Vanilla Beans in Bulk (Grade A)

Vanilla beans Grade A bulk are best for culinary purposes in bakery/pastry manufacturing for commercial use. These vanilla beans produce high amounts of vanillin content that will perfectly blend in with your recipes. Use vanilla beans Grade A bulk for baked goods/desserts like crème brûlée, vanilla bean cake, vanilla bean pastry, vanilla bean donuts, vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla bean glaze, and other vanilla-flavored products.

The excellent quality and best flavor of vanilla beans are mostly obtained through traditional methods, which involve a high frequency of hand-processing, from the hand-pollination step to the curing process. Additionally, the long cycles of vanilla bean cultivation (around 8-9 months) play an important role in its high price as well. Essence Food & Beverage, LLC is committed to shortening the supply chain from Indonesia to the US, offering businesses an opportunity to buy vanilla beans at the lowest market price.

Typically you need vanilla beans weighing 1 oz. (6 to 8 pods, it depends on the size) for each cup of alcohol, and this is the general measurement for single-fold vanilla extract. For double-fold vanilla extract, you are required to double the amount of vanilla beans to 2 oz., but you don’t need to double the alcohol.

Approximately, 280 to 320 vanilla pods make up a 1 kilogram of bulk vanilla beans or 2.2 lbs. The amount comes down to vanilla beans’ grades and moisture content. In general, vanilla beans grade A have less vanilla pods in 1 kilogram compared to vanilla beans grade B due to the higher moisture content that impacts the weight of each vanilla pod. 

Vanilla beans have various natural chemical compositions that contribute to complex flavor notes like sweet, woody, floral, earthy, and others that can’t be matched by artificial vanilla. It’s also the source of natural vanillin content, which contributes to the vanilla sweetness. On the flip side, artificial vanilla is made from refined chemicals or lab-created vanillin. Based on this reason, artificial vanilla has a less complex vanilla flavor compared to vanilla beans. 

In fact, every spice goes bad, including vanilla beans. The most typical damages of vanilla beans are mold or dried vanilla beans. But it can be avoided through a proper storage method. Just make sure you follow these steps when storing vanilla beans in bulk to avoid undesirable damage.

When choosing vanilla beans for homemade pure vanilla extract, it’s wise to choose the plumpest ones like Indonesian vanilla beans. Plump vanilla beans are rich in vanillin content or vanilla caviar. So it’s best to impart concentrated vanilla flavor to the alcohol solution. 

Store your bulk vanilla beans in a refrigerator will dry the pods, causing the loss of the moisture content and gourmet appearance. Excessive moisture inside the refrigerator also pushes the mold to appear. Based on this solid reason, it’s highly recommended to store vanilla beans at room temperature instead. 

Although you can reuse your used bulk vanilla beans up to 4 times, it’s highly recommended to reuse your bulk vanilla beans only twice to maintain the concentrated vanilla flavor. Because most reused vanilla beans have lost its flavor. The longer vanilla beans are submerged in the alcohol solution or dipped in sugar, the less flavor you get in the next use. 

But if you plan to reuse your bulk vanilla beans more than twice, it’s wise to purchase superior-quality bulk vanilla beans like Indonesian bulk vanilla beans. A high amount of vanillin content allows you to get heavy vanilla flavor up to 4 times use.