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difference btw madagascar vanilla beans and the mad. bourbon?

11 years ago

I am wanting to try some home made vanilla flavoring.

i have seen where some order the madagascar vanilla beans and some the madagascar bourbon beans.

is there a flavor difference?

Tammy

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Comments (5)

grainlady_ks
11 years ago
You may want to try several varieties of vanilla beans and be your own judge. The first time I ordered them I got Tahitian vanilla beans. They were the most fragrant beans I'd ever used; but because they are a fruit they are subject to weather and other conditions that will make its mark on each harvest so one time one variety is great and the next time maybe not so great.

I've made a variety of "vanillas", not only from a variety of beans but a variety of alcohol. Cherry vodka vanilla was a favorite used in chocolate pudding because chocolate and cherries are a good combination. Spiced rum vanilla was great in vanilla ice cream. So have fun with the project.

I got my vanilla on e-Bay from Mr. Bean who sold a wide variety of vanilla beans - lovely big, fresh, plump, beans (not those dinky dehydrated things you get elsewhere and are charged a small fortune for) and I got enough to make 3-4 different bottles of homemade vanilla. They made nice gifts to some of my baking buddies.

Grainlady Tip: Leave one or two beans long in your bottle - long enough you can fish it back out. You can remove it and strip the extra rich vanilla from the bean. How to: while holding one end of the bean between your index finger and thumb, "milk" the vanilla bean with your other index finger and thumb from the top of the bean to the bottom, pulling out a thick brown liquid. Put the bean back into the bottle and use it this way several times when you want a richer flavoring.

-Grainlady
tammyinwv
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the tips. I will also check out mr. bean.
tammy
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lbpod
11 years ago
Grainlady, thanks a lot. Now you got me VERY excited,
with your 'Grainlady Tip'. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tammyinwv
Original Author
11 years ago
grainlady, i cant seem to find mr. bean. got a link?
Tammy
grainlady_ks
11 years ago
tammyinwv-

Do a search on eBay for vanilla beans - you'll find a large variety to choose from. I'm not exactly sure what the business was called - it's been many years ago now - but the guy selling the vanilla beans called himself "Mr. Bean".

The link below has a lot of general information about vanilla beans that might help you make an informed choice.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Vanilla Review

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