilla of Mexico is thus a rarer product. It does not lack subtlety with its cocoa, spicy and sweet notes that are reminiscent of red fruit. You will appreciate its powerful flavours in the mouth to enhance all your recipes.

Bourbon Gold vanilla from Madagascar

Madagascar produces today 80% of the world's vanilla. It has fleshy pods with magnificent black beans. Bourbon vanilla takes its name from a family of kings of France. It is only produced in 5 countries: Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, the Seychelles and the 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 could surprise you with its intensity. Each 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 noticeably tug on caramel. In the Sava region, there are many producers, each putting forth their expertise. The mastery of vanilla cultivation 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 it is enough to taste a low-end vanilla to understand that vanilla is, like wine, 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 refinement that is off the beaten path. 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, butter and caramel notes. Long maturation in trunks for a singular aromatic precision. Humidity level 28-35%.

Vanilla from Papua New Guinea

When we start to discover something else than the Bourbon Vanilla of Madagascar, we quickly get interested in the vanilla of Papua New Guinea. Papua offers two varieties: Planifolia vanilla (the most common) and Tahitensis vanilla, which is the same variety found in Tahiti. If the maturation of the Tahitensis in Papua is identical to that of the Planifolia, the difference lies in the fact that the former is not scalded. This origin has sweet and very exotic notes. The intensity of its aromatic palette offers characteristic notes of flowers, leather, and sometimes slightly roasted. This vanilla is particularly touching for me. The work of the Papuan communities over the last twenty years has been remarkable in promoting this singularity. There remains a great challenge in training producers and collectors to offer vanilla that is correctly refined without developing germs. Too often, the samples do not meet my requirements: the moisture content is too high and the vanilla is poorly refined, without strength. My goal is to offer you a much higher quality vanilla with a long maturation and notes faithful to the typicity of a Papua New Guinea wild vanilla. If you wish to discover a vanilla from far away lands with "fireworks" notes, discover the Sauvage Gourmet Vanilla from Papua New Guinea from David Vanille.

Tahitian Vanilla - Black Pearl

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

Uganda 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. It is very difficult for me to find a black vanilla of excellent quality in this area. The last batch that I received has been re-refined and sorted by me, because the moisture content 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 as regards the quality of my vanilla. An exceptional product must be treated in the best possible way and my customers also have high standards which 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? The vanilla from Uganda will sublimate your arranged rums and your home-made vanilla extracts.

Pompona "GRANDIOSE" Black Gold Tsy Taitry vanilla from Madagascar

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

The Pompona vanilla from Guadeloupe: an endangered vanilla

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

Buy your vanilla by the kilo

At David Vanille, each person has his own quantity. If some people order one or two pods, others buy vanilla by the kilo. I have chosen to offer this for two reasons. A kilo of vanilla is more than 300 pods depending on the size, its 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 want to discover the best vanilla in the world at the best price, it is only on David Vanille.