24 Planifolia Vanilla Givrée from Mauritius

Natural Vanilla Planifolia givrée
Origin: Mauritius
Terroir: Tamarin (Plantation Mikhailova)
Harvest: 2023
Curing: Scalded and sun dried
Affinage: >12 months
DDM: 31.12.2028

Mauritius Island vanilla is a bit similar to Reunion island vanilla, a planifolia, refined the traditional "Bourbon" way, with strong flavors and typically thin, brown or black, extremely aromatic with supple aromas of fruit, caramel and honey. The vanillin content is also among the highest and it is not rare to see some more vanillin crystals* (frost) still forming. Excellent for desserts and creams as well as fish or meat dishes, notably duck and lamb.
 
* Vanilla frost consists mainly of naturally occurring vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) that has migrated from the cured pod tissues and crystallised at the surface, usually as white needles, grains or crystalline structures. A high vanillin content can favour crystallisation, but frost formation also depends on moisture, maturity, curing, conditioning and storage conditions. It is therefore a remarkable natural crystallisation phenomenon, but not by itself an absolute measure of overall vanilla quality. You can recognise them as they shine in the light and look like white spines or literally shiny sharp glass-like tiny “diamonds” of vanilla, such as the THC residue on excellent marijuana plants.
 
When vanilla pods have this high vanillin content they can be kept for years under excellent storage condition, in glass tubes or glass jars well protected from light. Crystalline beans also have an amazing and powerful smell and tend to dry out over time so the smell and flavor packs into the plant matter but does not diffuse aromatically through the air without interaction or extraction. The flavor literally soaks deep into the skin and seeds and retains inside the pod.

Indicative pod length: 16–20 cm; as a natural product, pod length, width and individual weight may vary from pod to pod; the stated quantity corresponds to the exact number of pods in the lot sold; the exact net weight is stated separately when packed and invoiced. A kilo is about 300 beans.
Moisture: 30%
Vanillin: 2.44%
Packaging: 2 pods or more in glass tubes or glass jars or in sachets
Mauritius origin certified