MADAGASCAR BLACK BOURBONGRADE A: GOURMET
Size: 14 cm to 17 cm
Moisture: 32% - 35%
Vanilin content: 1.5% - 2.2%
Type: natural fresh bean
Country of origin: Madagascar
Shelf-life: 2 years
"Discover the allure of Gourmet Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans.Handpicked from the lush fields of Madagascar, our Grade Avanilla pods offer an unparalleled flavor profile. Elevate yourculinary creations and unlock a world of flavors with therichness of our gourmet vanilla beans."
At the heart of our extraordinary Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla liesthe intricate process of growing vanilla. Nestled amidst the lushlandscapes of Madagascar, our vanilla plantations enjoy an idealenvironment with tropical warmth, balanced humidity, and fertilesoils. This nurturing setting provides the perfect conditions forour vanilla vines to thrive and produce beans of unparalleledquality.
Our dedicated farmers understand the delicate nature of vanillaorchids and meticulously perform the hand-pollination technique.This labor-intensive process ensures that each flower ispollinated with precision, setting the foundation for thedevelopment of exquisite vanilla beans.
As the vanilla vines grow, we pour patience and care intonurturing them for several months. Shielding them from harshweather and diligently monitoring their progress, we await themoment when the vanilla pods reach the perfect stage of ripeness.
No more than three days after harvest, the beans are plunged intowater heated to 60 ° C to 70 ° C from 10 seconds to threeminutes. Timing depends on the size of the beans, whether theyhave split on the vine, and water temperature. Dipping isperformed by a master curer who calculates these variables byfeel.
The outer vegetative skin of the bean is killed by soaking it inhot water to keep it from growing further. This not only killsthe skin of the vanilla bean,but also kills other potentialpathogens.*Killing* the bean provides stopping growth andreleasing the enzymes that begn production of vanillin, thebean’s primary flavor component.
3. SweatingAs soon as the beans are pulled from the water, workers rush towrap them tightly in wool blankets, storing them inside a dark,airtight container. Speed is essential to preserve heat andsteam. These trigger the enzymes that convert cellulose andstarches to vanillin and other complex components that givevanilla its beautifully subtle aroma.
Steaming is the act of letting the vanilla pods from scalding fora given period. Usually it lasts three to four days. In themeantime, the vanilla keeps the same heat received from scaldingand always continues to be leather.
At the third or fourth day, we open the box and we go to dryingin the sun. Scalding and steaming are successful when all thevanilla pods take on the color of the chocolate. Otherwise, thepods are dotted with chocolate and green color.
Drying has two stages: Sun drying and drying in the shade
We first spread a large bag designated here as mat. Sheets arethen spread over this bag. These sheets are blankets or pieces ofbags cut out and of the same size as the blankets. Employeesspread the vanilla in a thin layer on the sheets. This is wherethe sun drying begins. In the beginning and each day, exposure tothe sun lasts for two to three hours. Note that this is notautomatic but depends on weather conditions. When the pods arejudged to have absorbed the appropriate temperature, we roll upthe blankets, transport them back to the box. The casing mustalways be well lined, without heat leakage. It is in a way thesecond steaming too. This entire procedure lasts 4 days. And fromthe fifth day, the vanilla returned to the box is no longer inpods but deposited with rolled sheets or mats while continuing torespect the steaming system.
STEP 2 - Drying in the shadeDrying in the shade Drying in the shade, as the name suggests, isnot done outdoors like previously but inside the store. Itconsists of placing and spreading in an orderly manner thevanilla pods on drying racks after making by heads.
The packaging of vanilla is divided into 5 successivestages:
- Bulk sorting
- Classification
- Measurement
- Packaging
- Storage
