12 Planifolia Vanilla Gourmet from Guadeloupe (from 2 Pods)

Organic Vanilla Planifolia Gourmet
Origin: Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe
Terroirs: Sainte-Rose (culture agroforestière Cédric Coutellier)
Harvest: 2022
Curing: Ripe, scarified and sun dried
Affinage: > 9 to 12 months
DDM: 31.12.2025
 
Planifolia from Guadeloupe develops an incomparable aromatic palette with singular notes of maraschino, very pronounced liquorice, fresh tobacco leaf and wood notes with a light floral and banana flavour in the background, with such a high oil content that it started to make givre (crystals*). This exceptional vanilla is grown in the northern region of Basse-Terre under the canopy of the tropical rainforest. It's a limited production, mostly allocated to Chefs and Perfumers for their exclusive creations, and was rewarded with gold medaille at the salon de l'agriculture de Paris in 2020 & 2024.
 
* Vanillin crystals is the natural end expression of the benzenoid crystal that matures inside the pod. Within properly cured vanilla pods vanillin functions as an important conservative, and its content should be high enough before curing and refining in order to stimulate natural immune resistance to mold and create delicious dark fragrant vanilla smell and flavours.
 
Vanillin crystals are a natural concentrate and a sign of excellent quality of the vanilla pods. You can recognise them as they shine in the light and look like white spines or literally shiny sharp glass-like tiny “diamonds” of vanilla, such as the THC residue on excellent marijuana plants.
 
When vanilla pods have this high vanillin content they can be kept for years under excellent storage condition, in glass tubes or glass jars well protected from light. Crystalline beans also have an amazing and powerful smell and tend to dry out over time so the smell and flavor packs into the plant matter but does not diffuse aromatically through the air without interaction or extraction. The flavor literally soaks deep into the skin and seeds and retains inside the pod.
 
Beans measure +- 18 cm for an average weight of 4 gr. A kilo is about 250 beans.
Moisture: 30 to 35%
Vanillin: 2.2 to 2.9%
Packaging: 2 pods or more in glass tubes or glass jar or in sachets
Guadeloupe origin certified