Bourbon, Tahitensis or Pompona: which variety to choose
Quick answer: Bourbon (Vanilla planifolia) is the vanilla of vanillin: clear, rounded, it holds up to cooking and suits almost everything. Tahitensis (Vanilla tahitensis) is an aniseed, floral vanilla, best kept for cold preparations; we do not grow it and we do not sell it. Pompona (Vanilla pompona) is an XXL bean, thick and fruity, rare, made for long infusions and savoury pairings. Our family grows Bourbon and Pompona in the SAVA region, in the north-east of Madagascar.
Only three species, out of hundreds of vines
The genus Vanilla counts more than a hundred species of climbing orchids. Only three yield an aromatic bean that can be cultivated, and two of them grow on our plots.
The work, however, is the same whatever the species, and it explains the price. The flower opens for a single morning: if nobody pollinates it by hand that day, it drops and there will be no bean. So we walk the rows every morning of the flowering season, bamboo tip in hand. Then comes an eight to nine month wait before harvesting a green bean that still smells of nothing at all. The scent is created by the curing: a few minutes of scalding in water at around 65 °C, sweating in trunks, sun-drying on racks in the morning and a retreat into the shade in the afternoon, then several months of conditioning. A bean reaches you after more than a year and a half of work.
The comparison table
| Criterion | Bourbon | Tahitensis | Pompona |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Vanilla planifolia | Vanilla tahitensis, from a natural cross between planifolia and odorata | Vanilla pompona |
| Dominant molecule | Vanillin, around 2% of the weight of the cured bean | Aniseed compounds: anisaldehyde, anisyl alcohol. Discreet vanillin | Vanillin, alongside marked aniseed and fruity compounds |
| Notes | Clear vanilla, cocoa, prune, woody and caramelised base | Flower, aniseed, red fruits, cherries in brandy | Candied cherry, honey, aniseed, almond, a base of tonka bean |
| Appearance of the bean | Slender, cylindrical, very dark brown, supple, slightly oily | Shorter and broader, glossy black-brown, does not split open when ripe | Thick and broad, russet brown, the silhouette of a small banana |
| Usual length | 10 to 20 cm depending on size | 12 to 16 cm | 20 to 25 cm |
| Rarity | Common: the benchmark of the world market | Rare: tens of tonnes a year, against thousands for Bourbon | Very rare: a tiny share of world volume |
| Behaviour in cooking | Excellent: withstands hot infusion and long cooking | Poor: volatile notes, to be added cold or off the heat | Good: needs a long infusion to open up |
| Uses | Crème anglaise, ice cream, ganache, brioche, vanilla sugar, extract | Whipped cream, mousses, red fruits, cold finishing | Spiced rum, syrups, savoury sauces, shellfish, dark chocolate |
| At our farm | Yes, our main production | No, we do not grow it | Yes, limited volume |
Bourbon, Vanilla planifolia: what we grow first and foremost
"Bourbon" is not a species; it is a geographical name inherited from Bourbon Island, today's Réunion. It refers to planifolia grown and cured in the Indian Ocean, of which Madagascar is by far the world's leading producer.
It is the vanilla richest in vanillin, and that is what makes it versatile: an immediately recognisable vanilla taste that does not fade when boiled in milk. On our plots, the cured bean is slender, supple, almost black, and it bends without breaking.
We sell it by size, because size is what decides the quantity of seeds inside: S from 10 to 12 cm, M from 13 to 15 cm, L from 16 to 18 cm, XL from 19 to 20 cm. Per bean, the S starts at €1.90 and the XL at €4.90. Everything is on the Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar page, where size and quantity are chosen separately, from a single-bean sachet to the kilo. The rest of the range, powder, extract, vanilla sugar, caviar, is gathered in the Bourbon vanilla collection.
Pompona, the XXL bean from our plots
Pompona looks like nothing else. The vine is more vigorous, the leaves fleshier, the flower larger, and the bean is so thick that it is nicknamed banana vanilla. Ours measures 20 to 25 cm and weighs around 7 grams, several times the weight of a Bourbon of the same length.
It remains marginal everywhere in the world, for good reasons in the field: the vine flowers less, the flower is harder to pollinate, and its thick flesh calls for a slower curing. We only produce a small volume each season.
On the palate, it is less "vanilla" and more "fruit": candied cherry, honey, aniseed, a hint of almond. It needs time and heat to open up, which makes it excellent in spiced rum, in a syrup, or in a sauce served with shellfish. We offer it from 2 beans up to the kilo on the Pompona XXL vanilla from Madagascar page.
Tahitensis: what it does well, and why we do not sell it
Let us be clear: we do not grow tahitensis and we do not sell it. That would mean buying someone else's vanilla, and that is not our trade.
This does not stop it being remarkable in its own register. It is a species in its own right, from a natural cross between planifolia and odorata, grown mainly in French Polynesia and Papua New Guinea. Its bean does not split open when ripe, which allows a later harvest and a curing without hot-water scalding. The result: far less vanillin, but a highly recognisable aniseed and floral bouquet.
Two things before buying any. Its aromas are volatile: heated for long, it loses what makes it expensive, so it must be added off the heat. And the volumes produced are very small, which explains its price and the number of beans sold under that name without being the real thing. Insist on the precise origin.
Choosing according to what you are cooking
The useful question is not "which one is best", but "what is going to be heated, and for how long".
Anything that cooks or infuses hot, crème anglaise, ice cream, rice pudding, ganache, brioche: Bourbon, in an L or XL size if you scrape out the seeds. Anything that stays cold or is whipped, whipped cream, mousse, red fruits: Tahitensis excels, Bourbon does very well, Pompona will be too discreet for lack of infusion time. A long infusion or a savoury pairing: Pompona takes the lead.
The four-size gift box lets you taste an S and an XL from the same harvest side by side in the same dessert. Often more instructive than a change of species.
Size matters as much as species
Length does not change the nature of the aroma; it changes the quantity of seeds. A split XL gives a generous caviar; an S is enough to flavour a litre of milk or start a vanilla sugar. You are not paying for a different taste, you are paying for density.
For the criteria for selecting a bean, see choosing Bourbon vanilla well. The storage and preparation page covers the tube, humidity and frosting in detail. Restaurateurs, pastry chefs and food manufacturers will find volumes and prices on our professionals page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pompona stronger than Bourbon? No, it is broader: less vanillin, so a more discreet "vanilla" attack, but more fruity and honeyed notes. In a crème anglaise, Bourbon will seem more intense; in a syrup infused for an hour, Pompona takes the advantage.
Can a Bourbon bean be replaced by a Pompona? Yes, but not in equal quantity. Since Pompona is much fleshier, a single bean is enough where you would have used two, and it needs infusion time. In a quick, cold preparation, stay with Bourbon.
Do you sell Tahitian vanilla? No. We only sell what our family grows in the SAVA region: Bourbon and Pompona. We would rather say so than resell under our name a bean we did not cure ourselves.
