Naturata - Bourbon Vanilla, Ground

The yellowish-green flowers of vanilla open between November and January for only a few hours in the morning and are pollinated by hand. If they are not pollinated during this short window, they fall off the same day. From a pollinated flower, a fruit pod up to 20 cm long develops in approximately four weeks. The ripe, still aromaless, greenish-yellow vanilla pods are also harvested by hand and immediately placed in a heat bath (approximately three minutes at 70 °C) to prevent natural ripening, followed by a one-day sweat bath. This is followed by a multi-month drying and fermentation process.

During fermentation, the vanilla pods first turn yellowish, then dark brown, and finally develop their distinctive aroma. No chemicals are used during the entire manufacturing process of Naturata Bourbon vanilla products. Real vanilla has a very soft and pleasantly aromatic flavor. The fermented vanilla pod contains over 130 aroma-giving substances in addition to sugar, fat, and minerals.

The typical vanilla flavor is predominantly characterized by vanillin. In the fresh fruit, vanillin is bound to sugar molecules. Only through fermentation is this bond released and the vanilla aroma can fully develop. Aromatic substances, also referred to as secondary plant compounds, are sometimes present only in trace amounts in the vanilla fruit. They shape the complex flavor profile of authentic Bourbon vanilla.