Cinq Frères HIGH QUALITY AND SUSTAINABLE VANILLA AND SPICES

Vanilla pods must imperatively be stored in a clean and airtight container in order to prevent their desiccation and to limit the risk of mold development.

Place them away in a dark place to preserve their suppleness and flavor as long as possible.

Vanilla pods do not expire

When stored properly, vanilla beans do not expire. They will simply lose flexibility and will be more difficult to work with. Don't throw them away! When cooking them, pass them over a pan of boiling water so that the steam softens them or immerse them in a bottle of rum to make your own alcoholic drink.

As the legislation on the labeling of vanilla-based products is unfortunately still rather vague, many suppliers take advantage of this to deceive consumers. So pay attention to the labeling.

The term “vanilla powder”

Very diverse qualities can be hidden under the term "Vanilla powder".

Vanilla powder, Pure Premium, corresponds to whole vanilla pods, US Red grade, with vanillin and crushed. This is the best of all qualities since it is a complete pod, simply reduced to a powder.

Then there is the First Quality vanilla powder, which is made from beans of the Cuts grade. This grade includes pods downgraded because of their non-compliant appearance: these are pods <10 cm and / or broken pods.

These two qualities of vanilla powder are the only ones that you should choose because they are the only pods that still have vanillin and are simply crushed, with therefore a strong aromatic power.

3 main types of vanilla powders

Thus, there are 3 main types of vanilla powders made from exhausted vanilla pods:

• Exhausted pods + vanilla extract: this mixture has the merit of having a slight aromatic power, only due to the addition of vanilla extract
• Exhausted pods + vanilla seeds: no flavor but the deceptive visual aspect is reinforced, via the addition of seeds
• Exhausted vanilla pods

Some suppliers do not even hesitate to add sugar to their powder.

Spices do not expire but see their flavor alter over time. The goal is to keep them in the best conditions so that the taste last as long as possible.

Preserve the organoleptic characteristics

In order to preserve the organoleptic characteristics of your spices, it is advisable to store them in an airtight environment, away from light, humidity and heat.

Note that "whole" products tend to preserve their flavor for a longer time compared to those which have been grinded.