Nyanza Vanilla

Our Nyanza Vanilla is grown in the hills around Nyanza (aka Lake Victoria) in Tanzania, where the altitude, rich soil and temperate climate produce an especially rich, sweet vanilla.

Nyanza Vanilla comes in a biodegradable, sustainably-grown bamboo tube that holds two dry Extract Grade vanilla pods. The pods are dry and will work well for powder, homemade extracts and infusing into sugar.

Grind the whole pods in a coffee grinder for ice cream, custards and other rich desserts, or break them into pieces and let them infuse into the alcohol of your choice for homemade vanilla extract.

*Recommended by The Washington Post*

• Origin: Kagera, Tanzania
  
• Process: Sun-dried during the day, cured in wooden boxes overnight
• Ingredients: Vanilla planifolia, whole pod, dried
  
• Tasting notes: Toasted Hazelnut  • Dates • Tannins

COOKING

• Split, scrape and add to your ice cream base, fruit jams or puddings before cooking
• Drop a vanilla pod into your favorite spirit, then add sugar and instant coffee to make a homemade Tia Maria
• Bury spent pods in sugar to make vanilla sugar
• Pairs well with: Pemba Cloves, Stone Nutmeg, Cinnamon Verum

SOURCING

Vanilla is the fruit of a flowering vine. It takes as long as a decade for a vine to begin to produce fruit, and the white orchid flowers must be pollinated by hand. The pods grow in small bunches like bananas, and they take 6-9 months to ripen. After harvesting, they're cured in wooden boxes, where they turn from green to brown and develop their characteristic rich, complex aroma.

In a climate and terroir similar to that of Madagascar, they develop a deep, rich aroma and flavor. We prefer the vine-ripened pods (standard pods are often picked slightly underripe as a shortcut) for their stronger, sweeter, more concentrated flavor.

In the photos, you can see the nearly-ripe vanilla pods, the vanilla flower, and the vanilla vines.