Madagascar Production

Madagascan vanilla beans, as they are so often called, are not really beans. They are actually the fruit of the Vanilla Planifolia orchid – a vine plant native to Mexico, but cultivated in different tropical regions including Madagascar. Almost everybody is familiar with the flavor vanilla, however, when it comes down to describing the bouquet of real Madagascan vanilla, it poses quite the challenge. Vanilla is one of the most complex spice flavors, making it near impossible to describe. It has earthy notes, undertones of oak, leather and dried dark fruits, yet at the same time it is also sweet and floral. 

The most important flavor compound of real vanilla is called vanillin, an organic compound responsible for the unique warm, sweet and creamy flavor. Besides vanillin, there are more than 250 other compounds contributing to the complex and often nuanced flavors one can detect when smelling pure vanilla. This is also why it is impossible to get the same intricate, complex, yet balanced flavoring from artificial vanilla substitutes. Artificial vanilla aroma consists only of synthetic vanillin and excludes all the other compounds, resulting in a flavor that falls flat in comparison to the intriguing bouquet of pure vanilla or pure vanilla extract.