Variety of vanilla beans

There are many characteristics to a vanilla bean:

• Country of origin
• Species
• Grade
• Length
• Wholes, Splits, or Cuts

Country of Origin: Vanilla beans are grown in the tropical regions and include Madagascar, Uganda, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, and Mexico.

Species: There are two species of vanilla beans. The scientific names are Planifolia and Tahitensis. Planifolia is commonly known as Bourbon (or Madagascar) and Tahitensis is commonly known as Tahitian beans. Planifolia is the flavor you would typically find in supermarket vanilla extract. Tahitensis is a mutation of Planifolia and adds a sweet, floral note.

Grade: Multiple terms are used to describe the grades. Grade A means the same as Gourmet which also means the same as Prime. Grade B means the same as Extract Grade.

Grade A is not necessarily a better quality bean - but it does mean that it has a higher moisture content. You can do anything with Grade A that you can do with Grade B. You need to use Grade A when you want to scrape out the seeds (sometimes referred to as the caviar).

Length: This can be specified in inches or centimeters (1 inch = 2.54 cm). Length can vary from 3 inches to over 8 inches.

Wholes, Splits, or Cuts:

• Wholes refers to beans that are intact.
• Splits mean that the bean has split - either on the vine or during the curing process. Splits are sometimes preferred by commercial producers of vanilla extract because they usually have a higher vanillin content.
• Cuts means that it is a pieces of vanilla beans, not the entire vanilla bean. Cuts can be from whole or split beans.