Vanil A Bean · Grand Cru
A single bean.
Nine months of care. Grand Cru Bourbon Vanilla Beans from Papua, Indonesia
Grade A Planifolia · Papuafrom $49.95★ 5.0 (95)
I · Reading the bean
Few people look this closely.
Here is what matters.
01 Length
20–23 cm
Tip to tip. About 6 g each.
More length means more bean. More seeds. More to work with.
02 Stem
Picked by hand.
The curl marks where it held to the vine.
Harvest begins when the tip turns yellow.
03 Surface
Whole. Dark. Supple.
No splits. No scars.
Each bean is inspected by hand before it is sealed.
04 Frost
Look for the crystals.
Fine vanillin crystals can rise to the surface.
They are not mould. They are part of the bean.
05 Flexibility
It bends.
This batch measures 30–35% moisture in the laboratory.
Enough to stay supple. Not brittle.
06 Aroma
On the surface.
The bean’s natural sheen carries its aroma.
This batch measures 2.2–3.5% vanillin in the laboratory.
Papua batch · laboratory tested
From a customer’s kitchen
“After their long trip to me, these wonderful beans are now extracting. Amazing smell…”
II · Where it comes from
Five islands. Hundreds of farming families.
We buy directly from the families who grow our vanilla.
Papua, Indonesia
This bean grew here.
Papua, Indonesia.
Smallholder farms. Hand-pollinated flowers. Nine months on the vine.
- Origin
- Papua, Indonesia
- Species
- Vanilla planifolia
- Grade
- Grade A
- Range
- Grand Cru
- Harvest
- 2026
- Vanillin
- 2.2–3.5%
- Moisture
- 30–35%
- Cure
- Bourbon
- Conditioning
- 3 months
- Batch
- [batch code]
Sulawesi, Bali, Sumatra and Central Java: single origins to come.
It begins with a flower.
Vanilla is the fruit of an orchid. In Papua, each flower is pollinated by hand.
Before there was a brand, there were farmers.
We buy directly from the families who grow our vanilla. We pay above market price for the beans they grow.
Nine months on the vine.
The beans are picked green, when the tip begins to turn yellow.
The cure begins with heat.
The Bourbon curing process begins here.
Then the beans sweat.
Overnight in teak barrels.
Sun. Shade. Time.
The beans dry slowly over 10–12 weeks.
Then we wait.
The aroma settles. Every batch is measured, tested and recorded.
III · The flavour
Then comes the part you cannot see.
Pass your cursor along the pod
01 Tasting note
Cacao
Deep chocolate warmth. Rich and rounded.
02 Tasting note
Fig
Dried-fruit depth. Soft. Gently jammy.
03 Tasting note
Stone fruit
Ripe sweetness. A rounded finish.
04 Tasting note
Caramel
Warm. Dark. Lingering.
The finish
Cacao. Fig. Stone fruit. Caramel.
A whisper of tobacco. Long, creamy, unmistakably vanilla.
Inside, thousands of seeds.
The smallest part of the bean carries much of its aroma.
In professional kitchens
Grand Cru is the vanilla we supply to kitchens such as Zuma, Oberoi and Mövenpick.
NobuZumaHiltonMövenpickOberoi Hotels & ResortsThomas HaasRoom4DessertAlchemy
Seen in
Dine MagazineResident Magazine
Subscription
Keep vanilla in the kitchen.
Tell us how you cook. We work out how many beans you need, and how often they should arrive. You choose the rhythm. We take care of the rest.
01 How do you cook with vanilla?
02 How much vanilla does your kitchen use?
Tell us what you make. We’ll work out what you need.
- Custard, crème brûlée or ice cream1 bean a batch0
- Cakes and bakes1 bean a bake0
- Syrups and drinks1 bean a bottle0
- Homemade extract6 beans a 250 ml bottle0
03 Your rhythm
About 0 beans a month.
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Cooking for more? 500 g · 1 kg. Talk to us
5.0out of 5
95 verified reviews
After their long trip to me, these wonderful beans are now extracting. Amazing smell…
My second order and happy to say it’s as excellent as the first batch.
Quality product — 2nd time purchasing — will buy again.
Vacuum-sealed, with its batch code.
Grand Cru Collection · Single origin · Traceable
Grand Cru Bourbon Vanilla Beans
Grade A Planifolia · Bourbon-cured · 20–23 cm · Papua, Indonesia
Free worldwide delivery · Estimated delivery: [delivery window]
· 30-day replacement / refund guarantee
- Farming
- No synthetic pesticides or herbicides
- Additives
- None
- Storage life
- Up to 2 years sealed
- Packaging
- Vacuum sealed · Batch coded
See the measurements.
The full specification is available with the batch record.
View the full specification sheetWhat people ask
before their first bean.
Bourbon vanilla refers to the traditional Vanilla planifolia type associated with the islands of the Indian Ocean and the Bourbon curing tradition. Here, the beans are cured using the Bourbon method.
Grand Cru is our range for selected Grade A Vanilla planifolia beans at 20–23 cm, prepared for home cooks and professional kitchens.
Grade A describes the physical condition of the bean: whole, moist, supple and free from significant defects. It is a classification of appearance and moisture, not a guarantee of flavour.
These beans are grown on smallholder farms in Papua, Indonesia. The flowers are pollinated by hand and the beans remain on the vine for around nine months before harvest.
The beans are harvested green, then undergo a controlled Bourbon curing process involving heat, sweating, drying and conditioning. The process takes weeks. The aroma continues to develop during conditioning.
Bourbon refers to the curing tradition and historical classification associated with Vanilla planifolia from the former Bourbon islands. It does not mean the beans contain bourbon or alcohol.
Split the bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Use the seeds directly in creams, custards, cakes, ice cream, syrups and other preparations. Keep the scraped pod. It still contains aroma and can be steeped, infused or used again.
Keep sealed, away from direct sunlight and excessive heat. A stable room temperature is preferable. Do not refrigerate unless specifically recommended by the product storage instructions.
When properly sealed and stored, the beans can retain their useful qualities for an extended period. Our current specification states up to two years sealed.
Each batch is measured and recorded for key specifications including moisture and vanillin. The full specification sheet is available for the relevant batch.
Each pack carries a batch code. That code connects the product to its recorded origin and processing information.
Our specification states no additives.
That depends on what you are making. Our recommendation tool can suggest an amount based on your recipe and frequency of use.
Vanil A Bean · Grand Cru
Cultivated by Nature.
Perfected by Hand.
From a farm in Papua to your kitchen.