Tahitensis Vanilla Pods 16-18 cm
Elevate your recipes with the enticing aromatic taste of our Tahitensis Vanilla.
- Grade A Gourmet Tahitensis vanilla pods, 16-18 cm long
- Ideal for cooking, baking, hot drinks, and ice-making
- Dark brown, oily, plump pods with 25-38% moisture
- Flowery, fruity, and soft vanilla aroma
- Hybrid of vanilla pompona and planifolia
Tahitensis Vanilla Pods from Papua New Guinea
If you are a chef, restaurateur, pastry chef, ice cream manufacturer, cooking school, or passionate hobby chef looking for high-quality vanilla pods, you've come to the right place. Buy top-quality spices and vanilla products from our spice shop.
Understanding the Different Types of Vanilla
If you think there is only one variety of vanilla available in supermarkets, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Vanilla, like pepper, comes in many types. Let us help you gain an overview.
Vanilla and pepper come from different parts of the world, which is reflected in their names and flavors. In top gastronomy, three well-known varieties are:
- Tahitian vanilla from the South Sea island of Tahiti
- Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar
- Tahitensis vanilla from Papua New Guinea
You can also find bourbon vanilla powder in our selection.
What is Tahitensis Vanilla?
Tahitensis Vanilla refers to the fermented capsule fruits of orchids belonging to the Vanilla Tahitensis genus, which grows in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is the third-largest island nation in the world. The orchid plant Vanilla Planifolia, which is the origin of Bourbon vanilla, originally comes from Mexico. Spanish sailors brought it to Europe in the late 16th century, where it quickly became a sought-after spice. Today, it is used to prepare aromatic drinking chocolate and flavor tobacco.
In the 19th century, the French and Dutch brought this orchid plant to their colonies. The French developed a method on the island of Réunion around 1840 to manually pollinate the flowers of this orchid species. The first Bourbon vanilla pods were born.
How are Tahitensis Vanilla Pods Produced?
The production of vanilla is a highly time-consuming process. It takes three years for the Vanilla Tahitensis orchid to produce its first flowers, from which vanilla pods can grow after fertilization. From the fertilization of the flower to the formation of pods, it takes a little over a year. The entire manufacturing process is done by hand.
An orchid flower only blooms for 48 hours and then dies. Manual pollination can only take place during this brief period. Carefully opening the flower's height with a bamboo tool, the stigma and stamens of each flower are pressed together without crushing it. From this point, it takes the bean between 4-9 months to fully develop into vanilla pods. A ripe vanilla bean is identified by its yellow-tipped, yet odorless, appearance. It isthen during the subsequent processing that the pod develops its seductive perfume.
After Harvest
Immediately after harvest, the unripe vanilla pods undergo a water bath for 2-3 minutes at 70°C. This step is crucial to avoid damaging the pods and losing the crop.
Next, the pods are wrapped in blankets for 2-3 days and stored in wooden boxes, where fermentation begins and the aroma-giving vanillin begins to form. They are then placed in the sun for five weeks to dry for 2-3 hours each day before being wrapped in towels again to sweat.
Storage of Tahitensis Vanilla Pods
Store your fresh vanilla pods in an airtight container, preferably glass. Keep them in a dark place such as your pantry or a dark closet. Protect them from heat, but avoid refrigeration as it can cause them to go moldy. After removing the pod's pulp, you can use the remaining pods to infuse sugar or salt, creating delicious vanilla sugar or vanilla salt.
