Vanilla Pods vs. Vanilla Beans

VANILLA PODS vs. VANILLA BEANS

Since our Blume Honey Water Citrus Vanilla features organic vanilla extract, we dug into the differences between a vanilla pod and a vanilla bean.

A vanilla “bean” is actually the pod of the vanilla fruit of orchids in the genus Vanilla. Vanilla extract is made by soaking the beans in an alcohol solution to "extract" their flavorful compounds. 

Vanilla is so precious because the vanilla orchids only grow in only a few places in the world. Madagascar produces 80% of the world's vanilla! Also, every step of the harvesting is labor-intensive and performed manually. The demand exceeds the supply. Vanilla is the world's second most expensive spice (saffron is the most expensive).

The vanilla we use in our Citrus Vanilla is soaked for weeks at a time, instead of just a few days. The weeks-long extraction period allows for more of the distinct flavors to mingle and mature resulting in a beautiful diverse floral vanilla flavor that lasts.

Supporting organically-produced vanilla from a Fair Trade Certified farm means that not only is the final product far superior than conventional vanilla, but the vanilla farmers are guaranteed a fair wage for their work no matter how the market fluctuates.