faerie's finest

The first known use of vanilla beans was by the Totanaco Indians of Mexico.  When they were conquered by the Aztecs, they were forced to give over the fruit of the Tlilxochitl vine.  The Aztecs combined the fruit (vanilla pods) with honey, ground corn and ground cocoa to form thick liquid drink called xocolatl.

When Cortes invaded Mexico in the early 1500's, he was served this delicious liquid in golden goblets with golden spoons.  Cortes took the secrets of xocolatl (renamed chocolatl by Europeans) with him to Spain where the exotic treat spread among the nobility of Europe, including France and England.

It wasn't until the 1600's that vanilla won a place of its own in the flavoring world and it has ruled it ever since.  In 1602, the apothecary of Queen Elizabeth I had an idea.  He thought that the dark vanilla pods that were used in the chocolatl might be good when used alone as a flavoring.  It is said that Elizabeth was so taken with the taste of vanilla that for the remainder of her reign, she had vanilla added to everything she ate or drank. 

Vanilla was brought to America by Thomas Jefferson in the 1700's but it was France that made extensive use of both the flavor and the smell of the vanilla pods.  It was used to flavor foods and for scenting perfumes and tobacco.

As the popularity of vanilla grew, many tried to transplant the vanilla orchid to other climates with no success.  Although the plants grew tall and healthy and produced beautiful orchids, no seed pods ever developed.  It was finally realized that the small bees and hummingbirds that pollinated the beans in Mexico were not present in other place.  It wasn't until a successful method of hand pollination was developed in 1841 that vanilla plantations spread elsewhere in the world.

Today vanilla orchids are still hand pollinated and a good pollinator can pollinate 1000-2000 flowers in a day.  The flowers on the vanilla orchid grow in bunches but they only bloom one per day during the blooming season.  As each flower blooms it is hand pollinated.  From these short lived blooms develop a seed pod that takes nine months to mature.

When they are mature, the seed pods are harvested and immediately wrapped and subjected to high heat and humidity to stop further growth.  This is when the curing process starts.  For several days the vanilla pods are spread out in the hot tropical sun for a few hours to dry and then wrapped up to sweat by night.  Next the beans are spread out in the shade and allowed to slowly dry completely.

Finally, the pods are sorted and placed in chests to further cure for a few months.  Like a fine red wine, vanilla only improves with age as the flavors mellow and become even smoother and fruitier.

This high level of human interaction in the growing cycle and the curing process helps to make vanilla one of the most expensive spices in the world.

Many things influence the taste of vanilla.  When first picked, the green pods have no flavor.  It is the intense curing process that creates the variety of fruity and floral notes that make vanilla unique among flavors.  Where the vanilla plant is grown, the amount of sun and rain during the growing season, and the daily temperatures will affect the flavor.  Thus, vanilla grown in one location tastes much different than that grown in others.

Today, vanilla is grown in four primary locations: Madagascar, Indonesia, Tahiti and Mexico.  The crops of Tahiti and Mexico are much smaller and usually do not strongly affect the world vanilla markets.  Each of these vanillas has a characteristic taste.

• Madagascar, or Bourbon, vanilla is considered by many confectionary manufacturers to be the best vanilla.  It has topnotes that can be described as fruity.

• Indonesian, or Java, vanilla has a simpler flavor profile.  This particular vanilla does well in baked goods where topnotes would bake off in the prolonged heat.

• Mexico, the original source of all vanilla, now exports a small quantity of vanilla beans usually described as 'spicy'.

• My favorite individual vanilla is Tahitian.  Vanilla grown in Tahiti contains a flavor component not present in any other vanilla that gives it a soft, flowery topnote reminiscent of root beer.

• In addition to the specific varieties from each region, the various vanillas are combined in blended vanillas with endless subtle variations.

faerie's finest carries a range of vanilla products that will please any vanilla lover.  Each one has a unique vanilla character.

• Our vanilla sugar is the easiest way to add the smooth, rich taste of vanilla to coffee or tea — our customers swear it is addictive.  It is also a great way to boost vanilla flavor in cooking and baking.

• The mellowing taste of vanilla also figures prominantly in many of our other flavored sugars and cocoas including vanilla nutmeg sugar, citrus dream sugar, almond bliss sugar, hazelnut cream sugar, classic vanilla cocoa and vanilla nutmeg cocoa.

• We are proud to offer premium quality whole vanilla beans in the two most important vanilla varieties: Bourbon (vanilla planifolia) and Tahitian (vanilla tahitensis).