I'm low on saffron and vanilla so I go to http://saffron.com/ and get
all set to order. . . [I've ordered saffron from them for years and
got some vanilla last year]

And for some reason, this time I wonder if I should get a different
vanilla than what I got last time?

I'd have to look up what I bought-- but they were the freshest,
goo-i-est beans I've ever seen.

They offer
http://www.theposter.com/vanilla2.html
Planifolia [organic or not]
Tahitian and Mexican beans

The Tahitian and Planifolia come in 'gourmet' and 'chef' packs. The
chef pack is 1lb for $20. The gourmet is $30.

The Mexican is 3-4 times the price of the Tahitian and Planifolia.

I was about to order 1/2lb of the Planifolia for $15-- but wonder if I
ought to just get the pound and pack 1/2 of it in some rum or vodka
for safe keeping.

Has anyone compared all the varieties and found one to be a stand out?

Jim

On 3/13/2012 9:14 AM, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
> I'm low on saffron and vanilla so I go to http://saffron.com/ and get
> all set to order. . . [I've ordered saffron from them for years and
> got some vanilla last year]
>
> And for some reason, this time I wonder if I should get a different
> vanilla than what I got last time?
>
> I'd have to look up what I bought-- but they were the freshest,
> goo-i-est beans I've ever seen.
>
> They offer
> http://www.theposter.com/vanilla2.html
> Planifolia [organic or not]
> Tahitian and Mexican beans
>
> The Tahitian and Planifolia come in 'gourmet' and 'chef' packs. The
> chef pack is 1lb for $20. The gourmet is $30.
>
> The Mexican is 3-4 times the price of the Tahitian and Planifolia.
>
> I was about to order 1/2lb of the Planifolia for $15-- but wonder if I
> ought to just get the pound and pack 1/2 of it in some rum or vodka
> for safe keeping.
>
> Has anyone compared all the varieties and found one to be a stand out?

I buy from the same place, but I don't use enough beans to know anything
except that there are differences and I like them all. I use the vanilla
extract from saffron.com. Their extract comes in single, double, and
triple strength. They include a 2-oz. sample bottle of single strength
with a one-oz. order of saffron.

If you want to "preserve" beans in alcohol, use Everclear or Gold Seal
or any other 180-proof stuff you can get at the liquor store. (I have a
jar of cherries soaking in some right now. In a couple of weeks I'll
strain out the cherries to use for baking and cut the liquor with simple
syrup. That makes a wonderful sipping liqueur.)

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

On Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:14:47 -0400, Jim Elbrecht >
wrote:

>I'm low on saffron and vanilla so I go to http://saffron.com/ and get
>all set to order. . . [I've ordered saffron from them for years and
>got some vanilla last year]
>
>And for some reason, this time I wonder if I should get a different
>vanilla than what I got last time?
>
>I'd have to look up what I bought-- but they were the freshest,
>goo-i-est beans I've ever seen.
>
>They offer
>http://www.theposter.com/vanilla2.html
>Planifolia [organic or not]
>Tahitian and Mexican beans
>
>The Tahitian and Planifolia come in 'gourmet' and 'chef' packs. The
>chef pack is 1lb for $20. The gourmet is $30.
>
>The Mexican is 3-4 times the price of the Tahitian and Planifolia.
>
>I was about to order 1/2lb of the Planifolia for $15-- but wonder if I
>ought to just get the pound and pack 1/2 of it in some rum or vodka
>for safe keeping.
>
>Has anyone compared all the varieties and found one to be a stand out?

Can't help you with those varieties (the ones I buy come from New
Guinea or the south pacific). But regarding alcohol, I convert all of
my vanilla into vanilla essence by finely chopping them and then into
vodka for as long as possible before straining out the pods - then
adding the used pods again to more vodka for another run.
500g of pods makes enough to keep me going for 6-9 months.

Been meaning to try some rum instead of vodka though, that should turn
out nice.