Organic Vanilla Pods!

cormie

I got 200gm (around 60/70 pods) of organic vanilla for about €20 from a UK supplier back around 2010, so €100/kg

Since then, the price has gone crazy, more on that here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3752x4PgpYE

and here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oguPMXcrOVY

My last order was from Australia after scouring the net for good prices.

Today, one organic pod in will cost you over €5 locally: https://www.nourish.ie/p/sonnentor-organic-vanilla-pod-4g/sonm020

This is around 4gm and it looks like B grade quality.

I had been pricing around the last while and had seen prices of €940/kg for non organic pods and I think it was well over €1,000 for organic pods.

After a bit more searching I came across https://organicpapuanewguinea.com/organic-food-items/ and the pricing seemed good @ €349/kg for organic A grade quality and it actually turned out they were based in Dublin! I messaged over WhatsApp but never heard back (I think they since sorted that account), then tried over Facebook and got talking to the guy who runs it and I was in two minds over how much to buy and he linked me to their Etsy page where they are doing a 20% sale until the end of the month, meaning 1KG of organic A grade pods, both Tahitian and Planifolia, are €280/kg. This is the best price I've found in recent years per kg and even cheaper than non organic and B grade pods per kg.

The service and communication had been excellent and the quality of the pods seems great too. Considering the lower grade ones in the shop will be costing at least €1,250/kg, I thought it was worth a post here! Not that I think many will be jumping to buy vanilla pods, especially in that volume 😄

bromley52

Vanilla pods are now so lucrative that in South America the cartel's and crime gangs are getting involved.

awhir

how long do they last?

cormie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118076373#Comment_118076373

Even before I started keeping mine in airtight containers, they were still good after a few years. An airtight container will only extend that :)

awhir

Ordered 10 beans there. Thanks!

CJhaughey

Thanks Cormie, Bought a kilo of Madagascar pods, can't really go wrong at that price. Bottle of cheap Vodka and I'll have a heap of extract by this time next year.

RobertFoster

Never considered making extract. I thought you were all mad into homemade custard 😋

cormie

I just use them direct into recipes myself :D

bromley52

Can't you buy little bottles of vanilla essence in the shops?

cormie

It wouldn't be the same, especially if you don't want alcohol or other additives in your recipes. The pods are definitely more expensive, but worth it if quality is important :)

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118084473#Comment_118084473

In what items can we use pods directly?

I use vanilla essence.

cormie

With any recipes I'm making in my blender that call for vanilla, I'll just throw the whole pod in. Like ice cream :)

dastardly00

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118084648#Comment_118084648

Vanilla essence is a synthetic product that is made to taste like vanilla but contains little or no real vanilla

bromley52

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118089559#Comment_118089559

Ignorance is bliss.