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'''Whether on exploring a tour of national park in the SAVA region exploring a national park or just travelling through Sambava, the de facto centre capital of the world's vanilla - agriculture, a tour of a vanilla plantation combined with a visit to one of the countless vanilla plantations as well as a vanilla preparation and export production facility offers will give visitors an insight into the lengthy lenghty and labour intensive process of transforming the green fruits of vanilla orchids into the fragrant black natural vanilla bean being spice that is the final product world's favourite ingredient in quality ice creams, pastries and baking ingredient that most people are familiar withcountless other food products.'''

What can be seen depends the time of the year and on the activities that are ongoing at the time of a visit. Usually, between Between May and June, the plucking of harvesting green vanilla beans happens is done across plantations along on the northwest coast around Sambava, Antalaha and Vohemar as well as further into the countrysideinland, while at higher altitudes, around Andapa and Marojejy, the harvesting usually takes place in July or and early August.

Following After harvesting, the green vanilla beans crops are traded at organised brought by the farmers to vanilla markets across the vanilla producing regions where buyers place competing bids bid for yearly harvests offered by farmers and cooperativestheir produce. A minimum price is set by the industry and the governmentgovernent each year, which in 2022 was 75,000 Ar per kilogram of green vanilla.

The green vanilla crops are bought mostly by local sold mainly to exporters and producers who manage the approximately three months-long transforming process transformation of the green beans into black vanilla beans. As the beans into lose moisture and shrink during the drying process, every six kilos of green beans will produce approximately one kilogram of black vanilla beans.

Througout the transformation, also known as the curing process, the beans are graded and grouped into by classifications based on suitability for different end-uses: Grade A being Gourmet Quality, Grade B Extract quality and Grade C which are also known as Cuts & Splits. These classifications, sometimes mistaken for indicators of quality, are based on humidity and thereby suitability for different endn-uses.

The classifications are defined by the level of humidity. Low-humidity beans are suitable suited for large -scale food processing purposes, since dry beans are as they can easily be ground into powder and mixed into with various food products. Grade B, or Extract grade vanilla beans, is a definition for the vanilla beans grade that are is typically intended used for the production of vanilla extracts , while Grade A beans, or gourmet qualitybeans, which have the highest humidity, are selected typically favoured by chefs and end-consumers who will split open the pods to scrape out its seeds to mix into various cooking and baking creations. But all grades can be used in part cooking and baking. While grade A may have a stronger scent and a better overall appearance, Grade B or even C with its lowest moisture content will offer the highest volume per kilogram, effectively providing more vanilla and flavouring for their appearance. Quality the same weight at a lower price than Grade A beans are preferred by chefs and for home baking purposes.

YetIn Madagascar, all grades can be vanilla is rarely used in home cooking and bakingalmost exclusively farmed for export purposes. While grade A may have a stronger scent Since the price of vanilla peaked at around USD 500 per kilo in 2018 and a better appearance2019, the drier Grade B or even C with countless farmers have invested their relatively low moisture will offer the greatest volume per kilogram, giving more time and efforts in cultivating vanilla and flavour for the same weightas their primary cash crop.

In Vanilla beans grow best in light but shaded conditions. Partly and fully grown green vanilla beans can be seen at plantations between March and up until harvesting time. Historically, the type of vanilla grown in Madagascaris the Planifolia species, also known as Bourbon vanilla is rarely used in cooking or home baking and simply Madagascar vanilla. The species originates from Mesoamerica where it grew centuries ago. The "Bourbon" part is almost exclusively sold a hostorical reference a French owned slave on La Reunion, then known as cash-crop for export. Since Île Bourbon, who discovered how to pollinate the last peak price of black vanilla at around USD 500 per kilo orchids by hand to bear fiuits, since in their original habitat, pollination can only occur by bees native to Mexico. Apart from flavouring sweets in 2018 countless food and 2019drink products, vanilla is used in essential oils, cosmetics, toiletries, countless farmers have invested their time perfumes as well as in cultivating specifically vanillamedicines.

Vanilla The medicinal values are ... The price of different vanilla has in part been determinded by its vanillin percentage, the higher the vanillin percentage, the the higher the price, with the Thaitian variety having fetched record prices in recent years while the Mexican variately (Pompona) having had the lowest and the Magascan planifolia usually placed between. However, studies have shown that high values of 2% or more does not necesssarily equate to an improved taste quality. So a high vanillin percentage is something that can just look good on paper. Instead, beans grow best in light but shaded conditionswith a vanillin percentage value of around 1. Partly 7% were considered to have the most balanced flavour profile and fully grown green vanilla beans can the highest overall score. There are subtle taste differences, which may easily only be seen at plantations distinquisged by a master chef or gourmandise, and while the terroir makes a difference, Planifolia is known for its floral notes, Pompona for having a more subtle flavour and Thaitian being known for its anaise notes and sweetness. As Thaitian is hybrid between Planifolia and Odorata, it may prove difficult to tell the differnce between March a Planifolia and up until harvesting timeTahitian grown in a same terroir in for example Madagascar.  == Videos == Sorting Cuts & Splits