[PREMIUM] Madagascar TK/European Grade A Vanilla Beans for Baking & Desserts, Planifolia.

Our Premium Certified Organic TK Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar represent some of the finest quality vanilla beans available. 

Specifications

Moisture: 30.6%
Vanillin: 1.9%
Length: 14cm – 21cm
Color: Dark-brown to Black
Harvest: 2022-2023
Grown on the Vine: Picked at 9 months during the peak of flavor. Never picked early.

Certifications 

HACCP: Certified HACCP
Organic: USDA Certified Organic
Kosher Certified in Madagascar: Cert. ID: KC9649E98283
Packaged in: United States
Social Accountability Management Certified: SA8000:2014
Food Safety Management Systems Certified: ISO 22000:2018

What to Expect from TK Bourbon Vanilla Beans?

A good way of thinking about TK Beans is they are a low moisture Grade A bean. 

In terms of curing & drying, TK Vanilla beans are a cross between the moist, lightly cured Grade A vanilla (about 30–31% humidity) and the long-cured Extract Grade vanilla (about 20–25% humidity). TK Vanilla beans come in the middle of the range at about 26% – 28% humidity. 

Compared to the shorter cure of traditional Grade A gourmet beans, TK Vanilla has a fully developed flavor with a rich aromatic expression—the beans are fragrant and full of seeds, with dark brown or deep black coloration with moist, flexible pods. Some refer to TK Vanilla as "European Gourmet."

You'll find the superficial oils of TK Vanilla are deeper in the bean due to the longer cure—as a result, you won't see a heavy sheen on the outside of the TK Vanilla bean. The flavor is still there and is released when when you bake or make extract.

Our TK Vanilla beans are grown in North East Madagascar by a community of expert growers consisting of lead vanilla growing family, local farmers, and farmers' associations.

The vanilla beans are left to grow on the vine for a full nine months and are never picked early which is a problem is some major growing regions. We take great pride in offering you some of the world's finest vanilla using organic and environmentally sustainable methods.

On the Ground in Madagascar

This USDA Certified Organic TK vanilla is produced in one of the few facilities in Madagascar that are both HACCP & KOSHER certified, showing commitment to delivering a high-quality vanilla product.

We have partnered with this vanilla-producing community in Madagascar not only because of their commitment to high-quality products but also to their commitment to high ethical standards.

They are SA8000 Certified, which means they proactively encourage the development and application of socially acceptable practices in the workplace.

Employees are paid very high salaries, with most employees being single mothers with children. They also provide technical support to over a hundred family-owned farms and local cooperatives—helping the community prosper.

In alignment with our mission of supporting small rural farmers, Vanilla Exotics will give back to this vanilla-producing community $5 for every one hundred dollars of vanilla sold. These funds will be used for various educational needs of the local children—like school supplies. 

The result is a high-quality Madagascan Organic Vanilla Bean, picked at the peak of flavor (never picked early), fragrant, and full of seeds, with light-brown to reddish coloration, all while supporting the community.

When to Use

Here are some popular way to use TK vanilla beans:

• You can use the bean for its seeds. Cut open the pod and scrape the seeds to use for baking, ice cream, and for vanilla paste. 
  
  
• They are also great for making extract. Because there is less moisture than the traditional Grade A bean, you don't loose a lot of that water in the extraction process.
  

Flavor Profile

Madagascan planifolia variety vanilla beans have the same buttery & creamy flavors as the same variety grown in Mexico. This vanilla works well in baked goods with orchid and forrest fruits—fruits like apples, peaches, pears,  blueberries, and strawberries.

It's flavor also lends itself to savory dishes like eggs, fish & lobster.

And, of course, it's perfect for classic vanilla ice cream. 

How many extract-grade vanilla beans do you need for your extract?
Read the article.

Making Vanilla Extract.
Read the article.

Packaged in Ambient-Air — Never Vacuum Packed 

We package our vanilla in ambient air packaging.

In a technical article by Daphna Havkin-Frenkel, Ph.D.; MBA she explains the negative effects of vacuum packaging vanilla and why we should not utilize that method. 

Vacuum packaging vanilla beans can create an environment for anaerobic bacteria to grow and damage the overall flavor. The benefit of keeping vanilla beans in ambient air is that vanilla will continue to cure and develop flavor. We know of a vanilla bean seller in California with 10-year-old vanilla beans that they continue to cure like a fine aged wine.