Vanilla Extract, Pure

Only the finest premium vanilla beans are used to make Silver Cloud's Pure Vanilla Extract. Silver Cloud's extract has a rich flavor with sweet, creamy undertones and a slightly fruity top note. Since it is high in vanillin (naturally occurring in vanilla beans), it has more flavor and greater impact when used in ice cream, baked goods and beverages. Once you try Silver Cloud's Pure Vanilla Extract, we feel you will never purchase another brand.

Silver Cloud's Pure Vanilla Extract is manufactured in accordance with the U.S. standard of identity for pure vanilla extract and contains vanilla bean extractives, alcohol and water. We do not add any sugar, glycerin or corn syrup and our product is gluten free! We offer our Pure Vanilla Extract in 4 and 8 ounce glass bottles with a distinctive red wax seal. Quarts and gallons are available too. Silver Cloud's Pure Vanilla Extract makes a great gift for friends and family who like to cook and bake.

Vanilla Extract 4 0z bottle $9.75

Vanilla Extract 8 0z bottle $14.95

Vanilla Bean Paste

Silver Cloud's natural Vanilla Bean Paste is a fast and easy way to add vanilla bean flavor, with the appearance of seeds, to your cooking and baking. Many professional chefs prefer to use vanilla bean paste, since it eliminates the time consuming process of splitting and scraping the seeds from the beans. One tablespoon of paste has the equivalent flavor to a whole vanilla bean.

SilverCloud's rich, concentrated vanilla bean paste can be used in lieu of pure vanilla extract in puddings, cakes, cookies, ice cream or anywhere the flavor and appearance of vanilla beans is desired.

Using vanilla bean paste is also cost effective. One four fluid ounce jar contains approximately twelve tablespoons of paste, which is equivalent to twelve whole vanilla beans at a fraction of the cost.

Silver Cloud's Vanilla Bean Paste contains Sugar, Water, Pure Vanilla Extract 3-Fold, Vanilla Bean Seeds and Gum Tragacanth (a natural thickener used to keep the vanilla seeds in suspension). Since we use a three fold pure vanilla extract in our paste, it is stronger and has a richer flavor than other vanilla bean pastes on the market. It is also gluten-free. Try our paste just once and we feel you will never purchase any other brand. 4 oz size $10.95

History of Vanilla

Vanilla beans, or pods, are the fruit of the orchid Vanilla planifolia, which is native to the tropical forest of Mexico. In the wild vanilla grows as a thick, green vine up trees and produces clusters of trumpet shaped, celadon colored flowers. These delicate, small flowers usually bloom for just one day and can only be pollinated by the small Melipona bee. If the flowers are not pollinated they drop to the ground and no vanilla beans are produced.

The ancient Totonaco Indians of Southeastern Mexico were the first people to discover the secret of vanilla. They believed vanilla was a food of the Gods. When the Aztecs conquered the Totonaco, they adopted many of their beliefs. In 1518, the Spanish conquistadores, led by Herman Cortez, came to Mexico and observed the Aztec emperor, Montezuma, drinking "Choclatl". This beverage of ground cocoa and corn was flavored with "Tlilxochitl" (cured vanilla beans) and honey.

Cortez fell in love with Cholatl's rich flavor and aroma and introduced both cocoa and vanilla to Spain. Spanish chefs started making "Vainilla" (little sheath) flavored chocolate and for 100 years it was consumed by nobility and the very rich. Vainilla was later anglicized to vanilla.

Until the later part of the 18th century, Mexico was the sole producer of vanilla. While attempts were made to cultivate the vines in other tropical parts of the world, because the secret of the Melipona bee was not known, the vines did not produce beans.

In early 1800's the French took cuttings from Mexico to Reunion Island, which was then known as the Ile de Bourbon (the surname of the Kings of France). The plants flourished and flowered, but with no Melipona bees on the island, no beans were produced.

