whole vanilla beans

[SamuelWilson]

I have blended a whole vanilla bean in my smoothies and/or shakes to extract the vanilla flavor and even though it does give a vanilla taste, it is not the same as the extract.

Any suggestions on how to get a stronger vanilla taste from whole vanilla beans. I do not want to use vanilla extract unless I have to. I do have Frontier Alcohol Free Vanilla Extract on hand.

[Dawn39]

I used to put a van. bean or the scrapped out shell in sugar to help when I made desserts. It tasted better than adding the bean & sugar fresh to the recipe.

My thought is could you put the bean or shell is an ingredient of your smoothie and let it set for awhile. (Honey,agave, or w/ the fruit?)

Just a thought

[SamuelWilson]

Yeah, I am thinking the same thing. I was just looking for a quicker way than steeping the vanilla bean. Steeping looks to be my only option.

I am guessing overnight would definitely do the trick. I am wondering if an hour is effective at all? I will just wait for more replies and continue my experiments.

[rawpriestess]

There are many kinds of vanilla beans, perhaps you purchased the less flavorful kind. Which I belive are the Madagascar kind.

There is another vanilla bean, a smaller shorter bean, much more flavorfull from Pueblo Mexico that I buy from a friend who's mom lives there and they are much much more flavorfull than any beans I have ever found before.

The ones I buy are grown especially for the McCormick label, but she buys them in the streets for me, and sends them to me.

But they are pricey and much smaller, I can smell them in the box and the whole post office smells like vanilla when they come, and he puts them in plastic bags and one of those suck and seal thingies.

They are very potent. So, where ever you are getting your beans from they might be old, or they might be the larger less fragrant kind, or they might be growen too quickly, or harvested too soon, or whatever thousands of other reasons tha they don't taste as good.

Good luck

[SamuelWilson]

rawpriestess, do you have a link to a company that sells the same ones that you have had luck with. I don't feel comfortable using the "McCormick" brand because they dry things at "enzyme destroying" temperatures.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Samuel Wilson, are you using the bourbon or the tahitian? I've been pondering which one to buy - perhaps the one you purchased is not as strong as the other variety?

[SamuelWilson]

I am using the bourbon, but I think my vanilla beans are fine. They have a nice strong aroma. I just think, there is no way to compare raw vanilla beans to extract which has been processed to magnify the vanilla flavor. The only reason I am making a big deal about this vanilla is because I use it often, so I would like to be able to use whole natural vanilla beans. I have that desire to be pure so I am just doing some research and development.

The alcohol free vanilla flavor from Frontier is as pure as you can get from a liquid vanilla flavor though. Using whole vanilla beans is obviously the purest though.

[rawpriestess]

Samuel Wilson

I don't know how I wasn't clear, I do not buy them on line or from a store, this is what I posted:

I buy from a friend who's mom lives there and they are much much more flavorfull than any beans I have ever found before.

The ones I buy are grown especially for the McCormick label, but she buys them in the streets for me, and sends them to me.
***************

I would not feel comfortable asking her for more, since she goes out of her way to send them to me, and I use quite a bit for myself. She is not makiing any profit on this, and does it out of the goodness of her heart for me.

I was just stating this so you would KNOW that there are several brands and that maybe the ones you were buying if they are longer than about 3" might be too old or grown too long or a different king than the ones McCormick uses.

I wasn't attempting to sell any.

[RawTruth]

Here's a link to where I've bought them online and at least one other member of this forum has definitely bought them, too.

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Organic-Vanilla-Bean-Company

Happy tasting!

[rawpriestess]

The 6" and 7" bourbon and tahitian vanilla beans sold on ebay, are a very mild vanilla flavor, the madagascar are highly flavorful and 3" in their natural size when fully grown.

[exurb]

Samuel, I was wondering if it would help draw out more flavor if you worked on that bean in a mortar and pestle for a while. I was trying to think of something you could put in there with it to help work out the flavor.

I love vanilla beans but it does get expensive.

Before I went raw, I used to make my own vanilla extract. It takes about six months of steeping in say fine cognac or vodka in a warm location, to draw out all the flavor. So if you're after a strong vanilla flavor IMO you're gonna have to do something more than just drop it in the vitamix with your drink.

I grow orchids and it's my understanding that the best vanilla actually comes from Mexico, where the vanilla orchid is native. It was moved to the island of bourbon by the French, I understand the bourbon vanilla is considered inferior, though it has more spin and hype going for it than the Mexican.

If buying extract in Mexico though, you have to be careful about your source as I have read there is a little fraud in what's "pure".

[SamuelWilson]

It appears as though my Frontier Alcohol Free Vanilla Flavor is the best source I have for strong vanilla flavor then. Vanilla is not crucial though, it is not like I have to have it. I was so happy to be able to get cinnamon flavor from a pure raw source, I just wanted to be able to do the same with vanilla.

I wouldn't mine steeping it and making my own, however, I couldn't steep it in anything alcoholic, which puts me right back where I started.