Noble Organic Vanilla Powder, Powder Vanilla Planifolia from Alor, Indonesia

Vanilla is not wrongly called the 'queen of spices'. It is one of the most popular spices and, along with saffron, is one of the most expensive in the world. Unlike in the industry, we work with pure, natural vanilla, which is characterized by a very high vanillin content. This aromatic substance is the main flavor carrier of vanilla, which is also responsible for its health-promoting properties. With a content of over 21% vanillin, the proportion in our vanilla far exceeds the global standard.

Alor vanilla was named after its area of origin - Alor, the largest island of the archipelago of the same name in Indonesia. The orchid plant is very demanding and thrives only in a few places. Depending on the region of cultivation, its fruits can vary greatly in taste and quality. However, no palate will miss the fact that the climbing plant of our vanilla beans feels perfectly at home in its growing region. Under organic and Fairtrade certified conditions, it is grown and cared for by local farmers of a cooperative on the still very pristine island.

Just as the Maya and Aztecs did, we love to refine ritual cocoa drinks with our vanilla, giving them the typical creamy, caramel note and a sensual, delicate fragrance.

Vanilla has a long history as a remedy due to its many health-promoting properties. These properties are mainly due to the main ingredient vanillin. In industry, this is mostly used in synthetically produced form as a flavoring, although it is unclear whether health risks can be associated with it. Our vanilla contains only natural vanillin, and even in above-average proportions.

Vanille werden antioxidative, antimikrobielle und entzündungshemmende Eigenschaften zugeschrieben. Sie wirkt beruhigend auf das Nervensystem und den gesamten Organismus, sorgt für ein wohliges Wärmegefühl und ist ein natürlicher Stimmungsaufheller. In diesem Sinne soll sie Verspannungen und Verstimmungen entgegenwirken und einen wohligen Schlaf ermöglichen. Zugleich soll ihr Genuss belebende, stoffwechsel- & verdauungsfördernde sowie subtil aphrodisierende Wirkungsweisen mit sich bringen. Auf geistiger Ebene kann sie weiterhin für gesteigerte Konzentration sorgen. Insgesamt wird sie letztlich als Stärker und Stabilisator des gesamten Organismus bezeichnet.

Vanilla as a spice in powder form comes from the orchid of the same name, whose capsule fruits (the vanilla pods) are fermented and dried. Its name is derived from 'vainilla', which means something like 'small pod'. As a climber, vanilla prefers forests where it can climb up trees with its adhesive roots. From June to August, the plant's yellowish-orange flowers, each with five long leaves and a funnel in the middle, are a pretty sight. The beauty of their unfolding is to be enjoyed, as it is short-lived. Each flower opens for just a single morning. In American countries, the flowers are pollinated by bees and hummingbirds. However, since these do not exist in Indonesia, the flowers are pollinated by hand. The male pollen is transferred to the female stigma with a stick and pressed together with the fingers. The elongated fruit capsules, which can grow up to 30 cm long, develop from the pollinated flowers within a few weeks. After harvesting, they are fermented so that the vanilla aroma can fully develop. In addition to vanillin, ingredients such as guaiacol, p-kesol and creosol are important factors in the typical taste experience of the spice. It is only through the fermentation process that the pods turn dark brown to black. The fine vanilla is then carefully dried in several steps, which takes around two weeks under the tropical sun and up to four weeks in the shade. It takes 4-6 months for the vanilla pods to finally develop their mature aroma. The drying process causes the vanilla pods to lose a lot of weight, so that out of 6 kg of green pods, 1 kg of dark gourmet vanilla pods remain.

Our fine vanilla is native to the island of Alor, which lies around 1400 km west of Bali and has a unique variety of plants and optimal climatic conditions. The Alor archipelago is characterized by a breathtakingly aesthetic underwater world with a colorful variety of species. A magnificent spectacle of colors and contrasts, playing dolphins and flying fish. The demanding Vanilla planifolia nevertheless prefers drier feet in shady places, so that it can be aromatically inspired by its conspecifics in mixed forest cultures surrounded by a variety of fruits and spices such as cloves. The island of Alor is still hardly developed for tourism, so it has retained its completely natural charm to this day.

The island's local residents derive most of their income from the primary sector, though they face certain challenges. Crop failures and theft make livelihoods difficult for many local people. In addition, the cultivation of vanilla, from manual pollination to the ripening process, involves considerable effort.

For this reason, we source our vanilla from a cooperative where not only the Fairtrade standard is implemented, but the farmers are also paid above market value. Starting with about 80 farmers, today almost 300 smallholders are part of the cooperative.

The traditional refinement of ceremonial cacao through the addition of vanilla dates back to the lifetime of the Maya and the Aztecs. Even then, vanilla was in high demand for its unique flavor and was in fact by some tribes handed to the Aztec ruler as a tribute. People were aware of the spice's health benefits and have used vanilla as a remedy for thousands of years.

Xocolatl - this is the name of the classic ceremonial cacao drink of the Maya and the Aztecs. Xoco' means bitter and 'atl' means water. Instead of using vegan milk and coconut blossom sugar, ceremonial cacao was prepared with water only and then refined with chili and vanilla. Cacao and spices were a precious commodity, so this invigorating and stimulating drink was reserved for special occasions and highly respected people.

Vanilla and cacao - a delicate seduction with noble tradition, can you resist it?

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How to prepare cocoa for the perfect ceremony? Here's how:

Cocoa preparation recommendation