In 1837 the Belgian botanist Morren succeeded in artificially pollinating the vanilla flower. On Reunion Morren's process was attempted, but failed. It was not until 1841 that a 12 year old slave by the name of Edmond Albius discovered the correct technique of hand pollinating the flowers. Vanilla was soon taken to the neighboring French possessions of Madagascar, Comoro and Santa Maria. By 1898 about 200 tons of Vanilla beans a year were being produced by these islands.

Today, vanilla is grown in Madagascar, the Comoro and Reunion Islands, India, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Mexico. Vanilla is also cultivated in Tahiti. The Vanilla planifolia vines planted in Tahiti, however
 

Vanilla Types

The flavor of vanilla, like coffee and wine, is very complex and is a product of its environment. The quality of vanilla depends on the climate, soil and curing techniques. Depending on where vanilla is grown and how it is cured, the flavor of the beans and extract produced from them varies.

Bourbon

The term " Bourbon " originally referred to vanilla beans grown on Madagascar, Reunion and the Comoros Islands. Today, the term is used to describe Vanilla planifolia beans cultivated in other parts of the world including Uganda and India. When grown in other parts of the world, the beans are most accurately described as " Bourbon Type ".

The extract made from Bourbon vanilla beans has a fruity, sweet creamy, hay-like aroma with vanillin and phenolic undertones. It is generally stronger in flavor than the extract produced from other origins.

Mexican

Mexican vanilla is also Vanilla planifolia . The extract produced from Mexican beans has a unique flavor and aroma. It is slightly more spicy and woody in flavor and has less of the vanillin undertones found in "bourbon" vanilla.

Unfortunately, much of the vanilla extract produced in Mexico is adulterated with artificial vanillin, ethyl vanillin and other artificial flavor ingredients. Visitors to Mexico often believe they are buying Pure Vanilla Extract at great prices when all they are getting is a cheap imitation product colored with caramel color.

Tahitian

The beans of Vanilla tahitensis , have a unique flavor and aroma, which is floral and fruity. The extract made from these beans is sweet and creamy with notes of cherries and prunes. Tahitian Vanilla Extract typically has a more delicate flavor than Bourbon Vanilla Extract.

Indonesian

The beans grown in Papua New Guinea and other parts of Indonesia are Vanilla planifolia . Indonesian beans, however, due to the climate, soil conditions and how they are cured, often have a unique flavor and aroma, which is best described as slightly smoky. Most of the beans produced in Indonesia are purchased by large industrial users of vanilla and blended with vanilla from other origins.
 

Growing Vanilla

Vanilla was first planted at Silver Cloud in 2000 from cuttings taken from Madagascar. Growing vanilla is extremely labor intensive and it takes up to five years for a vine to mature and bear fruit. All the cultivation, pollination and harvesting of vanilla needs to be done by hand. Today, there are approximately 300,000 Vanilla planifolia vines on the estate. Luckily, all the vines do not flower at once, but each plant is checked everyday when flowering begins in December.

Vanilla vines are trained on trees and carefully pruned. The flowers are pollinated using a bamboo splinter. Not all the flowers on a vine are pollinated. This is done to conserve the plant's energy and to focus it in fewer beans. In about 10 weeks the flowers develop into long green beans.

Due to the almost perfect climate and the rich soil, Silver Cloud's vanilla beans can reach a length of 12 inches, though 7 to 10 inch beans are more typical. The green beans, which are almost tasteless and odorless, are hand picked and blanched using boiling water. This stops further vegetative development and initiates the enzymatic reaction which is responsible for vanilla's characteristic flavor and aroma.

The vanilla beans are then carefully dried in the sun during the day and wrapped in blankets and "sweated" at night. This curing process is repeated until the beans are properly cured, which can take anywhere from 4-6 months. As they cure, the beans slowly develop a dark mahogany color and characteristic vanilla flavor. Silver Cloud's beans also develop a crystalline substance on the surface of the beans. This is natural vanillin which is the main flavor component found in vanilla beans. While our beans are higher in natural vanillin than beans from Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Tahiti, vanillin isn't the only indicator of quality in Vanilla. Well over 100 other flavor components have been identified in vanilla and all of them contribute to its characteristic flavor and aroma.