- Latin name
- Vanilla planifolia
- Family
- Orchid family (Orchidaceae)
- Origin
- Indian Ocean islands: Madagascar, Réunion, Comoros
- Parts used
- cured pods
- Raw materials
- absolute, CO₂ extract
- Extraction
- solvent or CO₂ extraction
- Olfactory group
- gourmand, amber
- Position in the pyramid
- base
- Synthetic substitutes
- vanillin, ethyl vanillin
Bourbon vanilla has nothing to do with whiskey: the name comes from Île Bourbon, the old name of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. It was there, in the nineteenth century, that people learned to pollinate vanilla by hand, and from there its cultivation spread to Madagascar and the Comoros.
How it smells: a rich, creamy, deep vanilla with shades of cocoa, dried fruit, faintly smoky leather and tobacco. Bourbon vanilla is the benchmark of the classic warm vanilla, without the floral side of Tahitian vanilla.
Today “Bourbon” refers to Vanilla planifolia from the Indian Ocean islands, grown and cured in the traditional way: the pods are “sweated” and sun-dried for months until they become dark, supple and fragrant.
What it pairs with: with rum and tobacco — cosy evening compositions, with tonka — classic amber, with oud and rose — oriental sweetness, with sandalwood — a creamy base, with coffee — a “vanilla latte”.
Good to know: tiny white crystals of vanillin sometimes appear on high-quality Bourbon vanilla pods — they are prized as a sign of top quality.
